Darren Sammy was given a very raw deal by the West Indies Cricket Board.
His axing from the Test captaincy seemed only a matter of time after he was relieved of the leadership of the 50-overs team.
It could only be a matter of time before the captaincy of the T20 squad is wrenched from his grasp, especially if the team has a run of poor results.
Some voices in some territories were against his elevation from the inception and they seemed to find pleasure when his personal performances weren’t good. Even commentators couldn’t wait to pull him down.
You could say he was perceptive about the way things would turn out after the Test team played well below their best on the tours of India and New Zealand last year.
He stated then that even his place could be compromised.
I honestly think, up to that point, that Sammy’s leadership couldn’t have been questioned because from all reports it appeared that management had lost the dressing room and, in such circumstances, somebody usually pays a price. Sammy became the fall-guy and that tour was the genesis of his demise as Test skipper.
The people who hastily agreed to be part of a match for Sachin Tendulkar’s farewell on home soil in India are still in their jobs even though it was clear that the team didn’t have enough time to prepare for it.
The fall-out started in India and they never recovered. One man ended up being the martyr.
To Sammy’s credit, he was masterful in leading his troops on and off the field, with some respected observers praising his statesmanship and for keeping the team together – and that’s not an easy thing to do in an insular and polarised environment.
Only the great Sir Frank Worrell and Clive Lloyd were able to achieve a similar feat.
This talk about Sammy offbalancing the team is bare rubbish in the context that West Indies have failed to produce a genuine, consistent all-rounder since Sir Garfield Sobers, and that’s a period exceeding 40 years.
Why attempt to make one person the scapegoat?
However, if a different administration decides it is time to move on we have to accept their verdict and wish the incoming skipper all the best.
I believe that Denesh Ramdin’s task may be just as taxing as any of those who have preceded him in the past 20 years because, as we have seen, shuffling the deck at the top hasn’t worked.
We are simply not producing quality players in bunches like back in the day, and this is evidenced when we analyse the declining standard of domestic and regional cricket in spite of improved infrastructure and player incentives.
Ramdin will simply be switching places with Sammy to lead several underachievers and recycled failures. He needs time and should perhaps be given an opportunity to help shape the team in his own image.
I am sure he will have certain cricketers in mind for his unit.
The new captain’s own form will be under scrutiny, too, like all of those before him, when his tenure begins on June 8 in the first of three Tests against New Zealand.
In every political context of West Indies cricket, it is true that uneasy lies the head wearing the crown.
Darren Sammy will concur.
• Andi Thornhill is an experienced, award-winning sports journalist; email at [email protected]
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