BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Grenada’s Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell says the West Indies Cricket Board has failed to properly address the development of players following youth level, and has dismissed the idea that the success of West Indies youth teams can be attributed to them alone.
The veteran leader, the head of CARICOM’s Prime Ministerial sub-committee on cricket, said much of the youth development had taken place at the country level where various governments had “invested millions of dollars” in order to channel the abilities of players.
West Indies captured the region’s first ever global Under-19 title last Sunday when they beat India Under-19s by five wickets in the final of the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup in Bangladesh.
“It must be stated that the performance of the Under-15, Under-17 and Under-19 teams cannot be at the foot of the West Indies Cricket Board,” Mitchell told CMC Sports.
“This is the result and outcome of serious work being done at the country level with the young players throughout the region where the governments have invested millions of dollars in facilities all over the individual countries, in all parts of the countries, and these young people emerged like Devon Smith and others.”
Previously, West Indies Under-19s best finish at a Youth World Cup was reaching the final of the 2004 event, also in Bangladesh when the Denesh Ramdin-led side lost to eventual champions Pakistan.
They reached the quarter-finals two years later and even though they failed to qualify for the knockout round in 2008, they rebounded to capture the Plate final with a side that included Darren Bravo.
West Indies Under-19s, with current Test and one-day captain Jason Holder, reached the semi-finals in 2010, and quarter-finals berths followed in both 2012 and 2014.
West Indies were also good enough to win the Under-15 Cricket World Cup in 2000.
Mitchell said while relative success at youth level had been prevalent, the challenge of ensuring the continued development of players afterwards, had not been properly addressed by the WICB.
“In the last meeting I had with the sub-committee, I made the point even before the Under-19 World Cup was completed, that historically our teams – Under-15s, Under-17s, Under-19s – when faced with international competition, have in fact accounted of themselves well and reasonably so,” Mitchell pointed out.
“[They have] not been winning [but have been reaching the] quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals. The problem has been consistently what happened afterwards.”
He added: “The problem has been after they perform well at that level, who has to take it forward and provide incentive and the organisation and support systems to see that they can compete, [and] continue to improve their talent and ability.
“That’s been the West Indies Cricket Board and that’s where the problem has been.”
Mitchell has been at the forefront of efforts to ensure an overhaul of the WICB’s governance structure.
Last year, a Governance Review Committee commissioned by regional nation-grouping CARICOM, recommended the “immediate dissolution” of the board.
