On the Question of Darren Sammy,aas Hillaire .Darren Sammy Manager and negotiated his contracts et al ?
Ondrive Editorial
December 24, 2013
After another humiliating loss, the calls for Sammy’s removal are growing louder.
Some, however, do ask an interesting question:
Would replacing Captain Darren Sammy change the present fortunes of West Indies cricket? The answer, of course, is a categorical no.
That question, though well intentioned, clouds the issue. The real question should be: Is Sammy worthy of the captaincy?
The answer to that is also a categorical no. Sammy was never worthy of the captaincy. And never will be, because his very appointment destroyed any credibility that he may have had. Please let me explain.
Sammy is perceived as party (at best, a very willing participant) to a dastardly deed perpetrated on team mates by an unholy alliance of Julian Hunte, Ernest Hillaire, and a hired loudmouth-cum-coach, Otis Gibson. The ploy, believed to be hatched by the morally corrupt alliance, sought to rid the team of players like Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Dwayne Bravo, doing so in a devious and underhanded manner. And it would not have required any grand scheme or conspiracy to accomplish. For a president, CEO and Coach, that were unanswerable to anyone, it would be like stealing candy from a baby.
Ondrive recently learned that Ernest Hillaire is reputedly Darren Sammy's manager and negotiates his contracts et al. If true, wouldn't that be a blatant conflict of interest?
Such were the cut-throat circumstances in which Sammy ascended to the captaincy.
Thus, Sammy has absolutely no credibility in the eyes of many teammates. Right or wrong, they do not trust him nor believe that he would stand by them. Can you blame them after witnessing, first hand, what happened to their team mates at the hands of the Unholy Alliance?
Sammy could score three consecutive test hundreds with a five-wicket haul in each of those games and he still would be unworthy of the captaincy. Credibility, you see, is a first principle of leadership, and a leader without credibility is haplessly doomed to fail.
None of this, mind you, is to condone the conduct of the players.
Ondrive was among the first to call for Gayle to be relieved of the captaincy after the tour to England when he sloped into London a mere 48 hours before the start of the series. Had the Board sacked him as captain no one could have, or would have, faulted them.
Similarly, when Sarwan was guilty of celebrating on the mound following another team loss, he should have been disciplined. But there is a right way of doing things, and there is the way of the Unholy Alliance. Disciplining the players would not have accomplished their real purpose: to instill a climate of fear and intimidation in the team and clear the way for Sammy’s appointment.
If such a scenario seems farfetched, ask yourself: why did it take some 18 months and required the Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves, to intercede and resolve the Gayle issue? Is it possible that the Unholy Alliance was not interested in a resolution? After all, a resolution would lead to the return of Gayle, wouldn’t it? Of course, by the time the Gayle issue was finally resolved some 18 months later – thanks to the Honorable Prime Minister - Sammy was already safely installed as captain.
Now to Sarwan:
Could anyone still seriously doubt that what was done to Sarwan was wrong; was unconscionable?
The court certainly agreed awarding Sarwan damages to the tune of $1 million after finding the WICB guilty of breaching the selection process; of breaching the principles of natural justice; and of “publicly denigrating and humiliating†the Guyanese and West Indian batsman. Was the Unholy Alliance prepared to destroy any player; willing to pay any price to achieve its aim? It certainly seems so.
When Sarwan spoke of the psychological damage he suffered at the hands of Coach Otis Gibson some may have dismissed it. But the recent woes of Jonathan Trott clearly brought to light that tenuous bond between a player’s mental state and his performance, and just how fragile it can be. As a coach, it is one’s sacred duty to nurture, to support, to correct, to build and not to tear down.
In his early years, Ricky Ponting was the bad boy of the Aussie team often guilty of barroom brawls. Did the Aussie coach publicly ridicule him? Of course not, instead they worked with him and the rest, as they say, is history. Would a coach always succeed? No, but a real coach would always try, and exhaust every avenue before giving up on a player. But once again, by the time the matter was settled – in the court – the damage had already been done, and Sammy safely ensconced in the captain's seat.
How can someone who has ascended to the captaincy in such a way ever hope to win the support, trust, and confidence of his teammates? Never, not in a million years. There are many things wrong with the regional game, but any serious attempt to remedy it must address the most glaring one – the removal of Sammy as captain. And since Sammy cannot command a place on the team based on merit, he should be dropped. So too should Otis Gibson.
Rendered practically penniless by numerous lawsuits and a regional game that has no attraction for sponsors or fans, can the Board afford the price tag? Still, many feel that ridding the team of Gibson is worth any price.
Isn’t it ironic it seems that after saddling the regional game with such hefty payouts, contracts, lawsuits, both Hunte and Hillaire are now of to greener pastures leaving others to clean up this mess.
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