(Jamaica Gleaner) West Indies fast-bowling legend Michael Holding says the team’s current crop of players need to balance the need to make money with the call of representing the region.
“People from islands that never produced at Test cricket still say ‘we’ when they talk about the West Indies team, and cricketers need to recognise the importance of representation and accept the responsibility with open arms … not just pockets,” said Holding at last Friday’s Michael Manley Foundation Forum on the ‘State of West Indies Cricket’.
“The distractions of private enterprise cricket are there and cannot be ignored. The rewards are huge and no one should honestly expect a sportsman with a short shelf life to turn his back on such great returns. But with previous considerations in mind, more cricketers should try and take a leaf out of Marlon Samuels’ book.
“He had a great offer from the Indian Premier League (IPL), but compromised his position in order to get some of the huge reward, while at the same time making himself available to represent the region. Basically some for me, some for you,” Holding declared.
Samuels, who made a return to international cricket last year following a two-year absence, was signed by IPL-franchise Pune Warriors earlier this year as one of their star players, on a two-year US$350,000 per-year contract (J$30,852,500).
However, recognising that he would miss the Test series leg of last month’s West Indies tour of England due to clash in schedule with the latter stages of the IPL, Samuels requested and received a release.
Man of the series
He emerged Man of the Series for scoring 386 runs at an average of 96.5, which included a century and three half-centuries, but he could not prevent the team from going down to a 3-0 whitewash.
Six other West Indian players ended up missing the Test series due to participation in the IPL. They are Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Andre Russell, Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Smith and Sunil Narine, who emerged as the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
Gayle represented Royal Challengers Bangalore on a US$560,000 (J$49,352,801) per year contract, Bravo renewed his US$200,000 (J$17,630,000) contract with Chennai Super Kings, while Narine went to on represent eventual champions, Kolkata Knight Riders, after being picked up during this year’s auction for US$700,000 (J$61,355,000).
As it relates to Pollard, the Mumbai Indians re-signed him for US$750,000 (J$65,752,501) with Russell, though not playing a lot of games due to the IPL’s match-day international player per team quota rule, represented the Deccan Chargers on a US$450,000 (J$39,667,500) contract.
Holding’s views were expressed in a two-page letter, which was read by attorney-at-law Delano Franklyn at the forum at the Liguanea Club, St Andrew.
The function had as panelists former West Indies captain and West Indies Cricket Board director Clive Lloyd, and West Indies Players Association CEO Michael Hall.
Others who were in attendance included sports journalists, cricket aficionados and representatives of the Jamaica Cricket Association.
