With the team reeling at the bottom of the table after suffering six consecutive defeats and yet to open its account in the ongoing Caribbean Premier League, St Lucia stars have replaced Darren Sammy with Shane Watson as the captain of the team for the remainder of the tournament.
The Stars were looking set to win their first game on Tuesday (August 15) when Jamaica Tallawahs needed 40 runs off the last three overs but Mitchell McClenaghan conceded 20 runs and the Jamaica-based outfit chased down 174 with two balls remaining to pile more misery on the Darren Sammy-led team.
Watson’s appointment was confirmed by an official statement from the franchise on Thursday (August 17).
“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 statement read. “The Stars management would like to take this opportunity to thank Darren Sammy for his contribution as captain this season and throughout the last four editions of Hero CPL,” it added.
Sammy, nevertheless, remains an ‘important part’ of the Stars’ squad for the ongoing season. The 33-year-old, who had led West Indies to a record two World T20 titles, has so far scored 123 runs in addition to picking up a solitary wicket.
“Darren is a St. Lucian icon and has been a fantastic servant of both St. Lucian and West Indian cricket. The Stars management would like to stress that Darren 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.”
"You May See Me Struggle But You Will Never See Me Quit Cream Always Rise To The Top" pic.twitter.com/4dLPbvYasZ
— Daren Sammy (@darensammy88) August 16, 2017
With just four games remaining, franchise owner Jay Pandya insisted that the management took the call in order to end the season on a high.
“If it were not for Darren, 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,” Pandya said.