Daren Sammy, the former captain of the West Indies cricket team, has been appointed as the head coach for all senior West Indies men’s teams. Starting April 1, 2025, he will also take charge of the Test team, as announced by Cricket West Indies (CWI) on Monday (December 16). The update was shared by Miles Bascombe, CWI’s Director of Cricket, during their quarterly press briefing in St. Vincent.
Sammy, who is 40 years old, was first named head coach for the white-ball teams in May 2023, while Andre Coley was given the responsibility of coaching the Test team. At the time, Coley had already been serving as the interim red-ball coach. Sammy’s stint as the limited-overs coach began with the ODI series against the UAE in June 2023. Coley, a former wicketkeeper-batter, officially started his role with the Test series at home against India in July 2023.
Under Sammy’s guidance, the West Indies had mixed results in white-ball cricket. They secured ODI series wins against the UAE, Bangladesh, and England (twice). However, the team fell short in the World Cup qualifiers and missed out on qualifying for the 2023 Cricket World Cup.
The T20I team, on the other hand, saw better success, winning the series against India, England, and South Africa (twice). They also reached the Super 8 stage of the T20 World Cup, which was co-hosted by the USA and West Indies.
The Test team, led by Coley, struggled to make an impact during his tenure. They failed to win any series, suffering losses to India, England, and South Africa, and managing draws against Australia and Bangladesh.
One of their standout performances came against Australia at The Gabba in January 2024, where they bowled the hosts out for 207 while defending a target of 216. Despite this effort, the West Indies finished at the bottom of the 2023-25 World Test Championship standings, with only 2 wins from 11 matches and 7 losses overall.
In other news, Cricket West Indies also announced a new CEO. Chris Dehring will take over the role from February 1, 2025, filling the position left vacant after Johnny Grave stepped down in October.
Read more: Rohit Sharma’s Gesture After Gabba Dismissal Puts Test Future in Doubt
Jasir Basharat is a cricket enthusiast capturing the heart of the game through insightful analysis and storytelling sharing his passion for the sport through engaging narratives. He is a business graduate from University of Kashmir.
