Every year WICB takes away something from me: Sammy

MUMBAI: A day after he was sacked as the West Indies Test captain, Darren Sammy termed the incident as 'hilarious' and his retirement as a 'thought-out decision'. Speaking to TOI from Hyderabad, where his team Sunrisers is scheduled to take on the Mumbai Indians on Monday, Sammy wished his successor Denesh Ramdin 'all the best' but was 'disappointed' with the West Indies Cricket Board's (WICB) move.
"I am no longer in WICB's Test plans and hence I have no business to continue in the format. When they replaced me with Ramdin they made it clear I wasn't needed in Tests. I have always considered myself fortunate to represent the West Indies and have felt proud to lead the side but one has to move on. I'm a bit disappointed that they took such a drastic step but I have no regrets," said the hard-hitting all-rounder.
Asked whether he was angry with the Board's decision, the 30-year-old said: "I have always been a calm and composed person. But it's not just about me. It's about West Indies cricket. I spoke to the Board, the selectors and felt I was nowhere in their scheme of things when it came to Tests. But I'll be forever thankful to them for giving me a chance to lead the team. I didn't take this step in anger."
During the recent World T20 in Bangladesh, Sammy had hinted at being sacked as Test skipper. Interestingly, after he led the Windies to their first World Cup after 1979, winning the World T20 in Sri Lanka two years back, the WICB had rewarded him by snatching the One-day captaincy from him.
"Oh yeah (Laughs). I was thinking about that when news came of Ramdin replacing me. I was speaking to the Sunrisers coach (Tom Moody) how almost every year when I'm playing IPL, the WICB takes away something from me. They took away the ODI captaincy last time and now Tests. It's damn hilarious. In life you got to move on. That's what West Indies cricket is all about," said the medium-pacer, who has 84 Test and 77 ODI wickets in his kitty.
During his tenure, the Windies won only eight out of 30 Tests (lost 12, drawn 10) and 19 out of 51 ODIs (lost 30, tied/drawn 1) they played. It was only in T20 Internationals that he led the side to a fair amount of success, winning 18 out of 33 matches (lost 13, tied 1). However, Sammy must be credited for bringing discipline and a healthy dressing room environment in a time when players like Chris Gayle were not happy with the WICB's ways.
"I was given the reins when West Indies cricket was going through its most challenging phase. I admit we weren't able to win that many games. I have always tried my best to help Windies win both individually as well as a captain. But unfortunately results didn't come our way. But we won 6 Tests in a row against the New Zealand, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. That was the time things started falling in place but we couldn't maintain that momentum later," he said.
Sammy thanked his family, teammates and coach Ottis Gibson for their support throughout the years and extended his best wishes for Ramdin.
"Tests are the pinnacle of cricket and I have always dreamt of playing it the most. But time has come to move on, to pass the mantle to someone else. I would like to thank coach Gibson and the entire support staff for their backing and motivation. I will also like to thank my family, especially my wife for their unconditional support in trying times. My best wishes to Ramdin and may he take Windies cricket to the next level. May god's wisdom shine upon him and make him stronger and patient," he signed off.