Sammy latest to lament about West Indies Cricket’s skint finances, saying ‘We did not reap financial rewards’ of rich legacy.
Sammy: ‘We did not reap financial rewards’ of the legacy we have created.
Financial assistance has been demanded by a number of voices to assist West Indies cricket in addressing these problems. In turn, it has caused others to wonder why the ICC and other boards need to intervene. Daren Sammy, the head coach of the West Indies, has a straightforward response: The West Indies contributed significantly to the growth of cricket when they dominated the world game from the 1970s to the 1990s, but they did not benefit monetarily from their dominance like India has in more recent decades when cricket has become much more profitable.
“Look, [it’s] the history we bring, or the history we have, and the legacy we have left on this game in all formats,” Sammy said, when posed this question two days out from the second Test in Delhi. “Obviously the way we play now, everybody will lean towards that. But if we take that aside, and understand the impact that the West Indies team have had in international cricket, I think all what we ask for, we deserve.
“You know you speak to so many other teams. The inspiration that Vivian Richards’ team had, or the impact it had, even here in India, the impact these guys had on the next generation, West Indies contributed to that. I remember watching [West Indies playing] five Test-match series [around the world]. It’s like India now. Everybody wants India to tour, because that’s where the financial gains are. India brings that to the home territory. That was West Indies in the past.
“But we did not reap those financial rewards. We were playing five Test matches, three-four months in one place, entertaining the world, where other parts benefited. 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.”
Sammy is conscious that the facilities they now have and the talent ready to play Test cricket for the West Indies are the only things he can work with. He is aware that young players in the Caribbean are unlikely to respond the same way he did in 2004, when he was in the UK playing for an MCC Young Cricketers squad and he was informed that he had been selected for the West Indies team.
However, Sammy believes that the West Indies can and should continue to compete with other teams in one area: preparation.
“For me as a coach, when I call a player and I tell him that he has been selected for West Indies, and I’m hoping that he accepts the selection, that tells us where our cricket is,” he said. “As a kid, I remember in 2004, me being at Lord’s, MCC Young Cricketers, and getting a call. Once I saw the area code 1268, I knew it was from Antigua, I was hoping it was a call from the West Indies Cricket Board, and how excited I was.
“Times have changed. We [can] only work with what we have, and who’s willing. And the inability to match some of the franchises across the world [financially], it has been an issue.
“But what I always tell these guys [is], if we complain about not having the best facilities, not having enough manpower like the other teams, not having the best technology, all these things which the other teams are superior to us [in], then why the hell are they still outworking us? The only way we could match up [and] compete at a consistent level is if we as the coaches and the players are prepared to outwork the opposition, and we’re not doing that.