Jamaica is a special place’ WI head coach Sammy looking forward to Sri Lanka series at Sabina Park
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With the West Indies to take on Sri Lanka in their ‘WI Outside’ home series at Sabina Park, West Indies head coach Daren Sammy said it is always a special occasion when the regional team plays in Jamaica.
The West Indies will face Sri Lanka in three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and three T20s in the space of 12 days next month.
The three ODIs will be played on June 3, 6, and 8 while the T20s will follow on June 11, 13, and 14.
It will be the second time in two years that the West Indies will play at Sabina Park following Australia’s tour of the Caribbean last year, where they played three Test matches and five T20 games.
Three of the eight games in Australia’s tour were played at Sabina Park.
Speaking ahead of the series, Sammy said playing in Jamaica is always a special feeling and is looking forward to the support from the fans.
He is hopeful that the team can build on the momentum they gained at the 2026 International Cricket Council (ICC) Men's T20 World Cup, where they made it to the Super 8 stage.
“Jamaica is a special place,” Sammy said. “I remember when we first came back after a long time with the South Africa series, the support the Jamaican people gave to the West Indies team, it is always special to be at Sabina Park.”
He continued:, “Just from the spirit I saw in the World Cup, the camaraderie, the passion in which the guys played. [It is] the first time back in the Caribbean after the World Cup, and I'm looking forward to it.”
Sammy said these upcoming games against Sri Lanka will be particularly important to Cricket West Indies (CWI) as they chase points to move up in the ICC ODIs Team World Rankings.
HOME FORTRESS
He said he is expecting a strong performance from the team and that they are focused on defending their home turf against Sri Lanka.
“All our effort is towards making sure we defend our home soil,” Sammy said.
“Sri Lanka are coming to the Caribbean. [It is] similar conditions to what they probably have in Sri Lanka, but we're trying to use our home advantage.”
He continued, “The fans will come out and support in Jamaica, but yes, we've got to bring our A-game against Sri Lanka.
“We've made our home a fortress for us over the last three years at home, and we normally defend our home turf., Sso yes, I'm looking forward to that.”
It will be the second time that Sri Lanka will play at Sabina Park after their first ODIs series in 2013, and it will be their first-ever T20s series against the West Indies in Kingston.