‘Idea of West Indies will never be one that is of failure’

West Indies Cricket have been going through a tough time. The series loss to Australia at home triggered concern and recent T20I series loss to Nepal and Test series loss to India have deepened woes.

Windies cricketers have become more reliant on franchise cricket over the years as national contracts have not been as lucrative. West Indies ODI side are now in Bangladesh to play the three-match ODI series starting on Saturday. Historically acclaimed as the most dominating force in international cricket, West Indies have fallen off the wagon quite a bit in terms of results.

But former Windies World Cup winner and now head coach Darren Sammy was not of the opinion that West Indies cricket as a brand was waning.

"I think the idea of West Indies brings the most, probably in history, the most successful brand in cricket. That is what the idea of West Indies represents. I've said it before, when we dominated, everybody wanted West Indies to play," Sammy said at the press conference in Mirpur on Friday.

While recent results have not gone their way, Windies still are coming to the Bangladesh ODI series on the back of their ODI series win against Pakistan. Far from feeling depleted, Sammy spoke of the pride that West Indies cricket carries.

"All teams go through their cycles. For us, we're going through it now, but the idea of West Indies will never be one that is of failure. Because I understand the history we bring to this game. I understand what it takes to be a successful brand, and that is what this generation, I'm pretty sure Cricket West Indies that is what they're trying to bring back. And yes, we have some challenges in doing that, whether it be financial, whether it be some of the things that we've spoken about, but the idea of West Indies is never one that's failing. It is one that brings great history and legacy. And I'm pretty sure West Indies has inspired so many people from Bangladesh, and want them to play the game. And we will continue to do that. But I'll never see the brand that West Indies is as one that's a failing one in my head. We don't do that," Sammy said.

Sammy, who has also featured in the BPL, was glad to be back in Bangladesh. He spoke of how important the series is especially in terms of qualifying for the World Cup.

"We're on a quest for automatic qualification for the 2027 World Cup in South Africa, and that's what the team is focusing on: getting those points to give you that automatic qualification. The last ODI series we played against Bangladesh at home was a successful one. We know they are a team that, you know, always brings that challenge to you at home. So my guys, I'm pretty sure the captain would agree, we have to come here and play some good cricket in order to win," Sammy said.