AT last, the West Indies cricket fans’ nightmare has come to an end. Darren Sammy’s tenure as overall coach and selector has presented us with an enviable result of 0-3 in test and 0-5 in T20 against Australia.
And for good measure, add the disgraceful lowest score in the history of cricket for the West Indies of 27 which Australia inflicted at Sabina Park.
It is important to put things into context because he took over a young team that drew test series in Australia and Pakistan after about decades.
That team was coached by Mr Andrew Coley and it comprised a bunch of young players who demonstrated grit and determination and the capacity to dig deep when needed.
In fact, it was under coach Coley that confidence was shown in Shamar Joseph who bowled West Indies to victory after the stubborn DaSilva and Sinclair battled the pink ball at Brisbane to give West Indies a competitive total to defend, which they eventually did.
In fact, against this same bowling attack at the GABBA in Brisbane, an Australian fortress, the then young West Indies middle order in the first innings produced 206 runs out of a first innings total of 311 and in the second innings 138 out of a total of 193.
The top three scorers were Kaveem Hodge, Joshua DaSilva and Kevin Sinclair. And we all know that Shamar Joseph took seven wickets to give West Indies that famous victory over Australia in Australia after 27 years.
Against Pakistan at Multan in January 2025, the then young West Indies team defeated Pakistan in the second test to level the series on a spin-friendly pitch tailor made for the Pakistani spinners.
In that match Gudakesh Motie top scored with 55 in the first innings, after West Indies were 8-54. Kemar Roach and Warrican gave him good support and they ended up with a competitive total of 163. Significantly, in the second innings Tevin Imlach, Kevin Sinclair, Motie and Warrican held things together and West Indies ended up winning by 120 runs.
Motie, who opened the bowling, got three wickets while Warrican and Sinclair got five and three respectively. It was the last series for Andre Coley as coach.
Then came Dr Shallow with his lunacy. He replaced Andre Coley with Sammy as the head coach and chief selector, who in a brilliant display of idiocy, dismantled the young team that was building a reputation as a fighting bunch and replaced them with tested, and proven test failures with absolutely nothing to demonstrate any improvement in their techniques.
Kavem Hodge, Athanaze, DaSilva, Imlach, Sinclair and Motie were all discarded and replaced by Chase, who was made captain, Warrican as his vice-captain, Hope and Campbell.
Despite brilliant bowling performances by Shamar Joseph, Seales and Alzarri Joseph, the West Indies middle order of Carty, Chase, Hope and Greaves were exposed as total failures. In fact, apart from taking 22 wickets in the series, Shamar Joseph scored the second highest runs in the test series, second only to Hope by five runs.
Even the smallest child will tell you that the middle order failed the West Indies and their performance was exactly the same as before they were dropped two or three years ago. In fact, their modes of dismissal were identical to the previous years and how and by what criteria they gained selection is a question only Sammy can answer.
Dr Shallow in response to calls for Sammy’s axing declared in disgusting arrogance that the only reason why people were calling for Sammy’s axing was because he was from St. Lucia.
You got the distinct impression from his ramblings that he had high expectations that West Indies would have fared better in the T20s, which we all now know ended up in another embarrassing thrashing.
Australia basically playing a team void of big stars except the captain, demolished West Indies in such a disgraceful manner that it was just as painful as the historic 27 test total.
The results were very similar to the embarrassment they faced in England in June and even a first-year student can tell Dr Shallow that his and Sammy’s credentials make a mockery of leadership.
When you look at those T20 matches, their strategy has been the same as what caused them to lose the T20 World Cup, the series against England and now Australia.
I will be the first person to acknowledge technical issues with some of the batsmen, but how can you justify WI’s dismal and embarrassing performances when a young team that Sammy dismantled, fought and levelled a test series against this very opposition and these recycled failures cannot even make 30 runs in an innings?
Tell me in God’s name, how can you justify sacking a coach who took a young team and created history against Australia and Pakistan and replace him with someone who cannot even win a single T20 on home ground?
It is very clear to me that Dr Shallow, who is blaming insularity for the call to sack Sammy after disgraceful performances, used the same insularity to appoint him in the first place.
There was no justification for sacking Andre Coley. There was no justification for Sammy to kick out the young players who made history and replace them with tested and proven failures.
The West Indies public needs to tell these charlatans to get the hell out of West Indies cricket and let successful, knowledgeable legends take over. This embarrassment is too much to bear and we deserve better. It’s time to say ‘GOOD RIDDANCE’ to Shallow and Sammy.
Yours truly,
Eric Whaul
