West Indies sack Darren Sammy as T20I captain in '30-second phone call'

Posts a video message on Facebook informing about his axing as captain

West Indies cricket captain Darren Sammy kisses the ICC World Twenty20 2016 champion's trophy during a photo shoot in front of Victoria Memorial, a heritage city landmark in Kolkata. West Indies won the trophy in a dramatic four-wicket win over England. (AP file photo)

 

 

St. Lucia: Two time World T20 winning skipper Darren Sammy has been sacked as West Indies captain ahead of the two-match series against India, later this month in Florida.

Sammy, who recently guided the Caribbean side to the T20 title for the second time, posted a video message on Facebook informing about his axing as the captain.

"I got a call yesterday morning, it was probably 30 seconds, from the chairman of selectors telling me that they've reviewed the captaincy of T20 and I won't be captain anymore of the T20 team, (and) my performances have not merited selection in the squad," the 32-year-old said in the video.

"That's okay, I've always believed West Indies cricket is not about Darren Sammy. They are looking to the future and I wanna wish the new captain - I don't know if it's out yet so I won't call any names - all the best as he looks to lead West Indies cricket and take it forward."

"Obviously, throughout my captaincy, winning the two T20 World Cups has been the highlight. And these memories I will cherish for a long time," he added.

Sammy, whose St. Lucia Zouks team lost the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) final to Trinbago Knight Riders, however, made it clear that he was not announcing his retirement from the shorter formats of the game.

"This is not me retiring from one-day or T20, it's just me thanking the fans and my players and the coaches I've worked with and WICB for…yeah, letting me lead the side for the last six years. But for now the captaincy has come to an end and thank you people," he said.