“Heavy is the head that wears the crown.”

However, Saint Lucia Kings head coach Daren Sammy remains unperturbed by what he deems as “noise” surrounding his coaching abilities. 

The Micoud native spoke to the St. Lucia Times after defeating the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons on August 30, their third consecutive win in the 2025 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League. 

The 2024 CPL Championship-winning coach has been the subject of much criticism from former teammates, commentators, and other voices within the cricket world, following less-than-stellar outputs by the West Indies Cricket Team, which he now leads in all formats as head coach. 

When asked why he chose to return to the Kings this year, despite the additional responsibilities and subsequent challenges.

Against the backdrop of the stadium that bears his name, the 41-year-old noted he prefers to focus on the responsibilities placed in front of him, rather than worry about what others say.

“One thing you would know about Daren Sammy is, I don’t listen to the noise. I trust the processes that we put in place for things to happen. The result is not instant… stay in the present. I plan for the future but I always stay in the present.”

Addressing the complications connected with coaching head-on, the Saint Lucian noted that while having to straddle different working environments can be a challenge, these complexities are par for the course.

“This team here, it’s a different environment, and it’s my job to adjust to the different environments, but all in all, I’m enjoying my job. The good, the bad and the ugly, it comes with, it is the nature of the job. [We will] continue doing what we’re doing.”

One can be certain, whichever side of the Daren Sammy coaching debate observers may fall, the former World Cup-winning captain is set on his vision for the future – both in Saint Lucia Kings Blue and West Indies Maroon.