Windies captain Sammy: Thank God, the fans and Caricom… but not the WICB

The following is a transcript of West Indies captain Darren Sammy’s post-game comments, transcribed by ESPNCricInfo, after he led his team to a four wicket win over England in the 2016 World Twenty20 Cup in India:

Photo: West Indies T20 captain Darren Sammy makes a point.
Photo: West Indies T20 captain Darren Sammy makes a point.

I want to thank the Almighty, because without him nothing is possible. We have a pastor in the team in Andre Fletcher, he keeps on praying. We are a praying team.

I’m really happy for this win and it’s something we are going to cherish for a long time.

I’ve said we have 15 match winners. Nobody gave us a chance but every game somebody stepped up and took responsibility. To see Carlos (Brathwaite) play like that in his debut World Cup, it’s just tremendous.


It shows the depth we have in the Caribbean in T20 cricket and hopefully with the right structure and development our cricket will continue to improve in one-day and Test cricket.

We started this journey… We all know we had… People were wondering whether we would play this tournament.

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.

Photo: West Indies bowler Carlos Brathwaite (second from left) celebrates with captain Darren Sammy (top) and Chris Gayle after the wicket of England's Jos Buttler (far right) during the World T20 cricket tournament final match at The Eden Gardens Cricket Stadium in Kolkata on 3 April 2016. Carlos Brathwaite sensationally hit four successive sixes off Ben Stokes in the last over as the West Indies stunned England by four wickets to win the World Twenty20 title. (Copyright AFP2016/Dibyangshu Sarkar)
Photo: West Indies bowler Carlos Brathwaite (second from left) celebrates with captain Darren Sammy (top) and Chris Gayle after the wicket of England’s Jos Buttler (far right) during the World T20 cricket tournament final match at The Eden Gardens Cricket Stadium in Kolkata on 3 April 2016.
Carlos Brathwaite sensationally hit four successive sixes off Ben Stokes in the last over as the West Indies stunned England by four wickets to win the World Twenty20 title.
(Copyright AFP2016/Dibyangshu Sarkar)

I really want to thank these 15 men; the ability to just put all those adversities aside and to come out and play this type of cricket in front of such passionate fans. It’s just tremendous.

I personally also want to thank the coaching staff, coach Phil (Simmons). He’s been through a lot. And to come here and the way he’s coached the team. He’s just brilliant.

All the other coaching staff, who have done their part. We had a new manager in this tournament in Rawle Lewis. He had never managed any team before.

He came here, we were at a camp in Dubai, but we had no uniforms, no printed… He left Dubai, went to Kolkata, that’s where he started. The trouble he went to, to get us in this uniform…

I got to give credit to the entire team here. It was us in our own little circle, this win we dedicate it to all our fans in the Caribbean.


Photo: West Indies and Jamaica all-rounder Marlon Samuels plays a shot during the World T20 cricket tournament final match between England and West Indies at The Eden Gardens Cricket Stadium in Kolkata on 3 April 2016. Samuels was the man of the match as West Indies won by four wickets. (Copyright AFP2016/Dibyangshu Sarkar)
Photo: West Indies and Jamaica all-rounder Marlon Samuels plays a shot during the World T20 cricket tournament final match between England and West Indies at The Eden Gardens Cricket Stadium in Kolkata on 3 April 2016.
Samuels was the man of the match as West Indies won by four wickets.
(Copyright AFP2016/Dibyangshu Sarkar)

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. (Grenada) Prime Minister (Keith) Mitchell. 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.

For today, I’m going to celebrate with these 15 men and coaching staff. 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!

Photo: West Indies cricket players (from left) Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Darren Sammy and Andre Russell celebrate their World T20 cricket tournament final win over England at The Eden Gardens Cricket Stadium in Kolkata on 3 April 2016. Carlos Brathwaite sensationally hit four successive sixes off Ben Stokes in the last over as the West Indies stunned England by four wickets to win the World Twenty20 title. (Copyright AFP2016/Dibyangshu Sarkar)
Photo: West Indies cricket players (from left) Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Darren Sammy and Andre Russell celebrate their World T20 cricket tournament final win over England at The Eden Gardens Cricket Stadium in Kolkata on 3 April 2016.
Carlos Brathwaite sensationally hit four successive sixes off Ben Stokes in the last over as the West Indies stunned England by four wickets to win the World Twenty20 title.
(Copyright AFP2016/Dibyangshu Sarkar)

Editor’s Note: West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) president Dave Cameron tweeted, after the West Indies’ victory at 4 pm on 3 April 2016: “When is the last time a critic paid one of your bills? Always remember that when you start to give them your energy.”

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297 comments

  1. Gerard Emile Zatopek Pinard Good to know you find it excellent – you might get a heart attack If I tell u that Cameron himself accused the writer of this article of bias before publishing this interview smh

  2. A Forensic audit is a necessity not just for the WICB but each national/Territorial board. What we are seeing is the inevitable battle for power between the Board and the Players, one that has left out the politicians as the third force and the fans/stakeholders as the fourth. They are fighting for control and for the spoils and benefits. They need each other but in the end people pay to watch the players not Cameron and company and that is what hurts Dave, Nantan and the others. If Dave had stuck to hospitality he would have been out of a job but getting into cricket he found an easy launching pad for his ambition. It does not really require more than one eye to be king in the country of the blind. Let me ask, who was the Manager, Coach, President of the Board, selectors and territorial board representatives during the days of the Clive Lloyd and Vivian RIchards teams?

  3. Cameron has a degree from the Bahamas in “Hospitality Management”. I would think the word “Mental” should precede it. I was told that he was banned from the financial sector in Jamaica (where he operated for some time) but when he became President of the WICB with lots of money to spend and invest, he was readmitted. He and Gregory Shillingford were instructed by the Board to apologise to me and Bruce Aanensen and that apology is like the invisible yellow donkey.

  4. Typical arrogance of the board’s governance. Ready to shear the wool of the player’s victories but giving token support… Time to clean de dam house

  5. All I’d say here is people read this with extreme caution – if you even want to

    Lasana Liburd Mark Pouchet Richard Zen O’Brien Kern A. Spencer Chica Emery Shaun Lynch Nigel Gittens Bruce Aanensen Davis Melville Andre Baptiste Anthony Deyal Stephon Nicholas Kyon Esdelle Melville Foster Cheyenne Hector Sherdon Ifm Pierre Roneil K Walcott Kirwin Weston Nicholas Lochan Ravi Maharaj Anirudh Seeharacksingh Beena Gosine Amiel Mutilal Santokie Nagu

    http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/995363.html

    • i stopped halfway….couldnt put myself through the torture of reading how he likes to pat himself on the pack

    • is there a bio on Dave Cameron? i need to understand his managerial style.

    • Actually, if Cameron is being truthful, I can understand and even agree. His method/s of doing may be another matter.

    • Correct Nicholas Lochan his issue has never been intentions – like most observant fans and media for example definitely agree with the idea of professionalizing the PCL and CPL idea.

      His problems is method and lack of understanding of international cricket dynamics, alongside his consistent lying tendencies on numerous issues and arrogance

    • this man clearly needs to be medicated he is dellusional

    • Part 2 – once again read with caution if you even want to..

      Some football people here on wired might like this Q & A ha..

      Do you think you are the Sepp Blatter of West Indies cricket?

      No, I am the opposite of Sepp, because everybody loved Sepp. When Sepp came to our country, he was worshipped.

      Our governance systems in the West Indies have been the best they have ever been. We have four independent directors and I have used them to chair some of the important committees. We have an audit, risk and compliance committee, chaired by an independent director. We had a surplus of $3.5 million last year – first time we had such a surplus outside of 2007. All our financial statements are on our website. Two-thousand eighteen is going to be a very difficult year for us because we don’t have inbound tours. We only make [money] when we have inbound tours. The only inbound tours that make money are England and India, and to a lesser extent, Australia.

      http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/995293.html#comments

      Lasana Liburd Mark Pouchet Richard Zen O’Brien Kern A. Spencer Chica Emery Shaun Lynch Davis Melville Nigel Gittens Bruce Aanensen Keith Look Loy Brian Springer Simon Evans Nicholas Lochan Kyon Esdelle Kion S Williams Andre Baptiste Stephon Nicholas Sherdon Ifm Pierre Roneil K Walcott Kirwin Weston Chabeth Haynes Cheyenne Hector Brian Jordan Kelvin Jack Beena Gosine Ravi Maharaj Anirudh Seeharacksingh Amiel Mutilal Santokie Nagu Savitri Maharaj Melville Foster Kendall Tull Jefferson George Earl Jean Anthony Deyal Rawle Toney Kevin Harrison Terence William Fenwick Sheldon Scipio BP Fur

  6. Pretty much the exact same thing CARICOM said in the call to disband WICB – about what needs to be done for Women’s cricket that Stephanie Taylor is now saying

    http://www.stabroeknews.com/2016/sports/04/05/taylor-calls-new-recruitment-drive-womens-cricket-caribbean/

    Chabeth Haynes Lou-Ann Sankar Savitri Maharaj Beena Gosine Greer Cave Rose-Marie Ingrid Lemessy-Forde Mel Lissa

    • You asked this very poignant question before & thinking back again – all of what you mentioned there is part of the reason. Globally except for maybe AUS & ENG women – their boards don’t do enough for them.

      However women’s cricket development in caribbean can’t be compared to the men’s because of how the teams have developed historically. Women first played in 1976, then after 1979 they were inactive for 24 years until resumption in 2003.

      So the last 13 years has been the era of Stephanie Taylor, Merissa Aguiellera and Deadra Dottin, where they were trying to re-establish the product.

      At the same as we all know the men waging battles with the board as far back as 1998 tour to S Africa when Lara them had to be influenced by Nelson Mandela to tour S Africa after a board dispute.

      This Taylor’s statement in a way is the first time the women kind of complaining out loud

  7. http://cananewsonline.com/main/cricket-windies-wicb-vice-president-blasts-sammys-comments-as-demeaning-insulting/

    ROSEAU, Dominica, Apr 5, CMC-The vice president of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), Emmanuel Nanthan, on Tuesday launched a major broadside against Darren Sammy, 48 hours after he led West Indies into the history books by becoming the first team to capture the T20 World Cup twice.

    Nanton has blasted as “irrelevant, demeaning, insulting and unfortunate” comments made by Sammy, minutes after West Indies pulled off a stunning four wicket victory over England to seal the title.

    Sammy courted controversy when he hit out at the WICB for its lack of support and praised Prime Minister of Grenada Dr. Keith Mitchell and CARICOM for messages of support which inspired his team.

    “So to try to make it look like the board was inefficient in any way is rather unfortunate,” declared Nanton in a radio interview in Dominica.

    “To spoil what was a tremendous achievements for the Caribbean civilization with comments that are totally irrelevant and demeaning and insulting to the Caribbean people. I believe was rather unfortunate”.

    Sammy’s comments were also made against the backdrop of the players’ contracts dispute with the WICB prior to the start of the tournament back in February, which threatened the side’s participation.

    Sammy acted as the players’ representative during the brief impasse and while he assured the Caribbean then that West Indies would commit to playing the tournament, he also hinted that the issues were far from settled.

    The WICB vice president also took issue with the players for complaining about a reduction in their fee structure for the World Cup while not disclosing increases in fees for the regional competition.

    “So the players complained that for the world Cup their fees went down maybe by 20 thousand or there about. But they did not say that the week before they got the world cup contract all of them signed contracts for the regional competition where their fees went up by 80,000, 140,000, 145,000, and 75,000. They did not say that,” said Nanthan.

    “But they are saying that they had a loss of 20,000 each on the World Cup. The World Cup is every other year. Our regional competition is every year. So really and truly they were making noise for losing 20,000 on one side but gaining 150,000 or 280,000 in some instances on the other hand and never ever said that to anybody”.

    On Sunday, Sammy also praised newly installed manager Rawl Lewis, who he said went to extraordinary lengths to solve a uniform problem during the pre-tournament camp in Dubai.

    But Nanthan has dismissed Sammy’s comments on this issue as misleading, blaming the impasse for the delay in printing numbers on the uniforms.

    “The date was coming, the players had not consented to go to play so the company delivered the uniforms without the numbers of them because we were not sure which players we going to play,” he said.

    “So when the logistic officer left the Caribbean for Dubai he had a ticket in his hands to go to pick up the uniforms in Calcutta, put the numbers on them and carry them himself to the team well in advance of the world cup”.

    Earlier, the WICB in a release had described Sammy’s comments as ‘inappropriate’ and promised an investigation with a view to taking necessary action.

    There is widespread euphoria across the Caribbean as a result of the sensational exploits of the West Indies men’s and women’s team in winning their respective T20 World Cup titles.

    Nanthan’s comments are likely to fuel more tension between the champion West Indies side which has garnered massive support in the region and an embattled Dave Cameron led WICB which is coming under mounting public pressure to step-down.

  8. Can’t someone buy the west indies team and fuc& away with the WICB!?

    • Very true regarding Samuels – well known fact that Marlon and a few of the seniors don’t get along off the field

      He Bravo & Pollard were beefing for a while after the India pull out

      So credit to Sammy for balancing those egos for sure

  9. I am a Trinidadian and I am fed of this west Indian crap

  10. I stand with the team and their statements…look ah promise god I wouldn’t cuss today ah gone.

  11. The big dogs keep talking out now!

    Former long serving WICB Corporate Communication Officer Imran Khan breaking some yet to be heard revelation about the inner workings of the WICB & Cameron that has never been heard before publicly

    Lasana Liburd Bruce Aanensen Stephon Nicholas Chabeth Haynes Mark Pouchet Richard Zen O’Brien Kern A. Spencer Chica Emery Sherdon Ifm Pierre Kirwin Weston Roneil K Walcott Andre Baptiste Anthony Deyal Savitri Maharaj Chabeth Haynes Melville Foster Davis Melville Amiel Mutilal Nigel Gittens

    “What is not widely known and indeed may surprise many is that there are directors of the WICB who are in favour of governance reform, and not mere superficial reform but radical reform. Unsurprisingly however, they are in the minority.”

    “One pertinent untold story of West Indies cricket is that the former president, Sir Julian Hunte, contesting for a fourth term in 2013, lost to the current president, Dave Cameron, ostensibly because Hunte was intent on leading governance reform similar to what was had by Cricket Australia. He had already initiated the steps by commissioning the Wilkin Report and had been quietly organising to restructure the governance of the game. It was a route the territorial boards were unprepared to go down and opted instead to install Hunte’s then vice-president to the top post.

    That has kept the incumbent afloat. Resistance to governance reform is his raison d’etre, on the authority of those to whom he is beholden: the territorial boards”

    http://www.wisdenindia.com/cricket-article/more-reason-less-emotion-needed-to-drive-wicb-reform/206905

  12. One question though, why is it that a small (but perhaps significant) part of Darren Sammy’s speech has been excised from most of the reports (including the above transcript) that have been posted since? I’m referring to the part where he said “Prime Minister Mitchell, I know what he’s trying to do”. I know that many might consider this to be insignificant, but I for one do not. Hopefully, things will not have to get worse before they get better.

  13. As i stated before the start of the tournament

  14. Bravo was the first to donate his match fee to charity also

  15. https://www.instagram.com/p/BDz26LsoeQC/

    Big up double #WT20 #Champion captain @darrensammy88 – I support and backed him a 100% with his speech, well said about WICB, WIPA needs to be shaken up as well! The struggle is real. Sammy retired from Test cricket but I haven’t. However, I’m not eligible for selection for Test and ODI, think we played our last game for West Indies 2016-Hopefully 2017 the W.I fans can see us again. Thank god for the prize money because the match fee is a joke what WIPA agreed to…so I’m donating my match fees to Charity!

  16. The Board is now besieged and looking for friends. There are people who see this as an opportunity to be exploited for personal and financial gain. These things happen. The key to it is to focus not on the hangers on but the issues.

  17. I keep telling Colin Benjamin the same thing

  18. Whenever anyone resorts to calling other people fools it is because that person cannot deal with the intellectual challenge or cannot deal rationally with the issues. My advice Colin is that you are really wasting your time expecting reason – once someone calls you a fool, there is absolutely nothing you can do to change their minds. Leave it alone – don’t get distracted from the main issue. It does not matter who gets credit or claims credit for the victories, what matters is the future of West Indies Cricket, not just this present generation, but all the future ones. The key is into whose hands we place that future and what checks and balances (not cheques and Palances) are in place.

  19. Lasana Liburd I going and cause trouble…

    Uncle Gerard Emile Zatopek Pinard Do you think this ESPN Cricinfo article accurately reflects/summarizes the press statement that WICB sent out yesterday about wanting to meet players after IPL ?

    http://www.espncricinfo.com/westindies/content/story/995045.html

  20. Why this man don’t go an manage a hotel some where u have a Bsc in hotel management you obviously don’t know anything about motivating these cricketers smh why are you still there??

  21. As I see it, Sammy was like a dementor and he almost sucked the joy out of the victory, for me.
    Perhaps he is trying to get his name in Bravo’s remix but all he did was talk a pack of nonsense in my view. Jumping up and doing the Bravo with the women’s cricketers whilst plotting, selfishly, to take money out of their hands by demanding more and more money from the Board.

  22. The President of the WICB can’t be serious, LOL! . If he is he must be reminded that the 1st April was 4 days’ ago! I think my cat and dog know of the dysfunction of this beleaguered Board. As a matter of fact I lost total interest in cricket since Lara batted his 300+ runs years ago. CONGRATS the the WEST INDIES TEAM!! Captain Darren Sammy was absolutely CORRECT! He needs NO discipline for telling the TRUTH!! Get your act together WICB or get the hell OUTTA WI cricket!

  23. Everyone should go on Twitter and let Cameron know how much of a jackass he really is … I did already lol

  24. I wonder if Chris Gayle will be welcomed in australia now?

  25. Wow
    “Dave Cameron announced that he would meet the players after the IPL at the annual review in June to find a “common ground” where the “best” players can represent the region in all formats.”

    http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/story/995045.html

  26. For me, I miss the game of cricket – the most resounding of all games to watch even when, 5-day Tests! I grew up watching every game, ball-by-ball, period-by-period, tea-time-by-tea-time, day-by-day, and test-by-test and I could not get enough. I even went to classes (UWI) and exams during Test cricket matches and where I stayed up on and through the night listening to every ball, run or not. I didn’t complain when the exams results or class participation were not as good as if I got my much-needed sleep because, I had as I still have today, those games in my head to replay those Three Degrees “precious moments” (70’s, “When will I see you again?”). And we have to remember, that was when we listened via radio, the best form of seeing… boy, does it turn on the visionary powers that God has given us. Anyway, congrats WI, U-20’s, Women’s, and Men’s – roar and soar, rejoice and as Sammy pointed, I too thank the Almighty even though I know that we never ask for a victory, just that we honor Him in all that we do – Matthew 5:16 principle.

  27. Unsurprising attitude. He does not understand that if there were no players, there would be no need for rhe WICB. The Board is there to serve the players not the other way around

  28. He is foolish and arrogant…It is high time we got rid of him!!! Even in the face of that miraculous victory he cannot be gracious enough to say congratulations?! He is unworthy of the position he holds!

  29. Mark Nicholas apologises. He said that he never said that they were brainless, just short of brains…..Great apology…smh.
    http://www.ibtimes.co.in/mark-nicholas-apologises-west-indies-cricket-team-disrespectful-comments-673340

  30. Cameron reminds me of Donald Trump he feels the need to respond to everything in a juvenile sort of way..

  31. lol fantastic interview …. Australia, England all believe that we should never beat them …. they absolutely hated when clive lloyd and the boys used to murder them repeatedly so I knoooowwww these two victories hurt them bad and I’m lovinggggg it … sharne (no face) Warne ……..

  32. Excerpt from Telegraph: “The West Indies were motivated by criticism to win this trophy and you cannot begrudge their joy after the final. This is a group of cricket islands that have gone through turmoil with the worst board in the world alienating their own players.

    They have talent at all levels and can be strong in all formats if supported and rewarded properly. If that anger and determination to prove people wrong can be channelled the right way then the West Indies can be a force again in Test cricket.”

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