Sammy calls for better pay

Sammy calls for better pay
Former West Indies Captain Darren Sammy .
Associated Press/ Rob Griffith

Former West Indies Captain Darren Sammy has said that an amnesty for West Indies Twenty20 players made no sense if the Cricket West Indies (CWI) does not pay them better.

In an interview with ESPN Cricinfo recently, Sammy said the problems of a West Indies-first policy dates back to previous administrations of the regional game.

He said it all started with the CWI CEO, Michael Murihead and former director of cricket Richard Plybus.

Sammy noted West Indies must come first, but the first thing that was done was to cut their salaries playing at home.

“You are telling players don’t go and play where the pay is much better, stay at home, but the first thing you are doing is cutting the salaries playing at home,” he said.

Instead, the World Twenty20 winner advised that the board should consider two or three tournaments a year where the players get to choose where they ply their trade,

Sammy also spoke about his relationship with the board which went sour when he disagreed with the Memorandum of Understanding they signed in 2014 to cut players’ salaries by 70 percent.

“All of a sudden I became a rebel. I just stood up for what I believe and what we believed in,” he added.