Sammy taps into Windies brains trust of former skippers

Darren Sammy

NEW DELHI, (Reuters) – With a bevy of former captains  around him, one thing West Indies captain Darren Sammy is  unlikely to run out of in the World Cup is advice.
At 27, Sammy is one of the younger captains in the World Cup  leading a team that includes former skippers Chris Gayle,  Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan.
While many captains find breathing difficult in a dressing  room thick with former skippers, Sammy said he would only  benefit from the wisdom of his predecessors in the job.

Darren Sammy
Darren Sammy

“It’s a good thing for me, the experience they bring to the  side, as a young captain,” the all-rounder told reporters at  Feroz Shah Kotla stadium where West Indies will return on  Thursday to take on South Africa in a Group B match.
“With Gayle, Chanderpaul, Sarwan, (Dwayne) Bravo — younger  players could look up to them. I think it’s a plus for me to  have these guys to help me.”
As if this was not enough, Sammy has also been in touch with  two other former West Indies captains, while another — Richie  Richardson — is here with the team as its manager.
“I received messages from Sir Viv (Richards), I’ve spoken to  Clive Lloyd and we have the manager (Richie Richardson), who  last played for West Indies in the 1996 World Cup semi-final  against Australia.
“So quite a few past players have contacted me or other  players and given advice.
“Obviously, we will take what is said and go out and put it  in our games.”
More than leading the side, Sammy was just happy to be part  of the great West Indian cricket legacy.
“Obviously it’s a massive honour for me to be in the West  Indies team. West Indies cricket has great legacy and history  and to be part of that is a massive honour for me.
“Every game I play is like my first game, the emotion is  right there. Cricket is one uniting force of the Caribbean  people. So it’s a highly honourable job for me.”