Sammy hopes India’s series heroics will help the West Indies attract sponsors and boost finances

West Indies head coach Daren Sammy has made an emotional plea for financial support to revive Caribbean cricket in the hope that the team’s spirited performance against India will help Cricket West Indies attract sponsors and secure more investment.

After losing the three-match ODI series 1-2, West Indies pushed India hard in the five-match T20I series, holding the two-time defending T20 world champions to a 2-2 draw. Sammy believes the performances could help the team attract stakeholders and potential investors as West Indies cricket continues to struggle financially.

“My mum always said you have to have a care factor. No matter what you do in life, you should never lose that care factor. I think we are in a position where we need someone to lean on West Indies cricket – financially, that is,” Sammy said after being bowled out in the fifth and final T20I in Bengaluru on Saturday night.

“A series like this here in India against the best team in the world puts us closer to that.”

Sammy drew a contrast between India’s cricket infrastructure and the challenges West Indies face, arguing that sustained investment and planning has helped India build a team accustomed to competing for major honours.

“India will win the World Cup every time they go somewhere in an ICC event. They expect to win. It’s because of all the things they’ve put in place. When the West Indies go somewhere, we have to perform despite. Because and despite… there are two different words,” he said.

The former West Indies captain hopes the team’s performance in India will strengthen Cricket West Indies’ position in discussions with sponsors and other stakeholders.

“One is that things have been put in place. The other, despite, is because of the challenges. But we’re still doing it. I think we’ve made a big step.”

“Hopefully the talks with stakeholders and sponsors might be a little bit better after this series. There’s some investment coming in where it might put us in a position to be better overall,” Sammy added.

‘THE SWAGGER IS BACK’

Financial worries aside, Sammy was encouraged by the confidence and intent his players showed against one of the strongest teams in international cricket.

“Look, we all know what it’s like to play for the West Indies… the challenges. To play a team that’s been so good for so long, especially in this format, it’s an amazing thing. All the guys in the dressing room, they went out there and played with intent,” he said.

“I think what was good to see was that the agility came back, the confidence came back. It started during the workup and you could see the guys enjoying it and there was a will to win. And that’s where it starts. The belief that we belong where we are and that we have performances that say we belong.”

Sammy said his responsibility as head coach was to create an environment where players could develop a winning mindset, even when the results didn’t go their way.

“For me as a coach, it’s trying to create that environment, that winning mindset. Belief in the player and sometimes you take two steps forward, but because of the nature of the sport, certain things can happen and you might think you’re going to take three or four steps back.”

“But to keep working and keep taking steps in the right direction. That’s what I’m all about. I know there’s a lot of noise out there, but I have very small ears so I can’t really hear. That’s what I do,” he said.

Sammy also praised spinners Roston Chase and Gudakesh Motie for their contributions during the T20I series and pointed to their ability to create pressure by limiting India’s scoring opportunities.

“I think it’s just a mindset, not throwing too many boundary balls. I think that’s the key to good wickets. I’m not too sure about the stats, but I’m pretty sure they had the most runs in the series.”

“Roston… really proud of the way he bowled in this series. In that game (Hyderabad) in particular I think he was the difference between us when we were chasing 250 and 270. Motie was outstanding too,” said Sammy.

While delighted with the team’s progress, Sammy admitted that the abandoned fifth T20I was disappointing as West Indies missed an opportunity to secure a series win in India.

The series ended 2-2 after being decided by rain in Bengaluru where India reached 118 for five in 7.4 overs in a rain-shortened contest.

“Obviously we wanted to win because it’s something we haven’t done in India for forever. I can’t remember the last time we beat India (in India) in a series. It would have been nice. But I think the cup is still in our favor because we won the home game last time 3-2. It’s a real reflection of how the teams played,” he said.

Sammy also recalled how West Indies entered the series as underdogs but managed to challenge the reigning T20 World Champions.

“I’m pretty sure when the streak started, we probably didn’t have a chance. That was just the opinion of others. We never take for granted where we are as a team, the challenges we face. We just try to take baby steps.”

“I think we took a huge step after this series. Hopefully, this type of energy can help us finish the year on a positive note,” he added.

– The end