Hooper says Sammy to answer for batting debacle
ADELAIDE, Australia (CMC) — Former West Indies Captain Carl Hooper believes Head Coach Daren Sammy needs to be answerable for the regional side’s embarrassing performance against Australia in the just-concluded day/night third Test.
On Monday, the West Indies were skittled out for 27 at Sabina Park, their lowest-ever Test score and second-lowest of all-time, as they slumped to a 176-run defeat to lose the three-match series 0-3.
Speaking on ABC Sport as a cricket expert, Hooper, who played 102 Tests between 1987 and 2002, said as head coach and chief selector Sammy should be held accountable.
“Somebody’s got to be held accountable. I think he [Sammy] is also the only selector, so just imagine someone that is picking the Australian team and also the head coach. He’s got all the power so he’s got to be held accountable.
“[But] I know that’s not going to happen; you’re not going to remove him,” Hooper added.
The former batting all-rounder, who scored 5762 runs at an average of 36.46 and took 114 wickets with his off spin, questioned whether sacking former coach Andre Coley was the right thing to do.
Coley was relieved of his duties as Test head coach after 20 months in charge, following the completion of West Indies’ tour of Pakistan in January when they drew the Test series 1-1.
“It’s been so disappointing. I’m angry, I’m upset, because I think we were building a good thing a few years ago.
“The boys came out here [Australia] and had a Test match win in Brisbane, a drawn series, and then we went to Pakistan and drew 1-1. Fantastic results,” Hooper said.
“And then, we had wholesale changes. And to see this is the end result it’s like what we’ve done for the last two years or three years, and trying to build something, is just sort of gone up in flames today.
“What can you say now? Like I said before, we were building something under the former head coach Andre Coley, who we removed and inserted the new Head Coach Daren Sammy, who is our white-ball coach, so he is now the all-format coach. So now, you kind of take one step forward and now two steps backward. Where do you go from here?” he questioned.
