Darren Sammy’s reign as captain has come to an end
Image courtesy of: CPL T20 Ltd
The St Lucia Stars have decided to strip Darren Sammy of the captaincy and name Shane Watson as his successor.
Under Sammy’s leadership, the Stars have failed to register a single victory in this year’s Caribbean Premier League (CPL).
Languishing at the bottom of the points table with six straight losses, the franchise’s management opted to hand the reins over to the former Australian skipper and all-rounder, who has scored 45 runs in four games at an average of 11.25.
The Stars also confirmed that all-rounder Marlon Samuels has been appointed as vice-captain.
“After six successive defeats in the 2017 season, the time is right to make a switch in leadership and incorporate some fresh thinking as the team completes this season and builds for 2018,” the franchise said in a statement on Thursday. “The Stars management would like to take this opportunity to thank Darren Sammy for his contribution as captain this season and throughout the last four editions of Hero CPL.”
Despite being dropped as captain, the Stars insisted that Sammy still remains an integral part of the team.
The 33-year-old is the Stars’ second-highest run-scorer with 123 runs, which includes a half-century, in six matches at an average of 24.60.
“Darren is a St. Lucian icon and has been a fantastic servant of both St. Lucian and West Indian cricket,” the statement added. “The Stars management would like to stress that Darren remains an important part of the St. Lucia Stars squad and his performances with both bat and ball will be vital for the rest of the 2017 tournament and in the future.”
With just four more league games to go, Stars owner Jay Pandya conceded that the change had to be made.
“If it were not for Darren, St. Lucian cricket would not have the standing it does in world cricket and his ability to lead both on and off the field remains unquestioned,” he said. “However, after the results that we have seen over the first half of the 2017 Hero CPL, a change is needed to freshen things up as we look to win the remaining four fixtures this season.”