Already in charge of the white-ball teams, he will also take charge of the Test side replacing Andre Coley
ESPNcricinfo staff16-Dec-2024Daren Sammy has been named head coach of the West Indies men’s team across all formats. Sammy, who has been the coach of West Indies’ T20I and ODI teams since last year, will take charge of the Test side from April 2025 replacing Andre Coley, the CWI director of cricket Miles Bascombe announced in St Vincent.”It’s always an honour to represent West Indies in any format or any position. For me, this news is not something I was expecting,” Sammy said at the press conference.”Coaching was never something I saw myself doing but I must admit the way that it’s been going, I’ve developed a much stronger passion and a love for the job… I believe in processes, something that we’ve been able to do in the white-ball formats and, with this new role, I’ve already mapped out some of the areas and some of the processes that we’ll have to follow in order for us to be successful [in Test cricket]. I’m a patient man and once I trust that process and understand the requirement from the director of cricket, then the plan gets into action.”So I’m really excited about the added responsibility and the new journey, one that I think myself and my team will be prepared for.”Under Sammy’s leadership, West Indies have won 15 of 28 ODIs since May 2023, winning four of seven bilateral series. In T20Is, the team clinched four series at home – against India, England and South Africa – and lost to Sri Lanka, Australia (both away) and England (home) – this is not counting the ongoing series against Bangladesh. Overall, they have won 20 out of 35 T20Is played during this period.In Tests, West Indies have lost seven matches, and won and drawn two each under Coley since May 2023, their high point being the pulsating eight-run victory against Australia in the Brisbane Test in January this year. They have not won even one series in this phase though, and are at the bottom of the World Test Championship (WTC) points table.”Post our our current World Test Championship campaign, we are going to be expanding Mr Sammy’s role to encompass all formats,” Bascombe announced. “So when we host Australia next summer, Daren Sammy will be the head coach of all senior men’s teams. I want to take this opportunity to thank Andre Coley, who has served well.”He still has to complete his World Test Championship campaign in Pakistan, and he will have our full support. But again, I want to congratulate Mr Sammy. We have been quite impressed with the way that he has charted a course for our white-ball teams, and he has guided them towards consistency of performance, and that is exactly what we want to see in our Test team.”Before he took over the West Indies role, Sammy’s leadership skills, both as a captain and coach, were central to St Lucia Kings’ success in the CPL. In 2020, he captained an unfancied Kings side to the CPL final. In CPL 2021, he was appointed Kings’ T20 cricket consultant and brand ambassador. In 2022, Sammy took over from Andy Flower as head coach and led them to the Eliminator, where Kings lost to eventual champions Jamaica Tallawahs.At the PSL, Sammy had coached Peshawar Zalmi in 2020 and 2021 before being reappointed to the post for PSL 2023. Sammy had been a mainstay for the franchise since the PSL’s inception in 2016, and had been one of the most popular overseas figures in the league.
