West Indies cricket coach, Daren Sammy, has highlighted an incentive for the team to improve their standing in the World Test Championship (WTC), which could lead to better financial rewards. He advised that the players’ performances could directly influence their pay in the future.
Recently, Cricket West Indies announced a 25% reduction in retainer fees due to a series of measures aimed at addressing financial, developmental, and competitive challenges. Nevertheless, Sammy noted that the team, currently on a tour in South Asia, remained undeterred, demonstrating strong performances in the ODI and T20I series against India. He expects the Test team to show similar resilience in their upcoming matches in Bangladesh.
Reflecting on the series against India, Sammy said, “If you look at the way we played in the India series when the news was put to the players, how they responded shows the drive, the passion, the willingness to help turn around West Indies cricket.” He emphasised the importance of aiming high in the WTC, stating, “Finish in the top five, there’s extra incentives. ICC has invested a lot of money in the World Test Championship in terms of prize money, and it’s an opportunity for our boys to move up from the number eight that we have finished in the last two cycles.”
While the fee reduction hasn’t been a dominant topic among the players, Sammy has urged them to elevate their game to attract sponsorships and improve negotiation power. “I thought the white-ball teams did that extremely well in India and, hopefully, we could do that as a red-ball team here in Bangladesh,” he added.
This year, the West Indies have been performing impressively in Test cricket, remaining unbeaten in Test series. They are set to conclude their 2025-27 cycle with a series against Bangladesh.
Sammy remarked, “The expectations are always there. The way we have played Test cricket this year, we have not lost a series. It’s been a long time since we’ve gone through a year without losing a series. This is our last series in the World Test Championship.”
Urging his team to seize this opportunity, he conveyed, “The message to the guys: give it all. Ten possible days of Test cricket left in this cycle for us, and just go out there and give it your all. Whatever motivates you, use that to go out and get performances.”
The team has been preparing diligently in Chennai, a strategy Sammy believes will bolster their chances in the forthcoming Tests in Bangladesh. “It is something we as a board have really looked at, giving guys the best possible chance to prepare,” he noted. “You prepare well, you give yourself the best chance of performing. So leading up to this series, I could see the guys are well prepared, and hopefully, that preparation translates into performance.”
Tags: Daren Sammy, West Indies, Test Cricket, World Test Championship
