Former West Indies batting coach, Toby Radford, is not convinced that Cricket West Indies (CWI) is doing everything it can to produce world-class players and reckons the reintroduction of the High Performance Centre (HPC) could be the solution.
The Englishman, during an interview on Barbados radio programme, Mason and Guest recently, stated: “I know the raw material is there. I’m not convinced we are doing everything to go out there and find it and work with it to get our players coming through.”
According to the 49-year-old, the governing body should stand the expense of the HPC rather that depend exclusively on sponsorship.
“I want to see a HPC come back. The best part of my coaching career was the few years I did with the HPC but that was SAGICOR’s money and when SAGICOR took its money away the HPC pretty much fell away…” Radford said.
“I think the governing body should be driving a High Performance Center and I think when you look at High Performance Centres all around the world whether it’s England, New Zealand or Australia, they’re not waiting on a sponsor to come and fund it. The governing body puts the money in and I think it’s really important,” he said.
Radford, who will join the Bangladesh set up at the end of the month continued, “We know the players that came through on the back of the HPC and how they talk about it and we need that properly back up and running. Players living in, training regularly because we got to have a conveyor belt of players, we’ve got to find the next Jason Holder, our next Shannon Gabriel, we’ve got to find these players.”
In addition to the return of the HPC, Radford contended that there needs to be solid blueprint in the direction West Indies cricket is heading over the next five years with better facilities and equipment at the forefront of their investment.
“I know what I would like to see. I would like to see a document; I’d like to see a real blueprint; I’d like to see a five-year plan of investment; I’d like to see an investment plan in some good practice facilities for the players; some better pitches for the players; some equipment to work with; I’d like to see a really good plan on how they will grow the game in the schools again,” he stated.
Radford pointed out that it is no longer just about winning, but returning glory to West Indies cricket and going back to the top of the world.
“There are lots of things I think could be done and this isn’t just about winning now. It’s about getting the legacy back in the next 10 years and beyond because everyone wants to see West Indies get back to where they have been as number one in the world for a long time and I think West Indies have got to drive that,” he declared.
