DARREN SAMMY is the popular choice of NATION readers to become the next West Indies cricket captain.
In an unscientific poll in which this newspaper invited responses through telephone calls, e-mails, Facebook and www.nationnews.com, the 26-year-old all-rounder found support from half of the 98 respondents.
Sammy was the choice of 49 fans who identified his growing leadership skills, whole-hearted commitment and effervescent spirit among the reasons for his elevation.
Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo, captain and vice-captain for most of the last three years, were overlooked by many who questioned their commitment to West Indies’ cricket after turning down one-year central retainer contracts from the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB).
Gayle was a distant second with 16 per cent of the votes and was followed by Bravo (eight per cent), Brendan Nash (seven per cent), Ramnaresh Sarwan (six per cent) and Daren Ganga (five per cent).
While Sammy has been a regular member of the West Indies team in the shorter forms of the game since his international debut in 2004, he has hardly been given an extended run in Test cricket and his eight Tests have been spread over three years.
“He has a good head on his shoulders and since he is not in demand as our stars – I use that word very loosely – he would be committed to the West Indies team,” said George Stevenson.
“Let those who can’t work with him leave. It’s not as if we’re winning, anyway. Having said that, if the WICB wants a ‘committed’ captain, he must be compensated accordingly.”
MP Hamilton Lashley also endorsed Sammy while giving reasons why Gayle and Bravo should not be considered.
“Sammy shows commitment, purpose, a sense of solidity and understands the passion of West Indies cricket,” Lashley said.
“Even when he fails, he still shows a commitment to the cause. I will like other players to do the same.
“I cannot consider Gayle and Bravo. When you look at sports across the world, whenever a country calls a player for national duty, his country comes first.”
With some fans still uncertain if Sammy would be a certainty for the Test team, a few nominated him as captain for the shorter forms of the game and put forward another nominee for the five-day game.
It was the position held by veteran entertainer Richard Stoute, who picked Brendan Nash as his Test captain.
“Nash’s body language, attitude and performances enhance his claim,” Stoute said. “He can bring a lot of balance and commonsense to our cricket.”
Some callers also went for Daren Ganga, the Trinidad and Tobago captain who has guided his national team to overwhelming success at regional level over the past five years.
Ganga, who has been in and out of the West Indies team since 1998, however, has a modest record as a batsman at international level.
Two callers voted for 20-year-old Adrian Barath, urging the WICB to follow the lead of South Africa who appointed Grame Smith as captain at the age of 22.
HOW THEY SCORED:
Player Percentage
Darren Sammy 49
Chris Gayle 16
Dwayne Bravo 8
Brendan Nash 7
Ramnaresh Sarwan 6
Daren Ganga 5
Shivnarine Chanderpaul 4
Adrian Barath 3
Ryan Hinds 2
