West Indies T20 World Cup-winning captain Darren Sammy has been appointed coach of Pakistani Super League team Peshawar Zalmi.

Sammy was promoted to the head post after leading the team as captain for the past three years winning the title in 2017 and being beaten finalists in the last two.

However, this move is certain to surprise many who saw Darren on his way out of the franchise after he lost his captain status and only featuring in four of the seven games in this season’s iteration of the competition.

There have been questions about Sammy’s apparent lack of

fitness and so it came as a surprise that he was appointed coach. Sammy however

still retains playing status and can call upon himself at any time.

At a press conference, Sammy highlighted that in the last two years he has not been fully fit but this year he feels ready to go. “This year, my preparation and form have not been exactly what I wanted, to perform in the best way possible. So we came to this decision to do what was best for the team” he remarked.

The previous coach, Muhammad Akram, is now Director of

Cricket with the club while Rahab Waiz has been made the new captain of the

team.

“As a player, it’s always difficult to make the

transition. Like Akram said, we are a family and throughout the years of

playing and leading this franchise, we have shown it’s not just a cricket team

but a family” the St Lucian native is quoted as saying.