Will Darren Sammy’s exclusion affect West Indies cricket betting chances? That is what people who bet on cricket are wondering. The right-handed all-rounder, who bats right-handed and bowls medium-fast, led West Indies to two World T20 titles – in the process becoming the only captain to win the World T20 two times –, but the chairman of selectors just informed him that, after reviewing the T20 captaincy, his performances did not merit a place in the squad.
Sammy announced the news in a video posted on his facebook profile. The cricketer said that he’s okay with the decision, as he is a firm believer that “West Indies cricket is not about Darren Sammy.” He wished the new captain the best of luck in taking West Indies cricket into the future.
The ex-captain – a position to which he was appointed in 2010 – stressed that while captaining the team to the two World Cups was the highlight of his career, he is not retiring either from one-day or T20. Obviously, one day he will retire from one-day, but until that one day comes, he just wanted to thank fans – whether their of the cricket betting persuasion or not –, fellow players, and coaches, as well as the WICB for allowing him to lead the team for the past six years. Regardless of how his performances were assessed, “I just know I played with my heart and soul whenever I stepped out on the cricket field.”
People who are not familiar with cricket or cricket betting may be asking themselves, “who is this Darren Sammy?” right now. Darren Sammy is not just a St. Lucian cricketer who plays – or played – international cricket for the West Indies; he is the first-ever St. Lucian cricketer to play international cricket. He also holds honorary Pakistani citizenship. Sammy made his List A debut at 17 years of age in 2001. The following year he was considered one of the “brightest cricketing prospects” along with Dwayne Smith, Narsingh Deonarine, Carlton Baugh, Daren Powell, and Omari Banks.
As a bowler, Sammy has been well known for bowling long spells, and his medium-fast pace bowling style is utilized to support strike bowlers. He has gone on record saying that “we all have roles in the team and I’ve clearly understood what my role is in the team, which is to build pressure and be the workhorse of the team. I’ve accepted that and that’s how I’ve played throughout my career.” He accomplishes this by creating pressure with dot balls. Sammy believes that being a support bowler lures batsmen into relaxing when they face him and are thus more likely to commit mistakes.
Sammy does not move the ball a lot but still manages to deliver it with an upright seam, using the crease area to add variety to his delivery angle. As a batsman, he has 2nd highest among West Indian players who have faced a minimum of five hundred deliveries. Moreover, Sammy holds the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th highest strike rates of West Indian players in ODI innings of at least 25 runs.