ST.GEORGE’S, Grenada, CMC-Former Prime Minister Dr.Keith Mitchell is calling on the West Indies Cricket Board to introduce a multiple captain system for the various formats of the game.
Dr. Mitchell, who once chaired the Caricom subcommittee on cricket, said WICB must adopt such a policy to contend with an international cricket schedule that has become intense.
Speaking in a radio interview in St.George’s, Dr. Mitchell says too many players are punishing their bodies as a result of having to play in more international tournaments than before.
“Clearly, and I am not getting at the personal now am talking about the policy. The West Indies Cricket Board in my view is making a serious mistake by continuing to have one person captain every single version of the game” said Dr. Mitchell, an avid cricketer who captained the national cricket team from 1971–74.
“If he is captain he has to play every single match and therefore I think it is a mistake. It is certainly going to affect the performance of the captain and will affect the performance of the team”.
The issue of multiple captains has become a major talking point in international cricket with a number of teams higher up the ICC rankings experimenting with the policy.
Australia and South Africa have used such a system with one man in charge for both Tests and ODIs and the other leading the way in T20s.
The policy has worked for England where Andrew Strauss has led them to the number one spot in Test cricket and Alastair Cook has done well in ODIs.
“Players are called upon to exert a lot of pressure on their bodies on a consistent basis. Even some of the best fast bowlers are being rested. So it seems to me that the West Indies Cricket Board seems to not be learning from this” said Dr. Mitchell, who once led the Windward/Leeward Islands combined youth team.
“Clearly you cannot have one player playing every single version of the game particularly a bowler or somebody of that nature and he is going to break down and when you need him most you probably would not have his services this same thing can be said about your captain”.
Dr. Mitchell, currently the country’s opposition leader, says success in West Indies cricket could come at a faster pace if different captains are used for the various formats.
“And I think while there is some improvement and light at the end of the tunnel I believe there will be more aggressive success if we look towards getting a captain for different versions of the game”, Dr. Mitchell explained.
“I think we have to come to terms with that”.
