Former West Indies captain and present St. Lucia Kings coach Daren Sammy picks his Dream T20 11. During a recent conversation, published on Instagram, he selected a total of 14 players, including 3 bench players. The rule of the video is that Sammy had to put himself in the squad. Which means a T20 team around Daren Sammy.

This team contains both present and past generation players. Sammy, the former West Indies skipper, assigned himself as the captain of the group, and interestingly, he picked Rohit Sharma as his deputy, the vice-captain of the Dream Team. Sammy included Virat Kohli too in his team but did not consider him for leadership duties. Along with Sharma and Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah was also able to make it into the powerpack T20 eleven.

Daren Sammy was one of the most celebrated captains for the West Indies in modern-day cricket. He will be remembered for leading the West Indies to two T20 world titles, defeating Sri Lanka in Colombo in 2012, and then for his heroic moment against England at Eden Gardens.

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On the other side, his deputy of the Dream T20 eleven, Rohit Sharma, encrypted his name in cricket history by clinching the ICC T20I World Cup with Team India. On 29 June 2024, Sharma led India to win the 2024 T20 World Cup after defeating South Africa in the final. He was also a member of the teams that won the 2007 T20I World Cup and the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy and was the winning captain of the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, where he was also the player of the match in the final.

Daren Sammy's Dream T20 11:

Chris Gayle, Rohit Sharma (VC), Virat Kohli, AB De Villiers, Nicholas Pooran, Kieron Pollard, Daren Sammy (C), Rashid Khan, Sunil Narine, Lasith Malinga, Jasprit Bumrah

Bench: Andre Russell, Dwayne Bravo, Samuel Badree.

West Indies head coach Daren Sammy was caught in the eye of storm when he reportedly picked up a fight with the match referee Javagal Srinath during the first Test at Bridegtown, Barbados. Sammy was unhappy with the umpiring standards and voiced his frustration, urging the TV umpire to be more consistent with his decision making. 

Controversy erupted when Head was demmed not out by the TV umpire Adrian Holdstock even when it appeared that the ball had clearly settled into the keeper's gloves. A similar contentious caught behind incident surfaced later on  in the West Indian innings. This time around, much to everyone's surprise, the decision went in the home side's favor even when subsequent replays clearly indicated that the ball hadn't carried cleanly into the keeper's gloves. 

Sammy was furious with the events that unfolded and expressed his anguish to Srinath, questioning Holdstock's decision-making work. Following the end of the Test, Sammy was reprimanded by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for showing dissent and earned a 15% fine on his fees along with one demerit point.

See also: WI vs AUS 1st Test: Key moments and Full match highlights

'I hold no grudges', Sammy opens up following the end of the controversial Test

As the dust settles on the first Test, Sammy has made it clear that he holds no grudges against the match officials. The fact that the match officials department have confessed their errors puts him at ease. Despite being displeased with Holdstock's work in the first Test, Sammy wishes him all the best for his upcoming game and expresses his desire to move on. 

"I don't hold grudges. I said what I said, based on what I saw. I've been punished for it. I wish Adrian all the best, to be honest. I mean, we're all human. I have nothing against the umpires. I really wish he has an awesome game."

While the West Indies were caught on the wrong side of the technology, the Australian team has steered clear from the controversy so far. However, Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey made a startling revelation about the diving catch he took to get rid of Shai Hope. Although Carey was convinced that he took a full-diving catch cleanly, replays seemed to have suggested otherwise. But as fate would have it, Carey emerged on the right side and Australia were able to miraculously manufacture a wicket out of it.  

West Indies head coach Daren Sammy has raised serious concerns over the performance of TV umpire Adrian Holdstock during the first Test against Australia in Barbados. Following a series of controversial decisions on Day 2, Sammy reportedly met with match referee Javagal Srinath seeking clarity on multiple calls that went against the West Indies. He also recalled similar frustrations with Holdstock's officiating during the recent ODI series in England, where the South African served as TV umpire twice and stood on-field in another game.

Two incidents in particular left the West Indies camp dismayed. The first involved the dismissal of captain Roston Chase, adjudged lbw to Pat Cummins despite what Sammy and the team believed was a clear inside edge. The second was the decision to give Shai Hope out caught behind off Beau Webster, a catch ruled clean upon review by the third umpire. Sammy, frustrated, said, "We are just trying to find some sort of understanding as to what the process is... We only hope for consistency. That’s all we could ask for. When there is doubt in something, just be consistent across the board."

Sammy didn’t mince words, stating that doubts about this particular umpire's consistency began during the England series. "Yeah, look, you don't want to get yourself in a situation where you're wondering about certain umpires. Is there something against this team? But when you see decision after decision, then it raises the question," he said. "So I want to have that conversation as to the process... so we could all be clear. Because, at the end of the day, you don’t want to be going into a Test match not trusting the umpires."

Sammy seeks clarity amid growing frustration

While Sammy stopped short of confirming whether a formal complaint would be filed, he admitted to having questions. "You'll have to wait and see for that," he said when asked about lodging an official protest. Speaking specifically about Chase's dismissal, which broke a 67-run partnership with Hope, he added, "In our opinion, we saw the ball deviate onto the pad." On Hope's catch, Sammy referenced a similar incident from the previous day, when a catch taken by Hope to dismiss Travis Head was ruled not to have carried. "I'm just saying, judge what you see," Sammy remarked. "Again, I don't know what he's seen, but from the images that we've seen, the decisions are not fair enough for both teams. I just want fairness."

Sammy reportedly met with match referee Javagal Srinath after the day's play to seek clarification regarding multiple decisions that didn't go in the West Indies' favour.#WIvsAUShttps://t.co/f4VeMvn1IX

— CricketNDTV (@CricketNDTV) June 27, 2025

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Australia, too, shared some of the unease. On Day 2, they had an lbw review against Chase turned down due to “insufficient evidence,” despite replays suggesting a pad-first impact. Mitchell Starc voiced doubts about the syncing of visuals and audio. "As players, you can only ask a question. We don't use the technology to make that decision... it sort of felt like, or looked like, the Snicko and the images were out of sync," he said. Sammy, aware of the boundaries when commenting on officials, had already instructed his players not to speak publicly. "We know the rules. We know fines are going all across the board... but look at the Test match (us) against our own selves, some of these decisions, and we're still in a position to win," he added.

Cricket West Indies has announced a 16 player squad for their upcoming Test series against Australia, which starts later this month in Barbados. All-rounder Roston Chase has been named the new captain, and the team includes a few new names looking to make their mark in red ball cricket.

Brandon King, Kevlon Anderson, and fast bowler Johann Layne all known for their performances in white-ball matches have received their first-ever Test call ups. Shai Hope, who leads the white ball team, and opening batter John Campbell are also back in the squad. One of the biggest points is the absence of senior fast bowler Kemar Roach, who has not been picked for this series.

Head coach Daren Sammy spoke about the decision to include Brandon King, calling it an important to build a stronger Test side for the future. With Roach not in the squad, the fast-bowling responsibilities will now be handled by Jayden Seales, Alzarri Joseph, and Shamar Joseph. Chase, meanwhile, will take over as skipper for this important series.

Roston Chase has been appointed the new West Indies Test captain.

The appointment was unanimously approved by the CWI Board of Directors during its meeting held today, May 16, 2025.

Congratulations Roston - WI are rallying behind you!🌴🏏 pic.twitter.com/xfCRfc7A34

— Windies Cricket (@windiescricket) May 16, 2025

“I believe in this group,” Sammy said. “We want to make playing at home a big advantage again, and for that, we need our fans to support us fully. It won’t be easy, but we’re ready for the challenge.”

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Several regular names are missing from the squad this time. Players like Joshua Da Silva, Alick Athanaze, Amir Jangoo, Kavem Hodge, Gudakesh Motie, and Kevin Sinclair have been left out. Da Silva’s exclusion came as a surprise to many, especially after he finished as the second-highest run-scorer in the West Indies Championship. Coach Sammy explained that the team is trying something new and wants to give chances to fresh talent as they look to build for the future.

The three-match Test series will begin on June 25 at Kensington Oval in Barbados. Interestingly, the third and final Test, which starts on July 12 at Sabina Park in Jamaica, will be a day-night match played with a pink ball. That game will also mark the beginning of both teams’ new World Test Championship (WTC) journey.

West Indies Test Squad for Australia Series 2025:

Roston Chase (Captain), Kraigg Brathwaite, Brandon King, Shamar Joseph, Justin Greaves, Jomel Warrican, Mikyle Louis, Alzarri Joseph, Kevlon Anderson, Jayden Seales, Shai Hope, John Campbell, Keacy Carty, Johann Layne, Anderson Phillip, Tevin Imla

WI vs AUS Test Series 2025 Schedule 

Former West Indies captain Daren Sammy has been appointed as the head coach of the West Indies men's team. The announcement was made by CWI Director of Cricket Miles Bascombe at the quarterly press conference held in St Vincent. Sammy had previously served as the white-ball head coach since his first appointment in May 2023. 

Andre Coley previously served as the interim red-ball coach and took over the reins of the Test team at the same time, having been the interim red-ball head coach earlier.

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A look at Sammy's coaching report card

Sammy's white-ball stint commenced in June last year with a three-match ODI series against UAE. Under Sammy's mentorship, West Indies won the ODI series against the UAE, Bangladesh and twice against England. But perhaps the most disappointing moment in his coaching career came in the ODI World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe when West Indies shocking went down against Zimbabwe and later Netherlands to miss out on their berth in the 2023 ODI World Cup later that year. 

The T20I side fared exceptionally well registering convincing series wins against India, England, and South Africa, and also made it to the Super 8 stage of the T20 World Cup co-hosted by the USA and West Indies. However, the Test side performed poorly failing to register a single series win. They suffered defeats at the hands of India, South Africa, and England but managed to level the series against Australia and Bangladesh. But their win against a star-studded Australian side at the Gabba was one of the biggest achievements for them in the Test arena in recent times.

Looking ahead, Sammy's duties in the Test arena will commence from April 1, 2025. In addition, CWI will have a new CEO in the form of Chris Dehring who is set to assume the role from February 1, 2025. Previously, the position was left vacant following the departure of Jonny Grave.