They have been at it more often than not over the past couple of years and US-based journalist George Whyte wants the relationship between the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) to be improved once and for all for the betterment of cricket in the region.
The WICB and the WIPA are again at loggerheads, mainly over the issue of contracts for the
players and the West Indies senior team has boycotted the current first test match against Bangladesh but Whyte feels only a more professional relationship between the two organizations can resolve the constant public spats.
“The relationship with the WICB and the WIPA needs to be improved. The two presidents Dinanath Ramnarine and Dr. Julian Hunte need to have a more professional relationship with the interest of West Indies Cricket at heart,” Whyte declared.
“Things have got to be more transparent from the WICB to the public. The WICB has a habit of withholding information from the public, information that the public should know,” he added.
Representatives of the two organizations met yesterday but the impasse remained after WIPA refused to call off the strike.
However the second string Windies team led by Floyd Reifer had a satisfactory first day.
Restructuring
Whyte also feels that the time has reached for the WICB to be restructured and for there to be greater accountability.
He is also upset with the WICB for what he perceives to be a weakness when dealing with the International Cricket Council (ICC).
“It seems as if the WICB accepts everything that the ICC throws at them,” he charged.
“For instance the WICB must be blamed for accepting the recent tour of England by the West Indies senior team as it was outside the Future Tours Programme and clashed with the lucrative IPL series,” Whyte said.
And because it was not a scheduled tour the Wisden Trophy which the West Indies had fought so hard for only a few months earlier should not have been at stake,” Whyte contended.
Umpiring
Whyte admitted that he was not overly excited about the umpiring of the ICC elite umpires.
“The ICC umpires have to be much more professional and try at least to be up-to-date with their umpiring. There are too many mistakes. The umpires are being intimidated. At the highest level that should not happen,” he added.
Sack Dyson
Whyte said he would not be too unhappy to see the back of West Indies coach John Dyson.
“I want him to be sacked period. He should have been sacked when he made that decision in the first one-day against England at the Providence National Stadium earlier this year. His apology should not have been accepted.
“The decision to call in the players is the reason why he should be sacked. It cast a bad impression on the W I team.
“The thing about Dyson is that he doesn’t really talk much with the media and he does not say what he is trying to implement to tell the public what he is doing as head coach that would benefit West Indies cricket.”
Academy
Whyte said any restructuring of the WICB should take into account the dire need for a cricket academy.
“We need an academy, it is a necessity. The academy in Grenada was highly criticized and eventually it fell to the dust in financial problems but there is a need to groom young players in all areas of cricket development, how to deal with the media, how to balance their cricket funds, their basic conduct as ambassadors of WI cricket and the need to be responsible for their own nutrition, knowing what to eat and what to avoid.
“Batsmen and bowlers too, they’ve got to know how to deal with pressure on and off the field as professional sportsmen with the objective of the team first and how to do your best individually with the interest of the team first,” he said.
Coaching structure
Whyte is calling for a new coaching structure to be put in place with one Supremo to be supported by a specialist batting and a specialist bowling coach.
“There is a need for the West Indies to have a specialist bowling coach bearing the responsibility in assisting the senior players to enhance their performances on the field. The coach must be someone who has a good knowledge of the history of West Indies cricket and also knowledge of the different cultures of the Caribbean people. It is important for the bowling coach to have knowledge of the people you are going to communicate with.
‘The same thing will apply to the batting coach, someone who should preferably be a former West Indies batsman.
“I would like to recommend Desmond Haynes as the batting coach for the West Indies senior team.
“The West Indies cricketers did well in England at the Twenty20 World Cup beating Australia. The win raised the players’ confidence but there is still a lot more work to be done in other forms of the game, especially the longer version which is Test cricket,” Whyte said.
