The Test side has shown noticeable improvement under Darren Sammy, and credit must be given where it is due. However, one thing I dislike about his approach as a coach is that he doesn't seem to give his captains enough room to captain.

The declaration clearly didn't appear to be Chase's decision. Sammy was the one constantly sending messages, and the optics of it were not good. At some point, you have to allow your captain to lead without visibly undermining his authority.

Of course, as head coach, Sammy will have input into the decisions being made. That's part of his responsibility. But why is he more visible than the captain when it comes to something as significant as a declaration?

Be the coach, provide the guidance and support, but allow the captain to be the captain. Leadership roles should be respected, not blurred.

@b4u8me2 wrote:

The Test side has shown noticeable improvement under Darren Sammy, and credit must be given where it is due. However, one thing I dislike about his approach as a coach is that he doesn't seem to give his captains enough room to captain.

The declaration clearly didn't appear to be Chase's decision. Sammy was the one constantly sending messages, and the optics of it were not good. At some point, you have to allow your captain to lead without visibly undermining his authority.

Of course, as head coach, Sammy will have input into the decisions being made. That's part of his responsibility. But why is he more visible than the captain when it comes to something as significant as a declaration?

Be the coach, provide the guidance and support, but allow the captain to be the captain. Leadership roles should be respected, not blurred.

That's not how modern cricket works.

The game is way more scientific that captains intuition

They got charts, numbers and plans and plans for plans

Captain is good on the field but the whole backroom staff is behind him off

@b4u8me2 wrote:

The Test side has shown noticeable improvement under Darren Sammy, and credit must be given where it is due. However, one thing I dislike about his approach as a coach is that he doesn't seem to give his captains enough room to captain.

The declaration clearly didn't appear to be Chase's decision. Sammy was the one constantly sending messages, and the optics of it were not good. At some point, you have to allow your captain to lead without visibly undermining his authority.

Of course, as head coach, Sammy will have input into the decisions being made. That's part of his responsibility. But why is he more visible than the captain when it comes to something as significant as a declaration?

Be the coach, provide the guidance and support, but allow the captain to be the captain. Leadership roles should be respected, not blurred.

Why pretend? EVERYONE KNOWS that Chase is just Sammy’s appointed puppet.

And the decision to hide Chase, both in the batting order, and render him anonymous regarding the decision to declare, has more to do with warding off criticism of Chase’s place in the team, especially as captain & protecting that decision, than anything else.

This is no different than Sammy endlessly and publicly gesticulating and vocalizing from the boundary edge whenever West Indies is in a decent position.

The man has a giant ego. He’s not the first West Indian that has one and won’t be the last.