When the West Indies team for the 2021 Bangladesh Tour, which begins on Sunday, was announced on the 29th December, it was overshadowed by a list of ten players, who had opted to forgo the trip because of COVID concerns.
“Captains Holder, Pollard to miss Bangladesh tour over COVID concerns,” headlined the Cricket West Indies (CWI) press release. “Test captain Jason Holder and white-ball skipper Kieron Pollard are among 10 players who have pulled out of the next month’s tour of Bangladesh over COVID-19 related concerns, in a massive blow to the five-match series,” the statement said.
“Cricket West Indies said yesterday the 10 players had declined selection due to COVID-19 related concerns or personal fears ahead of the January 10 to February 15 series in the south Asian country, which up to yesterday had reported 510,080 confirmed cases of COVID-19 along with 7,479 deaths.”
The Bangladesh series will be the third ‘Bubble Tour’ undertaken by the West Indies in the last eight months, following visits to England in June/July, and New Zealand in November/December. Prior to both tours, a few players opted out over the pandemic situation, with the CWI’s blessing that their withdrawals would not affect future selection. Albeit the two relatively short tours concluded with resounding losses for the West Indians, who went winless during the disastrous latter series, embarrassingly losing both Test matches by an innings.
The disappointing performance against the Kiwis incurred the wrath of former West Indian legends, Sir Vivian Richards and Sir Curtly Ambrose. Sir Viv, who lambasted the team’s weak efforts in the field, observed, “When you hear that you’re playing at that particular level, the catches that we are dropping are amateurish stuff because you cannot have a team that maybe cannot put bat to ball on a regular basis and continue to be dropping all those catches.” In an interview, Sir Curtly questioned the team’s desire. “They don’t seem to have that type of passion and the pride and the will to win. It seems as if they just go out there, hoping that New Zealand will just fall apart, and we can win the game. It doesn’t work like that. You have to go out there and command respect, you have to show New Zealand we’re in for business …”
Former Guyanese first-class player, Garfield Charles, who is Director of Cricket at Mid Canterbury Cricket Association in New Zealand where he has been resident for many years, noted, “I was quite disappointed with the top order display, we had glimpses of guys who sort of looked as if they came to fight but not enough of it and we never put together a complete performance in any day much less in any innings…”
Darren Bravo, Shamarh Brooks, Roston Chase, Sheldon Cottrell, Evin Lewis, Shai Hope, Shimron Hetmyer and Nicholas Pooran are the other players, along with Holder and Pollard, who have all also opted out of the tour. CWI stated that left-arm spinner Fabien Allen and Test wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich were “unavailable due to personal reasons”. Bravo and Hetmyer had also chosen not to go to England; Lewis had similarly declined the New Zealand tour.
This high profile exodus by several senior players comes in the wake of extensive preparations made by CWI prior to the tour. A reconnaissance team, which included Dr Askhai Mansingh, a member of the CWI and ICC medical advisory committees, and security officer Paul Slowe, visited Bangladesh in November to review the protocols in place and to assess the risks involved with regard to the players’ safety. Following Dr Mansingh’s endorsement of the “very, very, well thought out” protocols implemented by the Bangladesh Cricket Board which comply with “all international standards recommended for COVID-19,” CWI approved the tour. The West Indies Players Association (WIPA), the players’ union representatives did their reviews and after extensive discussions with CWI, threw their full support behind the tour.
So why would the players decline to go to Bangladesh? After the series whitewash inflicted by the Kiwis, Captain Holder alluded to bubble fatigue. He noted that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic had impacted players mentally, especially with the challenge of “going from bubble to bubble” and having to undergo quarantine protocols in respective countries. It should be noted here that the “bubbles” have been very effective and no West Indian has contracted COVID-19.
After the England tour, most of the players had been involved in the Caribbean Premier League in Trinidad, and some had also played in the Indian Premier League in the United Arab Emirates. After the New Zealand tour, Holder then wound his way to Australia to participate in the Big Bash T20 League, where Pooran is currently a member of the Melbourne Stars team. CWI Director of Cricket, former West Indies captain Jimmy Adams announced last week that a sports psychologist will travel with the team to Bangladesh to provide support to the players to deal with the mental fatigue.
Is ‘bubble fatigue’ the real issue here? Or is it the case that the West Indian players are missing the fans’ adulations and the party circuit which they formerly revelled in? Following the debacle in New Zealand, Sir Curtly asked the pertinent question, how long will we continue with the same players as they continue to fail over and over? He further stressed, “… then you leave the selectors no choice but to try other players.” Which begs the question, were some heads about to roll? Did some players suspect the axe was coming and therefore decided to avoid the embarrassment and opt out of the tour?
Ever the statesman, Chairman of the Selectors Roger Harper, who was in New Zealand during the tour, made the following observations, during a Zoom conference, the day after the two squads were announced. “When we sit down we want to pick the best squad possible and [examine] of course… our most recent performances so would there have been changes? There may have been. How many? I wouldn’t be able to disclose at this time, but the fact of the matter is players pulled out. They have made themselves unavailable for the tour and we picked what we thought would give us the best sort of balance and composition for the sort of conditions we will face. And we look forward with great expectation… a sense of excitement to see how these young guys will acquit themselves in Bangladesh and one thing I expect is that they will play with a sense of purpose and passion.” A sense of purpose and passion, the message is loud and clear. The tide is turning, changes are taking place.
Professional cricketers who aspire to represent the West Indies in Test cricket, the toughest format of the game, must be prepared to accept that the varying conditions they encounter are all part of the course to test their true mettle. The players who have declined to participate on this tour need to step out of their first class bubble and look around at the rest of the world, where millions of people are struggling to survive. There they are in a privileged environment earning lucrative salaries and whining about fatigue. The mental pillar which noted West Indian sports psychologist Dr Rudi Webster constantly refers to in his writings, is the ultimate cattle grid for separating the true Test cricketer from the good first class cricketer and is very much at play here.
This is not the first time that a second string XI will depart the Caribbean. Other preceding teams have included the 1955/56 side to New Zealand, the 1978/79 representatives to India and the 2005 visitors to Sri Lanka. Best wishes to stand-in Captain Kraigg Brathwaite and his young side for a safe and successful tour. May the youngsters donning the maroon cap for the first time, seize the opportunity with both hands.
