West Indies head coach Daren Sammy has made an impassioned plea for crucial financial backing for Caribbean cricket, hoping that a competitive series against India will pave the way for more meaningful conversations with sponsors to inject much-needed funds into the struggling sport.
IMAGE: West Indies coach Darren Sammy wished that the Cricket West Indies could engage in talks with sponsors more confidently after a spirited outing against India. Photograph: ICC/X
Key Points
- West Indies head coach Daren Sammy has made an emotional plea for financial investment in Caribbean cricket.
- Sammy hopes that the closely-fought series against India (1-2 ODI, 2-2 T20I) will strengthen their position for sponsor negotiations.
- The West Indies have struggled financially under the ICC’s 1997 revenue-sharing model, which Sammy believes needs addressing.
- Sammy highlighted the contrast between India’s well-funded cricketing structure and the West Indies’ need to perform ‘in spite of’ challenges.
- He expressed optimism that the team’s spirited performance could lead to better conversations with stakeholders and increased investment.
Making an emotional appeal for someone to “put an arm around” West Indies cricket financially, head coach Daren Sammy hoped that a closely-fought series against India will put them in a place to have more meaningful conversations with sponsors to swell the money flow into the struggling Caribbean cricket.
After pushing India hard in a 1-2 ODI series defeat, the Windies held the two-time defending T20I world champions to a 2-2 draw in the five-match series. Sammy wanted to use the series as a pivot to change the financial fortunes of his nation.
Financial Struggles and ICC Revenue Model
The West Indies have been finding it hard to survive under the current revenue sharing model of ICC which was adopted in 1997. “My mom always said, ‘you must have a care factor. No matter what you do in life, you should never lose that care factor’. I think we’re in a position where we need somebody to put a shoulder around West Indies cricket — financially, that is,” Sammy said after the washed out fifth and final T20I here on Saturday. “Series like this, here in India against the best team in the world, puts us in a conversation closer to that.”
Comparing Cricket Landscapes
Sammy then drew a comparison between the Indian and West Indian cricketing landscapes, underlining the benefits of financial strength and structured growth. “India will win the World Cup every time they go somewhere in an ICC event. They expect to win. It is because of all the things they’ve put in place. When the West Indies goes somewhere, we’ve got to perform in spite of. Because and in spite…there are two different words.”
Hope for Future Investment
The former captain wished that the Cricket West Indies could engage in talks with sponsors more confidently after a spirited outing against India.
“One is that things have been put in place. The other one, in spite, is because of the challenges. But we are still doing that. I think we’ve taken a big step. “Hopefully, the conversations with stakeholders and the sponsors could be a little bit better after this series. Some investment comes where it could put us in a position to be better all round,” he said.