'West Indies are stagnant. We are not going anywhere'
Darren Sammy talks about how the region's cricket is suffering for want of communication and decision-making

"I can vouch for all the guys here that there is no better feeling than representing your country" • Getty Images
People see it as a surprise, but I have been captain of the T20 team since 2010. It is just a continuation. It is my fifth World Cup, in a format which we won, and we stand a good chance of winning again. I am always excited about leading, especially the T20 team. It gives me pleasure and joy to captain some of the most sought after T20 players in the world.
We are not often called favourites. The difference now is we have barely played any T20Is since the last World T20. Most of us have not been selected for ODI cricket as well. It is only by playing in different leagues that we continue keeping ourselves match ready.
It is always a challenge, but the plus for me is that the core of the team remains the same. If I recall, probably eight or nine of us were in the team that won in 2012 and the team that lost in the semi-final in 2014. These guys are very clear about their roles now in the team. It is a team that is very experienced, and it shouldn't be too difficult for them to play the role that they have been asked to.
"One minute you say the best players should play and then three months later the same players are not selected"
At the end of the day West Indies cricket is not about one individual. Since the inception of retainer contracts, I have always had one. To not be offered a contract is disappointing. But I have moved on. Last year I have played probably the World Cup and a few T20s. And now we have only been selected for T20s. I have not really represented the West Indies. So I ply my trade in different T20 leagues around the world. That is how I provide for my family.
Having a retainer contract is [recognising] what you do in the field. If you noticed, only the guys who are playing Test cricket got retainer contracts. There are guys who play one-day and T20 cricket, formats West Indies does well in. You can safely say T20 is the format we are best at. There are criteria based on which you are supposed to get a contract. I believe what I have done, what some of the other players have done, merits a contract. Simple. I also don't believe that if you are a senior [player] you are supposed to get a contract. It should be based on what you have done in the matches you have been asked to play.
They [WIPA] are the ones WICB negotiates with on player issues. But 14 of the 15-member World Cup squad is not part of WIPA. West Indies cricket has gone through a lot and it will continue to go through a lot. I don't see things changing anytime soon.
We players are not happy with the remuneration offered by the WICB to participate in the World T20. We have not given any authorisation to WIPA to negotiate on our behalf. A large number of players in the squad do not receive any significant remuneration from WICB at all, so we want the opportunity to negotiate fairly the financial terms within the contract.
Under my watch players have never said they would strike or not take part in the World Cup. All we've said is, we don't accept the terms given or agreed by an association that doesn't represent us.
Not only in T20, in our Test team, in our one-day team. It just shows the state of West Indies cricket. We are stagnant. We are not going anywhere. The only team that has shown that they could win cups is the T20 team. They call us all sorts of names, but yes, when selected, we still turn up to play for our country.
"Once I retire, that's it for me. And it is not far. I have three kids. I have not seen them losing their front teeth. I have missed so many first days of their school"
I played Test cricket. I was given the captaincy at a time when they said they needed stability in West Indies cricket. Four years later I was told I was not needed as a captain and as a player. I was 29, 30 years old. That was the message sent to me. You know, I made myself unavailable [to T20 leagues] for so many years just to make sure I stay home and play for West Indies. I am retired from Test cricket. It is a decision that I don't regret. So I thought I should commit myself to ODI and T20 cricket. Our Test cricket is a reflection of our first-class cricket.
They have professionalised the league. Guys are getting paid way much better at the expense of international players, but the cricket itself has not improved. Leeward Islands have probably lost 14 out of the 16 matches, with probably one being rained out. Matches are finishing inside two days. It is a reflection of our Test cricket. Spinners dominate the first-class season because the pitches are turning from day one. You don't get that in Test cricket.
Ask the guys in charge, who make the decisions. There are people in place for that. I am here to play and try to win matches.
Of course. There is plenty of information. The relationship has always been a broken one.
Yes, and he also said he wants the best available players to compete in the Super50 one-day tournament, knowing that some of us were given no-objection certificates to play in the Big Bash. Also, three months ago the so-called best players were available for the ODI series against Sri Lanka. None of them were selected. So what message are you sending? One minute you say the best players should play and then three months later the same players are not selected. Look, I am 32 years old. I am not an Under-19 player anymore. Priorities change with difference situations.
For years now they have been calling the guys who play T20 around the world mercenaries, money grabbers. At the end of the day, this is our job. I can't go to Dubai Mall and collect everything in the store and say, I'm Darren Sammy, West Indies cricketer, and everything will be paid for. No, it is not going to happen.
Oh, no, no. Once I retire, that's it for me. And it is not far. I have three kids - 11, six, and my youngest daughter will be three soon. I have not seen them losing their front teeth. I have missed so many first days of their school, so many birthdays…
Not really. I believe international cricket is the window to the IPL. I have barely played international cricket. Last time, the day before the auction I got 80-odd against Ireland in the first game of the World Cup. Everybody was watching.
I have been looking forward to it for a long time. He is well respected. I can't wait to start with the camp in Dubai immediately after the PSL, and then the World Cup. We picked the best possible 15 that we could have. We gave [Sunil] Narine the best opportunity to be in the squad, even though he needs to go for the ICC test [to clear his action]. We also gave Pollard, who is injured, the best opportunity to get fit. He has been training and his knee is getting better after the surgery.
Nagraj Gollapudi is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo