Dear Editor,
Of all the unfortunate comments I have heard or read about W.I. cricket, I find none more offensive than the following from the Jamaica Gleaner of Oct 20/15:
“The natural athleticism, speed, strength, agility plus typically short attention span make the Caribbean cricketer the perfect fit for T20.”
This statement, at best, reflects the sort of irrationality generated by two decades of losing, after fifteen years of domination, itself preceded by nearly thirty years of being truly competitive. At worst it reflects the contempt often demonstrated towards Caribbean young men that has much deeper roots.
It would have been less troubling if I knew the writer were an Englishman, but I suspect he is one of those confused West Indians who does not realize that he is writing about himself.
Tony Cozier, one of the most respected West Indian cricket commentators, seems to have discovered only recently that the W.I. team does not have a fielding coach. For the last three years or so I have been pointing out that the W.I. team not only does not have a fielding coach, but does not have a batting or bowling coach, and has gone for long periods including the recent world cup without a head coach, and the administration refuses to retain a sports psychologist. As we all know they recently suspended their newly appointed head coach on the eve of the Sri Lankan tour to leave no doubt as to who is the real boss. Reasonable cricket observers have pointed to several alternative penalties that would have had a less obviously devastating negative impact on the team. Brian Lara recently said that the administration does not provide the team with the wherewithal to compete in tests. Any careful observer would have noted that the team does not have the same or a similar support system to that of the successful teams, and because of maladministration, it is impossible to field the best team or even to prepare properly for international engagements.
The other international cricketers all have, by and large, the same mental and physical characteristics that West Indian players have.
This kind of comment reminds me of the conventional wisdom that prevailed into the sixties that black athletes could not run long distances, and into the twenty first century that Indians could not bowl fast although Pakistan produced some of the fastest bowlers, and Yadav, Aron and Shami of India today are some of the most lethal fast bowlers in the game.
All such generalizations are absurd and counterproductive, and exacerbate the pain experienced by those West Indian fans who so badly want the best for their team.
Yours faithfully,
Romain Pitt