Can Carlos “remember the name” Brathwaite emulate Darren Sammy?

It took Carlos Brathwaite just four deliveries to etch his name as the golden boy in the history of West Indies cricket. Those four sixes off Ben Stokes in the final over of the intense World T20 final at Eden Gardens changed his name from Carlos Ricardo Brathwaite to Carlos ‘Remember the name’ Brathwaite. It is very seldom that we see a player steal the limelight in the way Brathwaite did.

Things changed for him quickly. Just four months after leaving the English team shattered, Brathwaite had earned enough faith from the West Indies selectors and was made the skipper of the side after the unceremonious departure of Darren Sammy.

The successor carries the burden of emulating the kind of success his predecessor has earned. If that is set as the benchmark, then Carlos Brathwaite has a steep mountain to climb. And, it’s best to keep Darren Sammy v Carlos Brathwaite comparison aside with that regards.

However, the most important question is can Brathwaite lead the West Indies team in the same manner Darren Sammy did during his 5 years stint as the leader of the side. The biggest question which everyone had in their mind when Brathwaite was appointed as the skipper was the experience factor. The Barbadian all-rounder, who made his comeback last year after making his debut in 2011, has so far featured in only 3 Tests, 14 ODIs, 8 T20Is which in a way suggests that it was too be premature to appoint him as the captain.

But, if inexperience could lead to unsuccessful stint then Darren Sammy, in a sense, himself could not have been a good leader. Sammy was yet to establish himself thoroughly in the international cricket having played only 20 T20I and somewhere around 45 ODIs until 2011 after making his international debut in 2007.

But, Sammy did what was sort of unexpected from him. He proved that leadership comes naturally irrespective of what kind of talent you possess as a player. Sammy always remained a quiet performer. He has seldom bowled his full quota of overs. He batted at Nos. 6, 7 or 8 where he did not have much to do, or, at most, play a crucial cameo or two.

He binded the players together who were insecure about their place in the team and molded an evolving team into a highly successful unit. Under his leadership, the t20 team reached its zenith. He brought individual professionalism which paved the way for them to clinch two World T20 title in a short span and regain the respect which had somewhat lost somewhere.

Also read: 11 Interesting facts about Carlos Brathwaite

Brathwaite, on the other hand, has a team of mature players to lead. He doesn’t need to worry about encouraging the players and helping them believe in professionalism. What assures him of success as a player and a leader in the upcoming days is the similarities which he has with Sammy.

He was full of passion and took on the opposition with his sleeves rolled up. Brathwaite has also shown his fighting spirit on a couple of occasions in his international career. While Sammy injected belief in a team that threatened to break away due to the player-board conflict, Brathwaite promises to inspire the young upcoming men from the Caribbean islands.

The four sixes which brought stardom to him might be his greatest achievement so far. But, by the end of this weekend, Carlos Brathwaite won’t be just any superstar in the making but a man with the toilsome duty of leadership.

It’s all in the mindset. And, if Carlos Brathwaite manages to adopt the same attitude with which Darren Sammy led his side then maybe the giant Barbadian, five years down the line, will be able to take his team to the same heights of success his predecessor.

All we can conclude is that Brathwaite seems to be the best man at the moment to replace Darren Sammy as the future leader of the team.