Darren Sammy, the head coach of the West Indies cricket team, faced a penalty after openly criticizing match officials during the first Test against Australia in the Frank Worrell Trophy series. The International Cricket Council (ICC) found him guilty of breaching Article 2.7 of its code of conduct. Consequently, he was penalised with a fine of 15% of his match fee and he accrued 1 demerit point into his record.
The incident occurred after Day 2 of the Test match, where Sammy expressed his frustration over several decisions made by third umpire Adrian Holdstock. He specifically questioned the accuracy of the technology used for key reviews, including a contentious LBW decision against Cameron Green and a low catch dismissal involving Shai Hope.
Sammy’s frustrations rang true of the entire Windies camp. The team was understandably disappointed about some important calls not going their way, particularly after they’d been able to bowl out Australia for a low total. West Indies player Roston Chase remarked, “This game is a frustrating one for me and for the team because we bowled out Australia for a relatively low score. We were very happy with that but then there were so many questionable calls in the game and none of them went our way.”
After the match, Sammy addressed match referee Javagal Srinath in order to understand what went into such a decision. He stated, “Just trying to find some sort of understanding as to what the process is. We only hope for consistency.” His comments were telling, reflective of the fear within the league office that these accountability measures might put the league afoul of match officials.
Sammy had recently copped the fine and demerit point. He raised an interesting aspect of the saga that speaks to a serious problem in cricket – the treatment of officials. He noted, “The officials, nothing ever happens to them. They just have a wrong decision or questionable decision and life just goes on.”
In reaction to Sammy’s worries, Australian skipper Pat Cummins admitted that the same things frustrate both teams with umpiring calls. He remarked, “We appeal and if we think it’s close, we use DRS and leave the rest up to the umpires,” adding that there are often “50-50 calls” that can go either way.
Darren Sammy has capped 38 Tests for the West Indies so far in a long and illustrious career. He continues to guide his team through this arduous series, and he is unwavering in his commitment to fighting for fairness and transparency in officiating.
