Darren Sammy revealed to the world on Friday, via an uploaded video on his Facebook account, that he will no longer be the captain of the West Indies T20 team, adding that he was also dropped from the squad after a telephone call with the West Indies Chairman of Selectors.
In the six-minute video, the St Lucian star said “I got a call yesterday [Thursday] morning, it was probably 30 seconds, from the Chairman of Selectors telling me that they’ve reviewed the captaincy of T20 and I won’t be captain anymore of the T20 team, [and] my performances have not merited selection in the squad.”
Sammy has captained the West Indies T20 team to two World Cup wins in the format.
The news came as a surprise to many as this would be the first T20 outing after the T20 World Cup for the West Indies when they play India in two matches in late August.
The St Lucian noted that the two World Cup wins were the highlight of his six-year tenure as captain of the T20 side.
The 32-year-old also made it clear that this does not mean he will be retiring from T20s, nor One Day Internationals while thanking his fans for the support throughout his career.
Sammy, who captains the St Lucia Zouks in the Caribbean Premier League, was cognizant of the fact that the sport must go on and West Indies Cricket must move forward.
“That’s ok; I’ve always believed West Indies cricket is not about Darren Sammy. They are looking to the future and I want to wish the new captain – I don’t know if it’s out yet so I won’t call any names. All the best as he looks to lead West Indies cricket and take it forward,” the all-rounder said.
The Zouks for the first time in CPL history made it to the knockout round but were halted by the Trinbago Knight Riders even though Sammy blasted 40 runs from just 22 deliveries.
The West Indies Cricket Board has not yet confirmed or denied Sammy’s message.
Sammy has played for the West Indies in 66 T20 games, striking at 148 and taking 44 wickets.
As the first player to represent the West Indies from St Lucia, as well as to lead the team to two World Cup T20 trophies, Sammy had the Beausejour Stadium renamed to the Darren Sammy National Stadium in his honour.
