Difficult to replace Narine, Pollard: Darren Sammy

Having managed to field a strong side in the last minute amid a contract row with their Board (WICB), West Indies captain Darren Sammy on Tuesday said their aim is to bring back the World Twenty20 title to restore the faith among the Caribbean fans. 

“As of now we are in the World Twenty20 and that’s what our focus is on. It’s just cricket. At the end we are professionals, but this event means a lot to us as a group. The next World Twenty20 is in 2020 and a few of our guys won’t be part of that event so this one is very important for us,” Sammy said. 

“Everyone’s focus is on winning. A win here will mean a lot to us and people at home, especially in the current situation of our cricket. It’s not just about the men team but the women team as well. “The message is cricket. Once you step out on the cricket field you should not be worried about contracts and other stuff. It’s about making your country proud,” the skipper of the 2012 World T20 champion side in Sri Lanka told reporters here. 

Presently ranked world No 2 in Twenty20 rankings, West Indies cricket was in serious crisis involving players’ contracts in the run up to the upcoming event and a second string side was expected to be named had the row been not resolved at the last minute. 

Finally 12 of 13 players -- excluding Darren Bravo -- agreed to the financial terms, a sharp drop in pay compared to previous tournaments. “You would like everything to be smooth-sailing but that’s not the case for us so we are just going to do what we can on the field,” Sammy said. “Ideally, we want to play international cricket. But when I look in my dressing room I see the likes of (Chris) Gayle, (Andre) Russell, (Samuel) Badree, (Marlon) Samuels...all these guys are experienced players.  The West Indies will miss the services of big-hitting all-rounder Kieron Pollard, who is injured and mystery spinner Sunil Narine, who is is suspended, in the upcoming event. 

“Obviously it’s difficult to replace Pollard and Narine who were key members on our side when we won the World Twenty20 in 2012. But we have Carlos Braithwaite, who has replaced Pollard, and is an exciting all-rounder. I hope he will play a big part in the tournament. There’s also Nurse replacing Narine. He brings in his batting capability,” Sammy said. “We had a week in Dubai camping and most of the guys were there playing in the Pakistan Super League. 

We have given ourselves the best chance of preparing. We believe we could win the World Twenty20,” he maintained. Sammy also showered praise on their ace hard-hitting batsman Chris Gayle and said he is the most destructive willow wielder in the world. 

“Chris is a massive figure for not only just on field but off the field as well. To me he’s the best Twenty20 batsman, the most destructive one. He knows the game inside out. As a captain, the beauty is I don’t have to tell these players how to go about it. They are seasoned and know their jobs,” he said. 

“If all of us come to the party and play as a unit, we will be a big force to reckon with. Twenty20 is about excitement, entertainment and there’s no doubt this West Indies team has always brought that to the table. So the question is kaun banega champion (who will be the champion)?” Sammy said.