BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE St. Lucia Stars have sacked their long-standing captain Darren Sammy, according to a statement coming out of the island late last evening (Aug. 17).
In a media statement, the Stars management revealed that they have appointed Shane Watson as their captain and Marlon Samuels as his deputy for the remainder of the tournament.
That announcement comes against the backdrop of the St. Lucia franchise’s sixth consecutive defeat, when they went under to the Barbados Tridents.
“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 Stars management would like to take this opportunity to thank Daren Sammy for his contribution as Captain this season and throughout the last four editions of Hero CPL,” the statement said.
Though he has been demoted, the Stars management noted that “Daren is a St. Lucian icon and has been a fantastic servant of both St. Lucian and West Indian cricket.”
They noted that Sammy 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”.
The statement quoted Stars owner, Jay Pandya, as saying: “If it were not for Daren, 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. 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.”
The statement continued: “I would like to thank Daren for all of his hard work over the years and this season. We look forward to a long and fruitful relationship going forward. He is a proud son of St. Lucia and we have been delighted to be associated with him.”
On Tuesday (Aug. 16) the Stars went under to the Jamaica Tallawahs by five wickets.
The St. Lucia Stars will now travel to St. Kitts and Nevis, where they will square off against the Patriots on Saturday (Aug. 20) at the Warner Park Cricket Stadium from 9:00 p.m.
