THE BIG INTERVIEW

Hakuna Matata

by Vishaal Loganathan • Last updated on

Darren Sammy - Two time World T20-winning captain © Getty

In the second edition of the Pakistan Super League, Darren Sammy was one of the few foreign players who showed faith and made the trip to Pakistan for a game of cricket - the PSL final. When Peshawar Zalmi won, he led the celebrations by getting his team together and clicking mock pictures on a made-up phone. He kept his word that he would tonsure his head if Zalmi won the title. It was a game the cricket-deprived nation was craving for, and Sammy widened their smiles by saying it felt like he was playing in his own country.

Darren Sammy was and is the consummate team man. He is invariably his team's most vivacious celebrator, its most boisterous cheerleader, its zealous tweeter, the workhorse and always looking to repay the faith.

Mid-way through our telephonic conversation, Axar Patel juts in to say Darren Sammy is 'the' man. Sammy has been with the Kings XI Punjab team for less than 20 days now, joining the squad late due to an injury he suffered after the Pakistan Super League 2017. He is yet to play a game for the franchise, and has not been part of a starting XI in the IPL for nearly two years now. His role maybe bit-part, but his impact is already telling.

In IPL 2017 so far, Sammy's role in games has been more about giving fun television interviews during the matches than playing in them. But it's something that doesn't bother him too much.

"Obviously, when you go and play in any tournament, you want to have an impact, whether it is on or off the field. I have not got enough opportunities to play, which is disappointing and I'm hoping to have a game at some point. But at the end of the day, I've always been a team man and the coaches and captain select what they think is the best combination," Sammy tells Cricbuzz.

His chance maybe around the corner, and when it comes he's waiting to take it with both hands.

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St Lucians show their support for Darren Sammy ahead during the Test vs India ©Cricbuzz

There are only three West Indies cricketers who have cricket grounds named after them. Fittingly, Sir Vivian Richards was the first. Brian Lara was the latest to be added to the list. Sandwiched between these two greats is Darren Julius Garvey Sammy, an odd oddity.

But just like Sir Viv in Antigua and Lara in Trinidad, Sammy enjoys a cult status in his country - St. Lucia. The island is perhaps more synonymous with pristine beaches, yatches and rum than it is with cricket, but that was until Sammy became its first ever sporting hero.

Now, his memorabilia adorn walls in houses and restaurants. When Sammy was axed from the West Indies side after their WT20 win in 2016, a massive uproar ensued. There were protests outside the stadium, and vociferous calls on social media for a complete boycott (that there were only a few hundred watching the Tests against India is a different matter) of the Test.

Sammy arrived to assuage the situation and coax the protesters into watching the game live. They would have none of it.

It's ironical that it would come to this. Sammy was made captain of the West Indies side and was thought to be the establishment man. Six years later, his words against the board, in all likelyhood, led to his ouster from the side. A side he misses being a part of and one he'll gladly return to, if it ever came to that.

"International cricket is where I started. My love for West Indies will always be there. But I can't control what is going on right now. I think I've contributed to West Indies cricket and I still think I have something to offer. It's not something that I am going to be chasing right now. I've accepted it and I'll continue to render my services if needed. I'll be glad. I'm playing, I'm enjoying the game and I'll continue to do that (now)," he adds.

For someone as ebullient as Sammy, the drop in tone is rather evident.

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Sammy - Always ready with a smile ©Getty

Danny Morrison, with the energy of a six-year-old on a sugar high, terms Sammy the 'Smiliest player in the history of the game' as the West Indian beams next to him.

The smile is Darren Sammy's unmissable feature and the focus on happiness is almost austere. He is quick to form bonds with players, both compatriots and rivals, commentators, groundsmen and fans. It makes him almost impossible to hate.

"I think it's, you're right, just in the character I have. My attitude. To be frank, my mother raised me to be that way, to be that person. I've always been a people's person and I love to keep people around me happy. It just comes naturally to me, to be that guy. Right now, you see Axar Patel is telling me I'm the guy. But he's the guy (laughs). It comes naturally to me, because I'm a friendly person. The most important thing is that I'm a happy soul, I don't really let things bother me," he says.

Sammy has made quite the habit of making lemonades out of lemons so far. His father, who drove tourists around, had struggled to provide for the family when Sammy was young. He had hardly any money to indulge in the sport, but managed to borrow money to attend trials. He worked as an assistant in an office before he landed a cricketing contract.

He was expected to fill in and lead the team as disputes raged between the players and WICB. Not many expected him to last long. Two World T20 triumphs later, Sammy has built a legacy for himself.

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Sammy's last game for the West Indies came on April 3, 2016 in Kolkata. By the end of the day, he had the World T20 crown (and surely some rum) in his hands. A little after four months, Sammy said in a video that he was sacked as West Indies captain.

Sammy could no longer play for the country that he had played his heart out for. Now, he'd just join a growing list of mercenary T20 cricketers who'd play franchise cricket around the globe, many of them his former teammates at West Indies. But that option held no fear for Sammy.

"I always feel T20 cricket is not complicated, you stick to the basics like in each format. But in T20s, every ball is an event - a guy takes a wicket and the very next ball he could get hit for six. It is a hundred and twenty balls of momentum shifts so, whoever keeps the momentum going in their favour (is likely to win). If you notice the teams when under pressure, when they could absorb a little and then give it back on the opposition, usually they come out on top.

"Obviously, it's a fearless form of cricket. We've seen guys like Kieron Pollard, Glenn Maxwell and Sunil Narine's now in that category, you've seen how they play. It's excitement, that's what T20 brings, but at the end of the day you need sensible skills and it's a pressure game. You must be able to absorb pressure and at the same time give back the pressure. That's the beauty of T20 cricket, and as a cricketer, you must be positive. There is no room for indecisiveness, you've got to be positive in your approach whether you're going for a catch, bowling or batting. The mindset's got to be right," he adds.

The West Indians are some of the most sought-after T20 players in the world ©Getty

The aforementioned fearlessness and mindset are attributes the West Indies players have in abundance. Sammy might not be West Indies' most exciting or talented cricketer, but he unified a team that had world beaters, big egos, record setters and new names to create a strong unit.

And as the players slowly found themselves out of the West Indies' teams, the pull of lucrative T20 leagues was too strong to ignore. The likes of Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Chris Gayle, Samuel Badree, Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Bravo and Darren Sammy among others became sought after world over.

"Yeah, well, we've always enjoyed (playing fearless and entertaining cricket). Before T20s came out, we always played cricket like that... go back to Sir Garry Sobers, we've always entertained wherever we've gone across the world.

"When that format came, no surprise that Chris Gayle became the leading run-scorer in T20 cricket, he's one of the most entertaining batsman in that format. I think we always strive on entertainment. But over the years, you see it's just not about hitting sixes and fours. The more you play, you see an improvement in the way T20 is played. You find touch players now scoring hundreds and it's good for the game. It's been proved every year and it something that continues to improve. But yeah, this format suits the cricketers we have in the Caribbean," says Sammy.

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Sammy with his two sons (pic taken from his twitter account) ©Agencies

During the 2013 IPL, Darren Sammy slammed his first ever T20 fifty against Rajasthan Royals and put a pacifier to his mouth. Then he brought his arms together to form a cradle and swung back and forth. It was an occasion to also celebrate the birth of his daughter, Skai.

Sammy is married with three kids, and enjoys family time more than anything else. Before he was to leave for India to play in the IPL, Skai had told him to NEVER board another aeroplane again. A father to three young children, days must seem like months for Sammy as he stays away from home.

Apart from the IPL, he also takes part in the PSL, the Bangladesh Premier League, Caribbean Premier League, the T20 Blast in England, the Big Bash League in Australia and the Hong Kong T20 Blitz. There is also South Africa new T20 league that will come to fruition soon. This barrage of T20 cricket around the globe leaves any player with very little time with his family. Or even to sit back and take some time for oneself.

But sacrifices have to be made, and Sammy makes them without thinking twice.

"That's the toughest part playing different leagues, being away from the family. I personally, now, find it very very difficult, very very difficult to leave home and my kids. The last time I came home, my daughter told me not to get on a plane again (laughs).

"It's getting very tough, but at the end of the day you must understand that you are doing the sacrifices now to make sure that your family is secure in the future. One thing that I know, is that, the time lost away from the family, you can never replace or recreate that. That's the life of a sportsman, that's the downside for you. At the end of the day, you do what you can to ensure that there's a good future for our kids and family. But with that said, in the next life I would still come back as a cricketer and try to be the way like I've done this time," he says.

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Playing so many different leagues puts a different kind of limelight on Sammy. He has to adjust to the heat, spin and dust bowls of India, Pakistan and Dubai before heading off to play in swinging and cold conditions in England. From there it's back to West Indies to play, on what has now become, slow tracks. Then, sandwiched between the T20 leagues of South Africa and Australia, where bounce and pace is considered a major weapon, he'd have to travel to Bangladesh where bounce is as rare as Paolo Maldini in an Inter Milan shirt.

All this leaves Sammy with precious little time to prepare for pitches, conditions and players. All he has is the 'mindset'.

"I think it comes with the right mindset. You know, every country and conditions are different. Playing in India, in Dubai, in Australia or in England but you've got to be that man. You've got to be that guy who comes in and has an impact right away. It could be challenging, but as a professional it's a test of your character and your technique and how you adapt to different conditions and perform to the best of your abilities.

"Obviously, everybody knows IPL is the Mecca now of T20 cricket, it's the most lucrative out of all. I think in all, as a player, you feel more pressure to perform. Watching and playing against some of the best players across the globe, whether you are captain of an international team or its star player, it's all based on how you perform when you come and play in the IPL. So I think, it's a high pressure tournament and we know it's up there as the number one T20 tournament which sets the tone for the rest of the leagues," he points out.

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When Darren Sammy captained West Indies to their twin World T20 wins, in 2012 and 2016, he led the celebrations with perfectly rendered versions of the 'Gangnam Style' and Champion dances respectively. Before the 2016 triumph, he had stood at the face of the storm, blasting the WICB officials and critics for not affording the team the respect it deserved. After winning the cup, he stood as the leader of men.

More than 12 years after making his international debut, Sammy was unceremoniously asked to quit. But by then, he had defied the experts and the higher ups by creating a legacy that will not be forgotten in a hurry.

All this has mostly been thanks to his motto, a Swahili phrase that was made popular by Timon and Pumba in the animated movie, The Lion King.

"My motto is Hakuna Matata (No worries)"

© Cricbuzz

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