Birthday special: Daren Sammy – Only captain to win two T20 World Cups

Coming from an Island that never produced an International cricketer before, Daren Sammy helped the West Indies cricket team to emerge as a formidable side in T20I cricket. The Caribbean side were the first winner of the World Cup cricket tournament in 1975 and they dominated the game till the mid-90s. In the 2010s, West Indies looked like a diminishing wonder of the cricket world, however, under the leadership of Daren Sammy, they emerged out of nowhere to win the ICC T20 World Cup 2012.

Career highlights

West Indies again stamped their authority in the shortest format of the game in 2016 as the captain Sammy again led them to glory in the T20 World Cup. Sammy, born on 20th December 1983, was the main force behind giving the Caribbean side a revival in world cricket and is acknowledged more for his exploits as a captain in T20I format than his all-round skills.

In 2004, Sammy became the first Saint Lucian cricketer and later in 2010 became the first from his Island to lead the nation as well. The all-rounder was recognized for his power-hitting abilities in the lower order along with a part-time bowler who could chip in few overs with the ball.

Two-time T20I World Cup-winning captain @darensammy88 celebrates his birthday today!#happybirthdaydarensammy pic.twitter.com/DLgzAJfKFN

— 100MB (@100MasterBlastr) December 20, 2020

Sammy first made an appearance in the cricket fraternity in the ICC U19 World Cup 2002. Though the West Indian team reached the semi-finals and lost against the Australian side, Darren was named to attend the Shell Cricket Academy that aimed to develop the Caribbean’s “brightest cricketing prospects”.

The all-rounder had a stunning domestic season for the Windward Islands in 2003-04 as he ended being the 2nd highest wicket-taker in the regional four-day tournament. He took 22 wickets and finished the tournament with a total of 261 runs. This resulted in Darren getting drafted in the West Indies National team. He made his debut against Bangladesh in the Champions Trophy match in 2004 at the age of 20.

Sammy had a remarkable Test debut against England at Old Trafford in 2007 but he couldn’t survive for long in the purest format of the game. The cricketer got recognition at the international stage in the latter half of his career as a limited-overs specialist.

In his International career of 14 years, the 36-year-old represented the Caribbean nation in 38 Test and 126 ODI games scoring 1323 and 1871 runs along with scalping 84 and 81 wickets. As far as T20Is are concerned, Sammy featured in 68 games amassing 587 runs and picking 44 wickets.

In the history of West Indies cricket, Daren Sammy will always be remembered as the captain who led them to glory in two ICC T20 World Cups in 2012 and 2016.