Kolkata: “West Indies cricket is, how would I describe it? It’s a world in itself,” Daren Sammy paused. “A lot has happened. Whether it be administration, whether it be players going in different directions. But it’s the West Indies. You can’t talk about cricket and not talk about the West Indies.
“West Indies cricketers are known better than their prime ministers. So it brings a lot of history. And that is what I try to instill in the guys. If you understand the history, if you know where you came from and what you’ve done, you now have an opportunity to shape the next generation. And I told them in the huddle today, create your own. This team, create your own piece of history.”
This man, that day, at the same Eden Gardens press conference room where 10 years ago Marlon Samuels strode in and put up his feet, pads strapped, spikes intact to answer questions after West Indies won their second consecutive T20 World Cup—a strange sense of deja vu has already started to set in. The West Indies are chasing history, not as a memory, but as a mission. Their batting remains fearless and their swagger is intact, even though recent results—they have lost to Scotland and Nepal—may suggest otherwise. But it’s impossible to say no when Daren Sammy, now the West Indies coach, invites you to another T20 World Cup ride.
Not on the basis of any matchup or analysis, but purely a warm fuzzy gut feeling that West Indies tend to muster just before events like these. “There was a period between probably 2009 to 2016 where we really invented the game. Cycles come. Especially with us, the challenges that we face in keeping players, in developing players, whether it be facility-wise, whether it be systems that we have. We face a whole lot of challenges, but I’m not one to make mistakes. I dream for an era where we say we did this because of, and not in spite of. But that’s what we have,” said Sammy.
Too ambitious? Perhaps. “I know it feels like the same scenario 10 years ago where everything that was against us, nobody gave us a chance,” he said. “And I’m looking at the guys and the calibre of talent that we have in that dressing room. If we go out and, you know my favourite word, execute with both ball and bat and also in the field, we’re in it to win it.”
There’s no Chris Gayle or Samuels, nor do West Indies have Carlos Andre Russell or Dwayne Bravo. They have Shai Hope and Shimron Hetmyer however, as well as Johnson Charles and Jason Holder from that class of 2016. That sway has been lost a bit though, despite their best effort. The talent was never in question, but a glaring gap in continuity probably played a part in this slide.
“That 2016 team never got the opportunity to pass on the knowledge to the crop that we have now. So a lot has been against us, but now we’re here in the World Cup and we believe that we could have an impact and that impact could take us to winning. It will take a massive effort from everyone, but one that is not impossible,” said Sammy.
Like then, this time too West Indies know they have to go through India to make their dream come true. Sammy too didn’t beat around the bush. “It’s even a bigger challenge now,” he said. “Nobody is winning this World Cup if they don’t go through India, whether you have to beat India in a knockout stage, whether it be a semi-final or a final. So they’re the favourites. And every team has to play really well to beat India at home. It’s their cup to lose.”
India can wait because West Indies have to qualify for the Super 8 first. This isn’t about reliving 2012 or 2016. This is about writing the next chapter step by step, with young stars, seasoned firepower, and a coach who’s walked the path from dream to destiny. But most crucially the belief that they can even if the world doesn’t. “We were not winning in test matches. But we made that era between 2007 and 2016. We created our own history. So now I think this crop could start something really special,” said Sammy. And you win, it’s easier to get things done when you win. And I think we’re about to win. Even though nobody believes, I believe. And my team believes. Let the dance start tomorrow.”
EOM
