It’s that time of year again in the Caribbean. Carnival season is long done, it’s hurricane season and the cricket bacchanal is in full swing. Why is it that our cricket must be continuously conducted in an ambience of disruption and commotion? Die hard West Indies cricket fans have had to endure another exhausting week.
Last Wednesday, Cricket West Indies (CWI) announced that it had commenced the recruitment process for a new Director of Cricket, since Jimmy Adams’ contract is expiring at the end of June. Adams was appointed in January 2017. During Adams’ tenure expansive groundwork was laid for the development of the game in the region, and hopefully in the coming decade – success in these programmes are not overnight – we will begin reaping the benefits. The highlights of Adams’ efforts include, the initiation of a Coach Education & Development department which created a new set of CWI coaching courses and accreditations that have produced over 1,000 new certified coaches in the region, the establishment of a Sports Science & Medicine Department to create a fitness culture and the launching of the Men’s Academy based at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua.
The following day, CWI announced the members of the coaching and support staff for the West Indies Men’s red and white ball teams. “Former West Indies captains Carl Hooper and Floyd Reifer have been named as Assistant Coaches in the white ball teams to work alongside new Head Coach Daren Sammy. James Franklin, the former New Zealand allrounder is the third Assistant Coach. They have joined the team ahead of the start of the upcoming three-match One Day International (ODI) series against United Arab Emirates (UAE),” the CWI statement read.
That same day, former West Indies captain, Ramnaresh ‘Ronnie’ Sarwan, launched an attack on CWI on Facebook in a carefully crafted statement, which bears the vetting of a legally trained mind. Sarwan (who was the target of a vicious attack on YouTube by former West Indies captain and his long-standing teammate Chris Gayle three years ago), waylaid CWI over the transparency of the selection process for the white ball coach, Sammy, whose appointment had been announced on 12th May.
“Twenty-two persons/coaches were interviewed for the white ball coaching position. However, two were shortlisted. The big question is why were the other 20 persons/coaches not made known to CWI directors, and also, why is this a big secret and is being kept away from the cricketing public?,” Sarwan asked.“In the interest of transparency those names should have been made available, at least to the directors of CWI. The two coaches shortlisted by the President (headed) committee were Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Darren Sammy.”
Sarwan then artfully noted that Chanderpaul is the holder of a Level III Certificate, while Sammy has little or no qualifications, and questioned how it was possible for Sammy to be appointed coach. He then pointedly stated: “The President has a professional and moral obligation to the Caribbean people, and, without delay, to make public the criteria/ method used for the selection of the coach.” Sarwan added that he was always aware of insularity in West Indies cricket, but “what is becoming very prominent with this administration is nepotism.”
Firstly, it is extremely disappointing that a former West Indies captain has resorted to such rude and disgusting behaviour. One would have thought that having been the target of similar ridicule on social media, Sarwan would have eschewed stooping to such levels. When Gayle’s postings were made on YouTube on 27th April, 2020, this column (Danger-ous precedent set, 20th, May, 2020), concluded that a dangerous precedent was being set.
Gayle received a mere tap on the wrist from the CPL Committee, chaired by former Jamaican Prime Minister P J Patterson and was never instructed to remove the videos. Today, those pieces of dirty West Indian laundry continue to flutter in the wind for all and sundry on the planet to review.
Secondly, it’s pretty obvious that Sarwan’s actions are those of an aggrieved party. One gets the impression that Sarwan is not exactly holding the brief for Chanderpaul (who can forget their bitter rivalry for the Guyana captaincy?), but, rather, there is some other vested interest here. Did Sarwan, or one of his buddies, apply for one of the coaching positions? Was he seeking one of the assistant coaching positions? Whatever his grievance, this is conduct unbecoming of a former West Indies captain. He should be advised to remove his post and issue an apology to CWI.
Thirdly, Sarwan’s churlish behaviour has ignited a firestorm on social media at a critical time in West Indies cricket. On Friday, the West Indies A team completed a one-nil victory in the three ‘Test’ series in Bangladesh, and on Sunday, the West Indies romped to a seven-wicket win with 88 balls to spare, in the opening game of their three-match series against the UAE. Yet, here we are, with the crucial 2023 Men’s World Cup Qualifiers set to commence in less than two weeks in Zimbabwe, railing at each other’s throats over the insipid social media posting of a disgruntled former player.
On Thursday’s Zone programme on SportsMax, the Caribbean television channel, the current doyen of West Indies cricket commentators, Trinidadian Fazeer ‘Faz’ Mohammed, observed that this ‘Sarwan episode’ is just the latest saga in West Indies cricket of the last 25 to 30 years. He equated it to the traffic going in circles around the Queen’s Park Savannah in Trinidad, reportedly the largest roundabout in the world. Faz, quoting from Sarwan’s statement, “in the interest of transparency” asked whether he would make himself available for an interview on SportsMax? And would he say where he got his information from? Faz further observed that Sarwan’s hiding behind social media and leaving “his trolls and lackeys” to stir the pot made him part of the problem and not part of the solution.
Faz shrewdly pointed out that there were many layers to the discussion of selecting a coach for West Indies cricket, “…nepotism, insularity, favouritism, and so many other things…”. He noted that at the end of the day it’s a judgement call on whether to go with a certified coach or an experienced coach. Faz reminded the audience that when Sammy was appointed West Indies captain in 2010, accusations of nepotism and favouritism were hurled at him because the President and the CEO of West Indies cricket were both fellow St Lucians, and he was well aware of the pressure of his new appointment.
Faz summed up the dilemma of our cricket in these words, “Let’s be real, there are many different elements related to inconsistency and lack of accountability in West Indies cricket at the regional level, at the territorial level, at the individual level, that no one is really blameless in this situation.” He duly noted that at the end of the day it did not matter who the coaches were, “if the performance on the field does not improve.”
It is time to forego all this nitpicking and adopt a new slogan. An excerpt from Carl Hooper’s statement on his appointment as assistant coach, would suffice, “…it is time for West Indies Cricket to ascend…”.
