West Indies coach Daren Sammy has made a strong statement about the downfall of Test cricket in the Caribbean. He described it as a “cancer” that has been developing for many years. The two-time T20 World Cup-winning captain said the problems in West Indies cricket can’t be fixed overnight.
Speaking about the team’s long struggle in red-ball cricket, Sammy said, “I mean, last time we won a Test series in 1983, my mother had me,” he said, referring that it has been 42 years since West Indies last won a Test series in India.
He added, “It’s like a cancer that’s already in the system. If you don’t get cancer, you know what happens. And, again, it’s breast cancer month. So, it’s a good way to put it. That our problems don’t lie on the surface. It’s rooted deep into our system.”
Sammy admitted that as head coach, he is ready to take criticism but he said that the decline did not start recently. “The root of the problem didn’t start two years ago. It’s something that started way back,” he said.
After West Indies’ defeat in the first Test in India, Brain Lara said the players are not dedicated to play long format matches. Sammy explained, “We could only work with what we have and who’s willing. The inability to match some of the franchises across the world has been an issue.”
Sammy also regretted that West Indies have failed to use their dominant years to build financial stability for future. “We’re playing five Test matches, four months in one place, entertaining the world, where other boards benefitted. So, for now, when we, over the years, whether it be through lack of management, backlash, whatever it is, we are in need of those financial resources to help us grow and move forward,” Sammy said, calling for better support and investment in West Indies Test cricket.
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