PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – A senior Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board executive says he expects the three-Test Sri Lanka tour to serve as the real test of new West Indies captain Darren Sammy’s mettle.
“He is certainly a tryer and is committed to West Indies cricket 150 per cent and if he can motivate the others around him to follow his lead then we should see some good results,” said Dudnath Ramkeesoon, a TTCB vice-president.
“I am eager to see what he will bring to the table. He has been saying the right things but the true test of his leadership skills will be on the field when the pressure is on.”
Sammy was last month elevated to the helm of the team, ending Jamaican Chris Gayle’s three-year tenure in charge.
The 26-year-old all-rounder will bring little experience to the job, having played in just eight Tests and 43 One-Day Internationals since making his international debut six years ago. With West Indies having not beaten Sri Lanka in a Test series in over a decade, Ramkeesoon acknowledged the tour would be a difficult one for Sammy and the regional squad.
“It’s a testing time for West Indies cricket and I think it will be a very difficult tour. We are at the bottom of the ladder at the moment and Sri Lanka has just beaten Australia in an ODI series Down Under,” the official pointed out.
“The young guys are determined to do well and it’s an opportunity for them to step up. We will see who can handle the conditions and who cannot. Our weaknesses will be exposed against their top quality players and it will determine how strong we are. “The players have to pull together and they must all be on top of their games in all departments – batting, bowling and fielding.”
West Indies face Sri Lanka in the opening Test in Galle starting next Monday.
