Daren Sammy admits financial struggles affecting West Indies cricket, legends step in to help

New Delhi [India], October 8 (ANI): Ahead of the second Test against India at Arun Jaitley Stadium starting from Friday, West Indies head coach Daren Sammy has opened up about the long-standing financial challenges facing the team, admitting that the lack of funds continues to affect operations and player morale.

Earlier on Friday, last week, Cricket West Indies (CWI) announced a series of "immediate and long-term reforms" to boost Windies Cricket following an emergency meeting of the Cricket Strategy and Officiating Committee held in August, attended by several legends of the sport.

The meeting was convened after a run of disappointing results, including the historic defeat to Australia at Sabina Park in the final test of the series in July, during which the West Indies slipped to 27 all out, the second-lowest score ever in Tests, while chasing 204 runs in Sabina Park. WI lost the series at home by a humiliating 3-0 clean sweep.

The session brought together a wide cross-section of key stakeholders, including West Indies legends Brian Lara and Sir Clive Lloyd, captains Shai Hope and Roston Chase, Head Coach and team management, and former players such as Anthony Grey and Ramnaresh Sarwan, as per a press release from the Cricket West Indies.

Sammy revealed that legends Brian Lara, Sir Viv Richards, and Richie Richardson are coming together to raise sponsorship support for the team.

Speaking ahead of the match, Sammy told reporters at the pre-match press conference, "It's no secret. We've been struggling with self-finance for a long time. That's one of the reasons why Brian Lara, Viv Richards, and Richie Richardson are hosting the event this afternoon to try to secure sponsors to help in some of the areas that need improvement."

"For me, as a coach, when I call a player and tell him that he's been selected for the West Indies, and I'm hoping that he accepts the selection, you know that tells us where our cricket is. As a kid, I remember being at Lords in 2004, an MCC young cricketer, when I got a call from Zura. Once I saw the area code 1268, I knew it was from Antigua. I was hoping it was a call from the West Indies Cricket Board, and I was so excited; times have changed now," he added.

Sammy has thrown a challenge to his team, urging players and coaches to outwork their rivals instead of lamenting a lack of resources, facilities, or technology.

"We could only work with what we have and who's willing. The inability to match some of the franchises across the world isan issue, but what I always tell these guys is that if we complain about not having the best facilities, not having enough manpower like the other teams, not having the best of technology, and all these things which the other teams are superior to us then why the hell are they outworking us?" the 41-year-old noted.

The only way we could match up at a consistent level is if we, as the coaches and the players, are prepared to outwork the opposition, and we're not doing that, so that's where I'm actually challenging them. When you practise, when you train, when you strategise to be more precise, more purposeful, and I must say again today, I see they're starting to understand what we're trying to do," the former World Cup-winning player concluded. (ANI)

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