As many sports disciplines look to leave a horrid 2020 in the dust and step into a new era, veteran cricket fanatic, Shaun Massiah, has given his input on moving cricket forward.
Massiah, who has been involved in cricket administration for a number of years and has been one of the local voices on regional cricket commentary, made several recommendations that he believes are pertinent towards the development of cricket locally during an exclusive interview with this publication.
According to the chairman of the Competitions Committee of the Georgetown Cricket Association, proper facilities and proper pitches are among the problems.
With respect to the pitches, Massiah recommends courses to help groundsmen better understand their roles so as to improve on their trade.
“The preparation of our pitches are not being done properly,” he said.
“Even though I give praises to the curators at all of the clubs for the work that they put in, the work that the groundsmen put in is really no fault of theirs because they can only work with whatever tools and equipment they have,” he said.
He noted that in a technological age, local cricket still has old men pushing and pulling rollers, often having to resort to club members for assistance.
Massiah also spoke on the absence of proper covers.
“Proper covers for pitches at some clubs are needed, motorized grass cutters to maintain the ground so it can dry as quickly as possible when it rains are also needed.”
Recently, many matches scheduled for grounds in the city, have had to be called off when it rains at nights owing to the absence of covers or in some cases, covers that are riddled with holes.
The Transport Sports Club veteran also suggested that there is a need for the best coaches in the country to come down to the grassroots level and help nurture talent in the early stages and not just at the senior level.
At the junior stage, he believes it is easier to identify talent and see the mistakes early enough so it can be corrected.
West Indies coach Rayon Griffith, when not on international duty, has attended training sessions in the city to lend his expertise to the youngsters.
Massiah also opined that there needs to be a lot more cricket played at all levels.
“A lot more cricket needs to be played at all levels on a consistent basis. Clubs have to make their venues more readily available so cricket can have a smooth flow and the committee can set fixtures to start and finish on dates without any ground been rented out for other activities,” he contended.
On a few occasions, teams have turned up to venues ready to play on the weekends only to see tents set up for parties or fairs or other activities.
Massiah said that most of the grounds need to be upgraded in order to have better playing conditions.
“Our grounds need upgrading so we can have play whether it rains or not. We have plenty sand in this country to look after all of our grounds, plenty grounds in and out of the town are underutilized,” he stated.
Massiah said government funding would be a huge step in the right direction.
‘It is time that the government of the day step in and help out all sports disciplines by taking on the payroll of the staff at all the clubs under the Ministry of Sports or they can spread them across the different ministries, ” he opined.
He highlighted the fact that most clubs are non-profit organisations and are there to help find a positive alternative for the youths.
He pointed out that as a deterrent to crime and negative things, sports provides a safe and healthy environment for children and young adults to engage in.
It has also been transformed into a lucrative industry where sportsmen and women can be well compensated for their talents.
However, as is the case with most clubs, they do not generate enough revenue to keep afloat and have to resort to hosting activities that can potentially damage the ground to offset expenses.
“At the end of the day we feel proud of their achievements but when you look at the sacrifices that the clubs have to go through, for instance, the coaches are underpaid, some don’t get pay, the curators are underpaid, the clubs are struggling with water and light bills, it’s sickening,” he said.
Massiah did however; commend the initiative to install lights at various grounds across the country, stating that this will help youths to train more.
With respect to the personal development of individual players, Massiah reasoned that there needs to be a lot more shown commitment by the players.
“Cricketers of this generation need to train harder. They need to be in constant dialogue with senior cricketers, read up on cricket, research on how to build an innings, how to enhance your skill set whether it is batting, bowling or fielding.
“They must have self-discipline and need to develop a good attitude towards the game, their peers and seniors. The must feel free to ask questions of our seniors.”
He suggested that all the top teams have someone with national experience in their ranks players, who once fit and able should play with the juniors to help them along.
“This is missing in our entire cricket from West Indies right down to our club level,” Massiah declared.
