Kolkata: In it to win it. Daren Sammy the West Indies captain would never have it any other way. Backs to the wall, legitimate T20 stars sparring with administrators, the cricket body staring at financial ruin, West Indies knew only a World Cup win could deliver them from the unrest. And so on a hot Kolkata afternoon ten summers ago, Sammy proclaimed West Indies were “in it to win it”.
Less than a month later, Carlos Brathwaite smoked four consecutive sixes off Ben Stokes in the final at Eden Gardens to script a miracle. Then captain, now coach, it can’t be coincidence that Sammy is back in India, at the Eden Gardens, making West Indies dream again.
No nation apart from the West Indies has won the T20 World Cup twice in a row. Never has a brand of batting been more popular and effective in the IPL or elsewhere than the Caribbean way. And yet West Indies have to thank Sammy more than anyone else for that sensational high through the 2010s.
He never was the most naturally gifted cricketer, nor the most statistically impressive, but his importance to West Indies cricket goes far beyond numbers. Sammy was the leader who restored belief and pride to a fractured team, and in doing so, he helped reshape the modern identity of West Indies cricket.
His appointment to captaincy in 2010 wasn’t without a touch of controversy. Critics questioned his place in the team, let alone his suitability to lead it. In a team dominated by power hitters, Sammy was an allrounder bowling gentle medium pace and batting in the lower middle order.
Obviously his numbers did not compare with some of the stars around him, and many felt the captaincy should belong to a more established performer. Yet, history would prove that West Indies cricket did not need a superstar captain; it needed a unifier and a believer. Sammy was both.
It isn’t amusing that even 10 years after that World Cup win, West Indies cricket still seems to be at the crossroads. Often threatened to be consigned to a lower tier of Test cricket, T20 stalwarts still opting out of central contracts in favour of franchise league moolah, the ground realities have barely changed.
Probably why it made sense bringing back Sammy, who immediately made it a point to speak out about the need to not only reassess and assimilate their strengths, but also address the festering financial inequality.
“We were playing five Test matches, three-four months in one place, entertaining the world, where other parts benefited,” Sammy had said during the tour of India last October. “So for now, when we, over the years, whether it be through lack of management, whatever it is, we are in need of those financial resources to help us grow and move forward, I think we deserve that. Because of the impact we’ve had.”
This side of Sammy isn’t exactly unknown. Before being appointed as white-ball coach, Sammy had served as an independent director on the Cricket West Indies board, a role he had taken on to “ask the right questions”. But in his newer avatar, a more pressing question waits to be answered: Can Sammy change West Indies’ fortunes as coach, just like he had done as captain?
The good thing is that despite the players’ exodus and general sense of unease, West Indies still don’t lack quality players. In Roston Chase, Jason Holder and Gudakesh Motie, West Indies have found a very reliable mix of pace and spin. Even though Johnson Charles hasn’t quite hit it off, him opening with Shai Hope is still West Indies’ best bet. The board had tried to persuade Nicholas Pooran to come out of his international retirement but Shimron Hetmyer at No 3 still makes a lot of sense considering his vast IPL experience.
The most promising quality of the West Indies however remains unchanged—their six-hitting ability. Through Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd and even Holder in the middle order, West Indies possess the right ingredients for an explosive batting performance.
They need a calm catalyst though, and that’s where Sammy comes into the equation. In an era when the team was often dismissed as undisciplined and money-minded, Sammy had redefined the narrative as captain. He promoted professionalism without stifling Caribbean flair, proving that passion, joy, and responsibility could coexist.
Most significantly, he had played a key role in managing big personalities. Under his stewardship, Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard, and Sunil Narine found an environment where their talents could be maximised for the team’s benefit.
More than anyone else, Sammy had understood that leadership was not about control but about trust, a philosophy that proved remarkably effective. To reimplement that 10 years later with a different bunch of equally talented players is where Sammy’s challenge now lies.
