Daren Sammy: I believe I can get the job done
Sat, May 27, '23
Newly announced West Indies Cricket white ball Head Coach Daren Sammy had his first media interaction on 26th May. Usually, these press conferences are brief. Twenty minutes maximum. This one lasted 35 minutes. It’s not surprising though, if you remembered Daren Sammy’s interviews when he was captain of various West Indies teams, including the winning T20 World championship teams in BOTH 2012 and 2016. Quite a feat.
There are some similarities between Sammy the player, and the son of St Lucia, the coach. In both cases, he was not necessarily the obvious choice. But as a player, and then captain, he distinguished himself by winning international championships. He was also known as saying what was on his mind.
The news of Sammy’s appointment as West Indies white ball coach made me blink. I had seen it on another website, not www.windiescricket.com, and thought for a minute that it was click bait. A visit to the official website confirmed the news.
At today’s press conference, his coaching credentials (or lack thereof), was one of the topics brought up. Here is how Daren Sammy answered: “Coaching was not something I aspired to do, during my playing days, but it is a role that chose me.” He further said “I am a work in progress. I am aware of all those things. I understand the challenges ahead of me, but I also believe the impact I could have with this generations right now and I will not let because I don’t have a certificate, stop me from taking on the challenges I know I am equipped to handle.” He told the small media group that he had already started the process in being certified. His first assignment will include the One Day International (ODI) cricket qualifiers. That is certainly not a position Sammy found himself in, when he was player.
Listen to the full interview below, brought to you courtesy of CWI Media. (Thanks!)
