PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC- Injured captain Darren Sammy says Liam Sebastien is capable of leading Windward Islands to a successful defence of their regional Super50 title captured last year.
The gutsy allrounder was initially named as Windward skipper but had to pull out of the tournament as he is still recovering from injury.
Sammy was also absent last year when Sebastien led the Windwards to the title with a resounding victory over Combined Campuses & Colleges.
“I was not here last year when the team played so very well to win the final in Barbados. Liam (Sebastien) did a fantastic job at the helm and the others followed his lead,” Sammy said.
“He deserved all the praise he got and the team deserved everything they achieved. They played hard and they earned it. This year we are looking for more of the same – that team unity and that never-say-die attitude. That has been the mantra of our team in the last decade.”
The Windwards arrived in Trinidad early for two warm-up matches but saw the first against T&T Red Force on Sunday rained out before beating a Trinidad & Tobago Select XI by 53 runs in the second game on Tuesday.
“We have come a long way as a team and as players, but we don’t want to stop here. We want to take it to the next level – by being crowned the winners of the first NAGICO Super50 and taking home the Clive Lloyd Trophy again,” said Sammy.
“This is a big tournament for many players. We have quite a few youngsters who will be looking to put in some big performances and want to move up to the next level. We also have some experienced players who continue to give their all for Windwards cricket and I know they will be switched on from ball one”.
Windwards have been drawn in a tough Zone A alongside Jamaica, Ireland and Guyana.
