BY now I’m sure that since Friday afternoon, all you’ve been hearing about is the outrageous events that unfolded surrounding Saint Lucian cricket hero Daren Sammy and his place in the West Indies T20 cricket team.
Well guess what, I’m going to be talking about it too so I would stop reading from here on out if you are tired of it all.
I despise unfairness and injustice and so when I see this very scourge taking place in such a blatant manner, you can bet I will be speaking out.
I won’t go into the main details because it really is all out there and has been rinsed out by local and regional media so I will stick to just giving my opinion.
It is always unfortunate when petty, childish, selfish and spiteful people are placed in any kind of leadership position because the disasters that follow are usually colossal and plentiful.
Case in point, the unfair dismissal of Sammy, not only as the T20 Captain but from the team entirely.
Although they tried (and failed on an epic scale) to blindside the masses by saying that Sammy was under-performing and there were also insinuations that he is already too old so there should be openings for up and comers to get their chance to shine, the petulance of the West Indies Cricket Board was exposed for all to see as cricket lovers everywhere saw the real reason behind the dismissal.
The world rallied behind Sammy in April after the WICB reprimanded him for his emotional yet hard hitting speech where he called out the Board for a number of injustices towards the team, including a lack of uniforms for the tournament as well as verbal abuse.
Sammy said: “We had a lot of issues, we felt disrespected by our board, Mark Nicholas described our team as a team with no brains. All these things before the tournament just brought this team together.”
He continued : “Lastly I really want to thank the heads of CARICOM, throughout this tournament they have been supporting the team, we’ve got emails, we’ve got phone calls, Prime Minister [Keith] Mitchell [from Grenada]. He sent a very inspiring email for the team this morning … and I’m yet to hear from our own cricket board. That is very disappointing.”
However, it was his closing statement that he prophesised which truly resonated and indicated what was to come: “I don’t know when I’m going to be playing with these guys again because we don’t get selected for one-day cricket. We don’t know when we’re going to be playing T20. So this win, I want to thank you my team, I want to thank you coaching staff … everybody know West Indies are champion!”
How right was he, huh?
Skip to Thursday when mere minutes after Captain Sammy and the St. Lucia Zouks lost to Trinidad and Tobago in the eliminations round of the Caribbean Premiership League T20 Cricket Tournament, his prophesy would come true and he received the damning call about his dismissal by the board.
Now how one can be called an under performer when he 1. Led a rundown and depleted team to victory in the World T20 TWICE, making history as the first captain to ever achieve this. 2. Holds one of the highest All-Round credentials in the modern game. 3. Had one of the highest strike rates in this year’s WT20. 4. Led the Zouks to their first ever semi-finals in the CPL this year. 5. Was one of the best performers at the said tournament which won him Man of the Match TWICE.
Again I say, epic fail with the excuses used by the WICB!
By the way, let me just take a moment to call out the people, ESPECIALLY the St. Lucians who are saying they are happy about this decision…you people remind me of Trump voters. Now I could go into detail and explain to you just how low on my scale that classification is and what kind of people I think you are, but I will stick to not going into details as I have done earlier, but I repeat…Trump voters…use your imagination and think up all what that might mean. When you read deep enough into it and you question whether I mean that, yes, yes I do!
Anyway, back to the petty Board.
I hope you don’t think that this is going to be taken lying down.
There are individuals who think that taking action of any kind will hinder the progress of not only the West Indies cricket team, but the prospects of other St. Lucians joining as well as juniors vying for their big break.
With that kind of thinking, all I can see is the same compliant behaviour that allows the ridiculousness to continue.
I know that St. Lucians have gained an infamous reputation for doing just that and allowing all kinds of nonsense to take place, all whilst burying their heads in the sand (and that’s the safe term) and saying “Ah well, it’s been happening for such a long time, there’s nothing we can do to change it now.”
But this time, I hear a storm on the horizon because you people have danced over the line and the people have spoken…they are not having it.
As a responsible journalist, I will not use my work to advocate for or against any planned action but I can say that I know where my heart and my loyalties lie.
My hope however, is that whatever transpires in the coming days, is done legally yet effectively.
Oh and before I forget, government, the people have made their voices heard, please wake up and make yours heard as well because as a St. Lucian citizen, I would like to know that the government of my island would have my back or the back of any individual who has been wronged and disrespected on such a large scale…other island leaders have spoken up about it so I suggest you do the same for your own citizens, please and thanks.
With that said, whatever unfolds, I will be there to see it God Willing and I like the vast majority will have my fingers crossed hoping that the message is bowled straight home with a Hero Maximum to that group of people…including one of our own who sits, eats and kisses up to the enemy (he knows his shameless self).
