​Darren Sammy vs Alzarri Joseph clash: What happened as West Indies pacer fires back at coach over Pakistan Test selection row originally appeared on Cricket News.
Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.KEY TAKEAWAYS:Alzarri Joseph slammed Daren Sammy’s “declined selection” remark as misleading.CWI cited personal reasons, but Sammy contradicted the official statement.Joseph cites body fatigue after an injury layoff as the reason for omission. Alzarri Joseph drops ‘not representing Darren Sammy’ bombshell over Pakistan Test selection feudWest Indies pacer Alzarri Joseph and head coach Daren Sammy are at loggerheads after the fast bowler dismissed his coach’s statements as misleading and lacking context.Sammy went public with the claim that Joseph had opted out of representing the side in the ongoing two-match Test series against Pakistan. That version, however, clashed with the official explanation West Indies Cricket had already put out, which cited personal reasons for the bowler’s absence when the squad was first announced.”Yeah, it is a big loss,” Sammy said in a media interaction. “Mr Joseph has declined selection. That’s the reality of the situation. He was selected. I mean, he’s now coming [back] from injury. And for reasons since, he has declined the selection.”That is a decision that is way over my head,” Sammy added. “I leave that with the directors to come up with whatever solutions where contracted players get to decline selection.”Joseph, who turns 30 this year, had already endured a tough stretch on the sidelines, as he missed tours to India and New Zealand due to a lower back complaint.However, he finally returned to action during the Test series against Sri Lanka, where he claimed six wickets across two matches. He then played through the five-match ODI series against New Zealand before opting to sit out the subsequent assignment against Pakistan.MORE: ‘Weren’t upto the mark’: Babar Azam points out two key reasons for Pakistan’s 90-run defeat to West IndiesAlzarri Joseph pushes back against the ‘declined selection’ narrativeJoseph revealed that he’d had a direct conversation with Sammy about the situation, as well as separate discussions with Cricket West Indies. He pointed out that the official CWI statement had specifically referenced personal reasons, and argued that Sammy, given his long experience in the game, would have known exactly what impact his own comments would have on public perception.“We had a chat, myself and the head coach. I’ve also had a chat with CWI and if you realize the statement CWI released said personal reasons,” Joseph began.MORE: ‘Scared to face WI bowlers’: Babar brutally trolled after PAK captain leaves tailender exposed in WI defeat”Mr Sammy, being around for a long time, he knows exactly what that statement would have done so to be honest, I have nothing to say to Mr Sammy in terms of his statement. Like I said, he knows exactly what that statement would hav