Kirk Edwrds defends Sammy, calls him a fighting cricketer

New Barbados captain Kirk Edwards has described his beleaguered West Indies skipper Darren Sammy as a “fighting cricketer who gives his all”.

Edwards, one of the West Indies batting successes on the recent Test tours to Bangladesh and India where the side had mixed fortunes, said Sammy needed as much support as possible.

“Sammy is a fighter. He is a cricketer that everybody has a lot of negatives to say. He is always under pressure but I kind of admire the guy for the fact that he still goes out there and gives his all,” Edwards told reporter here at the annual Barbados Cricket Association Christmas luncheon Thursday.

“What else can you ask for from a fellow other than giving a hundred percent effort and fighting for his team each and every time? You can’t ask for more than that. It is tough for Sammy and I try to lend my support,” Edwards said.

West Indies won the two-Test series against Bangladesh 1-0 but were beaten 2-0 in the three-Test rubber against India, who also captured the subsequent five-match One-day series 4-1.

Sammy, a 28-year-old St. Lucian, has been criticised by many former cricketers and the media for his handling of the side as well as personal performance in recent months. He took over the captaincy from the now out-of-favour, veteran opening batsman Chris Gayle for the tour to Sri Lanka late last year.

The 27-year-old Edwards, who was the unofficial vice-captain of the Test team in India, said critics should be mindful of the fact that there are several young players in the current West Indies side and they needed time to develop.

“There are a lot of positives. As you could see, we are a fighting team and we are developing a relatively young team. To play the type of cricket we played,I was proud about that. It is all a learning curve. You don’t just wake up and be the ultimate Test cricketer,” he asserted.

Edwards was recently appointed captain of the Barbados team for the 2012 Caribbean Twenty20 championship to be played in Antigua & Barbuda and Barbados from January 9 to 22.

He is to also lead the national side in the regional four-day championship, which begins February 3.