Former West Indies skipper Daren Sammy has said that he always pays close attention to the Indian Premier League (IPL) as all the games go down the wire to provide the fans with an exciting experience.
Sammy has played for SunRisers Hyderabad in the past, and he even led the franchise for one year. Currently, the T20 World Cup-winning skipper is leading St Lucia Zouks in the ongoing Caribbean Premier League (CPL).
"I have not played IPL for a while so I am not gonna miss it but yes, it's the tournament I follow and I pay close attention to it because the games are always exciting, I love to see young talent coming in and I have some of my colleagues who also play in the IPL so I am looking forward to it this year," Sammy said in an exclusive interaction with from Tarouba.
Sammy, who had earlier, alleged racism within the SunRisers camp has been a vocal supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement and he has been constantly asking the apex cricketing body, ICC to bring in changes which result in more inclusiveness within the sport.
"I have been advocating that it's important to treat everyone as equal regardless of the colour of their skin so yes, I am proud to be taking part in the anti-racism campaign and I am showing solidarity with it. I am probably the only player who is playing with the black lives matter logo on the back of my shirt in the CPL so it's important for me," Sammy said.
"Whatever is happening in the world and especially in America for black people who have been oppressed for so many years, it is important for me as an athlete, as a leader to show my solidarity and stand against such social and systemic oppression on people of colour," he added.
St Lucia Zouks is currently at the second place in the CPL standings with 10 points from 7 matches, and the side is almost through to the semi-finals.
Sammy's leadership has been exceptional as in the last match, the side managed to defend a total of 92 against Barbados Tridents.
"We are very excited to get back to the park. Being at home confined, not being able to practice and train, and now to be able to showcase our talent for a cause is an exciting prospect. What I see from us coming here is that (there's) young men just eager to showcase their talent. Yes, there are no superstars but the way we have gelled together off the field it could play a big part. I am confident that we could do much better than in previous seasons," Sammy said.
"The bio-secure bubble is our safe haven and adhering to the safety protocols means showing respect to your teammates and opponents. It is important to have cricket but in the safest way possible. The fact that cricket is being played it is a plus. The authorities are taking safety measures to ensure that we all play in a safe environment," he added.
Talking about the mental aspect that is involved in being in a bio-secure bubble, Sammy said: "Being a cricketer its always a challenge to be confined to a hotel where you can't go outside, those 14 days of quarantine were very tough, credit must go to my teammates, the way they adjusted to the condition quickly here it's really good to see that."
Sammy had led the West Indies side to the T20 World Cup win in 2012 and 2016.
The all-rounder has played 68 T20Is for the Caribbean team, managing to score 587 runs.
Along with these many runs, he has also managed to scalp 44 wickets at an economy rate of 7.31.
( With inputs from ANI )
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