Peshawar Zalmi’s head coach and former West Indies captain Daren Sammy has called for real-time communication between the captain and the coach during cricket matches.
Sammy, during the post-match press conference, shed light on the importance of communication between the captain and the coach during matches, drawing comparisons with other sports.
“When I was captain my strategy was, every five overs just run off the field and make sure what I am doing outside is in sync with what the coach is thinking,” said Sammy.
“We just seem to forget that in every other sport like in NFL, and NBA, you watch American football, the coach and the captain have a very good relationship even while the game is going on.
“You watch the NBA’s big star LeBron James but the coaches are calling the play so why is it in cricket you must just leave the captain out there all by himself? I don’t believe in that. Even when I was captain as successful as I was, it was never myself.
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The former West Indies captain acknowledged the value of a coach’s perspective as he is watching the game from outside with a different point of view.
“I like to make sure whatever I am doing out there is in sync with what the coach is saying because they see the game from a different point so again I would always impact my knowledge to the captain.
However, Sammy also reflected on the importance of a captain’s gut feeling, which may supersede a coach’s advice, while sharing the dynamic of his relationship with Peshawar Zalmi captain Babar Azam.
“The first thing I told Babar when he came here was to, as a leader, you must always be able to trust your gut feeling.
“There have been times that I might send a message, his job is to listen and understand and see how best it could impact the game, whether he takes it or not, I am fine with whatever decision he takes out there,” he concluded.
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