Defending champions Windward Islands will be without captain and all rounder Darren Sammy for the upcoming NAGICO Super50 Tournament.
Sammy, the West Indies Test and T20 captain, was named to lead the Windwards, but had to withdraw with an injury.
He will be replaced by fellow allrounder Craig Emmanuel, while Liam Sebastien will assume the role as captain. Andre Fletcher is the new vice captain.
Sebastien was at the helm when the Windwards won the tournament in 2013.
Sammy sustained a hamstring injury during the recent tour of New Zealand and has not fully recovered. He will travel to Antigua this week to continue his rehabilitation with Hector Martinez Charles, the West Indies Team’s Strength and Conditioning Co-ordinator.
“I suffered a Grade 2 injury in New Zealand and it is still not fully healed. I still require some more time to get back ‘on the park’. I want to make sure I’m at peak fitness when I make my return. I’m looking to make a return when we [West Indies] play against Ireland in Jamaica in second half of February,” Sammy told WICB Media.
“We [Windwards] did really well last year under the captaincy of Liam and won the tournament in style… so I’m backing my team to do it again this year. Craig is a good, experienced cricketer who is very capable of performing at this level.”
The NAGICO Super50 tournament will run from January 30 to February 15 and will be broadcast live on ESPN for the television audience and on Caribbean Super Station radio. Matches will be played at Queen’s Park Oval in Port-of-Spain and Shaw Park, Tobago.
Windward Islands Squad: Liam Sebastien (captain), Andre Fletcher (vice captain), Johnson Charles (wicket-keeper), Tyron Theophille, Mervin Matthew, Craig Emmanuel, Garey Mathurin, Keddy Lesporis, Devon Smith, Dalton Polius, Delorn Johnson, Kenroy Peters, Romel Currency, Alston Bobb
Full NAGICO Super50 Fixtures
Zone A: Windward Islands, Jamaica, Guyana, Ireland
Zone B: Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados, Leeward Islands, Combined Campuses & Colleges
January
Thursday, 30th: Windwards vs Jamaica at Queen’s Park Oval
Friday, 31st: Guyana vs Ireland at Queen’s Park Oval
February
Saturday, 1st: Leewards vs CCC at Queen’s Park Oval
Sunday, 2nd: T&T vs Barbados at Queen’s Park Oval
Monday, 3rd: Jamaica vs Ireland at Queen’s Park Oval
Tuesday, 4th: Guyana vs Windwards at Queen’s Park Oval
Wednesday, 5th: Leewards vs T&T at Shaw Park
Thursday, 6th: CCC vs Barbados at Shaw Park
Friday, 7th: Ireland vs Windwards at Queen’s Park Oval
Saturday, 8th: Guyana vs Jamaica at Queen’s Park Oval
Sunday, 9th: CCC vs T&T at Queen’s Park Oval
Monday, 10th: Barbados vs Leewards at Queen’s Park Oval
Wednesday, 12th: Semi-final 1 – Zone A winner vs Zone B second at Queen’s Park Oval
Thursday, 13th: Semi-final 2 – Zone B winner vs Zone A second at Queen’s Park Oval
Saturday 15th: FINAL – Winner of Semi-final 1 vs Winner of Semi-final 2 at Queen’s Park Oval
Darren Sammy is a key player in windwards lineup windwards would hope he’d recover soon
respect
he over bowled Shane causing him problems with ICC
Sammy you must warm up before your games man!!
With so many good wicketkeepers in the Windward why they had to make Johnson Charles Wicket keeper? West Indies used that strategy and I have no doubt it affected his batting as seen in the recent tours of India and N/Zealand. Charles is good enough to make it as a batsman and there was no need to put that extra pressure on the young man. Wicket-keeping is hard work and make it worse when you have to open the batting as is the case of Charles. To me West Indies put Charles in a position to fail with the bat and since he is not one of the best Wicket-Keepers in the windies, they can always replace him. God wicket-keepers usually give up the gloves to concentrate on their batting and therefore I don’t see the need to try to convert a young batsman that is trying to cement his pick as a batsman into a batsman / keeper. Windward selectors should not help windies kill Charles by making him wicket keeper.
da is sweet in cricet well done liamnne sebastienz
Senator Bazil loves the teaching profession in loubire and canefield. You just have to ask Balthazar about this. I shall vote for bazil. Workers all the way. he loves cricket and will be a great min of sports.
Get well fast my love
Very poor captain to me
he overbowled our hero and resulted in fatigue and this affected his action further resulting in his ban from first class cricket and lost of tonnnes of money etc.
I think Sammy should step aside and make someone else captain the windies.
DA stop getting games man?
Ask skerrrit or Balthazar
The tournament is played in Trinidad
Please note that the tournament is only being held in Trinidad and Tobago. I only hope that they will rotate the venue and Diminica will get its turn.