Dhaka, Oct 26 — West Indies head coach Daren Sammy has urged his Test players to let their on-field displays do the talking in the fight for better pay, adding that a top-five finish in the World Test Championship (WTC) would bring additional financial rewards.
Last month, Cricket West Indies (CWI) announced a 25 per cent cut in the players retainer fees as part of a broader set of measures it described as ‘a comprehensive counterattack against all the challenges we face financially, developmentally and competitively.’
Sammy, however, said the decision had not dented the morale of the players on the ongoing tour of the subcontinent, by pointing out the white-ball sides recent showing in India. West Indies will meet Bangladesh in the two-match series starting on Wednesday.
“If you look at the way we played in the India series when the news was put to the players, how they responded shows the drive, the passion, the willingness to help turn around West Indies cricket. I think there’s reality and there’s understanding where you are as a professional, as a board, and there’s no secret where we are, obviously financially.
“My word to the guys, especially this World Test Championship, you finish in the top five there’s extra incentives. ICC has invested a lot of money in the World Test Championship in terms of prize money, and it’s an opportunity for our boys to come up from the number eight that we have finished last two cycles.
“I don’t think it’s a conversation that’s in the dressing room now, but we are aware. I have challenged the guys to put ourselves in a better position to negotiate and attract sponsors by the performances we put on the field. I thought the white-ball teams did that extremely well in India and hopefully we could do that as a red-ball team here in Bangladesh,” Sammy told reporters in a press conference on Monday.
The West Indies head into their final series of the 2025-27 WTC cycle unbeaten in Test series this year, having beaten Sri Lanka 1-0 and drawn 1-1 with Pakistan. Sammy saw that results as a sign the team is moving in the right direction.
“The expectations are always there. The way we have played Test cricket this year, we have not lost a series this year. It’s a long time we have gone through a year without losing a series, and this is our last series in the World Test Championship.
“The message to the guys: give it all. Ten possible days of Test cricket left in this cycle for us and just go out there and give it your all. Whatever motivates you, use that to go out and get performances. We have prepared really well,” he added.
Sammy also credited the Test squad’s preparatory camp in Chennai for putting the side in good shape for the series. “It is something we as a board have really looked at, giving guys the best possible chance to prepare. We had the ODI team there and we thought Chennai has an amazing facility.
“We sent the batting coach across with the help of Sri (Sriram Krishnamurthy) from the Chennai Academy and kudos to the director, he approved that camp and that preparation. You prepare well, you give yourself the best chance of performing. So leading up to this series I could see the guys are well prepared and hopefully that preparation changes (translates) into performance,” he said.