Daren Sammy turns down head coach offer from PCB

Daren Sammy. (Photo by Ashley Allen – ECB/ECB via Getty Images)

Daren Sammy, a former West Indies cricketer, turned down an offer by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to become the head coach of the Pakistan senior men’s team. He stated that his current contract as the head coach for Cricket West Indies’ white-ball sides was a reason for his refusal of PCB’s offer. Notably, this denial adds to Pakistan’s challenges in securing an overseas coach, as former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson also refused their offer.

After declining the offer from the PCB, Watson returned home on Saturday, March 16. Discussions between the Aussie and senior PCB officials took place during the 2024 Pakistan Super League (PSL) matches in Karachi, where he was offered the position of head coach. In particular, he showed interest and discussed specific financial and other conditions for his potential acceptance of the offer. However, he ultimately opted not to take up the role, as reported by a reliable source familiar with the developments in PCB.

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“However, after the PCB more or less agreed to Watson’s financial demands, the Australian cricketer was displeased with the leakage of details regarding the proposed package in the Pakistani media and social media,” a source revealed as quoted by The News.

Watson had told the board that he has prior commitments as a commentator in the forthcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) and in the Major League Cricket (MLC) as well. He also stated that he wanted to prioritize spending time with his family in Sydney. In addition, the PCB had reportedly offered him US$2 million to take up the head coach role.

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Since Sammy and Watson are no longer in contention for the head coach position, the PCB is anticipated to explore interim solutions for overseeing the national team during the training camp in Kakul. The camp starting from March 25 to April 8 will precede the five-match T20 series against New Zealand at home, scheduled to commence on April 14 across two venues – Lahore and Rawalpindi.