Darren Sammy sacked as West Indies T20 captain 'in 30-second phone call'
Darren Sammy, who led West Indies to their title win in the 2012 and 2016 T20 World Cups, has revealed that he would not be the West Indies T20 captain anymore. Sammy said that the chairman of selectors informed him of their decision to remove him in a “30-second phone call”.
"I got a call yesterday 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, my performances have not merited selection in the squad," Sammy said in the video.
"That's okay, I've always believed West Indies cricket is not about Darren Sammy. They are looking to the future and I wanna 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.
"I got a call yesterday 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."
"Obviously, throughout my captaincy, winning the two World Cups has been the highlight. And these memories I will cherish for a long time. This is not me retiring from one-day or T20, it's just me thanking the fans and my players and the coaches I've worked with and WICB for…yeah, letting me lead the side for the last six years. But for now, the captaincy has come to an end and thank you people.
"I just know I played with my heart and soul whenever I stepped out on the cricket field."
The 32-year-old’s relationship with the WICB had deteriorated further after the 2016 T20 world cup, where he used the post-match presentation ceremony to criticise the board.
"Six years ago I was asked to captain West Indies, a task which I fought would be the biggest challenge in my career, in my life," Sammy said. "A task which I know would be so difficult but guess what…I took it head on. I embraced the challenge, I embraced the difficulty. I turn up at the office which is my playground, the cricket field, every day and put in the work.
"I started off with Ottis Gibson [then West Indies coach]. I want to thank you, buddy, for believing in me and now it has ended up with Phil . To my players all over the years, who've been part of the team and who've been under my captaincy, I want to thank you all for all the support. We've had our ups and downs but I have never given up hope, I have never stopped believing in myself and in the team. That is what I was about as captain - trying to instil positive, never-say-die attitude into my players. The result we won two World Cups and I want to thank all of you."
West Indies are scheduled to play two T20 matches against India on August 27 and 28.