The West Indies men’s cricket team created history by becoming the first nation to lift the World T20 trophy twice, on 3rd April. The captain of victorious West Indian team, Darren Sammy has been honoured by his native island of St Lucia which announced that its main cricket ground will be renamed after him.
St Lucia’s national cricket ground which is known as the Beausejour Cricket Ground will now be known as the Darren Sammy National Cricket Ground. The island has also honoured another of its World T20 winning native, Johnson Charles by naming one of the stands in his honour.
West Indies defeated England in the World T20 2016 final by 4 wickets in a thrilling encounter at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The Windies needed 19 runs to win from the last over when Carlos Brathwaite hit four consecutive sixes to secure the title for them. Sammy also captained the World T20 2012 winning West Indian team.
The announcement was made by the Prime Minister of St Lucia, D. Anthony on Tuesday at a “welcome reception”, according to the West Indies Cricket Board. The issued statement from WICB said, "The West Indies Cricket Board would like to congratulate West Indies captain, Darren Sammy and opener, Johnson Charles for the honour their home country St Lucia has bestowed on them,"
The 32-year-old all-rounder slammed the WICB for their lack of support and disrespect to the players immediately after the win at Eden Gardens. His emotional post-match press conference came on the back of a bitter dispute that has gripped the West Indies cricket for the past couple of years.
The WICB would like to persuade the players to play for West Indies – Cameron
The WICB president Dave Cameron responded to Sammy’s comments by calling his remarks “inappropriate”. Although he also added that the board would like to meet the players after the IPL to convince them to play for the West Indies.
He said, "We want to see how we can find common ground in ensuring that the best players in the region are available for selection for West Indies teams,"
Two years ago, West Indies players forfeited a tour of India in the middle of the series due to a pay dispute and they only agreed to sign contracts for the World T20 just days before the tournament began.
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