Dear Editor,
Have you ever heard such nonsense? When the West Indies cricket team failed to qualify for the 2020 T20 World Cup, Kieron Pollard told us that the players were not to be blamed. When West Indies failed to qualify for the 2023 World Cup, Ian Bishop told us that the players were not to be blamed. Why shouldn’t the players be held accountable? Who spilled the catches, played the rash shots, and bowled irresponsibly? Didn’t Darren Sammy say West Indies was the worst fielding side in the 2023 competition? And you wonder why West Indies cricket is in this mess. There has been no response from CWI as to the team’s poor showing; its website speaks mainly about the India tour. But many are saying that West Indies cricket is dead.
On July 1, 2023, ‘Scotland removed the patient from the ventilator,’ according to the Economic Times of India. What will CWI say and do now? Who will address this mediocrity in maroon? When West Indies failed to qualify for the T20 World Cup Ricky Skerritt promised a ‘full post-mortem’ on the sub-par performance. That was three years ago, and as is typical with the way things are done, we still await the results of that post mortem.
In 2020, Ricky Ponting described West Indies’ failure to qualify for the T20’s as a disgrace. What he would say now that West Indies was knocked out from the World Cup? Johnny Grave, from CWI, said the team ‘did not execute under pressure’ in 2020, and that soul-searching was in order. But the CWI, and the team, had three years to search their souls, and to devise ways to get ready for the 2023 World Cup. This is the first time in the 48-year history of the competition that West Indies will not be there. It is a slap in the face of fans considering that West Indies won the World Cup in 1975 and 1979, and was the runner-up in 1983.
What is the cause of West Indies’ decline? What can be done to remedy it? The answers are not easy or straight-forward. Frank Worrell was able to break the insularity and to forge the team into a cohesive unit. He led from the front, and saw cricket as a unifying force in the region. As leaders, Sobers, Kanhai, Lloyd and Richards had their own approaches to the game. But they were deep thinkers that saw the importance and the value of cricket as a pillar of West Indian integration. When West Indies cricket did well, so did Caricom, and the politicians breathed easier. But the ‘Fire in Babylon’ has ebbed and a once great and proud team is a shadow of itself. The social significance of the cricket field has been lost a long time ago. There is no sense of nationalism and pride that existed in the days of the three W’s or in the Lloyd-Richards era.
Finding the cause for the rocket that spiralled can be confusing. Ricky Skerritt has blamed irresponsible stroke-play. Kieron Pollard wants stakeholders to be involved. Sir Hilary Beckles sees it as a ‘collapse of nationhood.’ Wesley Hall spoke about the lack of discipline in the side, a point that is reinforced by Joe Solomon. Rohan Kanhai said in his time the nation preceded self-interest. Cricket was bigger than the individual. The team played with their hearts.
It is clear that there is a disconnect between CWI, the players, and the public. The trust is not there. Then there are factors such as the influences of IPL, CPL, BBL, and others. Test cricket, the true test, is played to empty Caribbean stadiums. The big names put T20’s above Test matches. But even in the 50-over formats the will to win is absent. Playing for country does not have the financial appeal as the franchise money from the T20’s. The body language suggests that players would be more comfortable plying their talents internationally rather than playing for West Indies. Australia’s team that won the world championships had several players that were not part of the IPL. They put their country first. The 2023 Ashes series with Bazball and Ozball have pulled in the crowds as West Indies lingers at the bottom of the ratings.
What can be done to bring life into West Indies cricket? How can it regain its former glory? The surgery will be long and painful but the ever-suffering fans deserve change that will lead to better days.
Here are a few suggestions: 1.The current Board should do the public a favour and step down. It has failed miserably to improve cricket in the region. It should be replaced by persons that connect with the players and fans. It should reflect the diversity of the Caribbean and women should hold executive positions. 2. Academies should be set up in each cricket-playing country and should be run professionally. 3. Cricket should become a part of the curriculum in schools, with time set aside for coaching. The message should be that playing for West Indies is a privilege and should become the aspiration of players. 4. There should be competitions at various age levels to spot talent. 5. Team selection should be based on merit and not on race, class, nepotism, or politics, or other reasons. 6. What about the treatment of retired players? Where is fair play by the CWI? Who can forget former CWI president David Cameron promising a benefit match for Shivnarine Chanderpaul that never happened? But Cameron went and did one for Richie Richardson. What message is this sending? The overall policy of CWI is to ignore the contributions of cricket stalwarts and put them to grass.
The CWI could use cricket to bring peoples together, and show that the game is not all about money. Here is another suggestion: The CWI and the CPL could work together to stage a “Clive Lloyd Eleven” versus a “Shivnarine Chanderpaul Eleven” to be played at Providence, before the Guyana leg of the CPL. This could help to unify the country, even for one day!
There is a long road ahead for West Indies cricket. There will be occasional victories but let no one be lulled into a sense of over-confidence. Afghanistan, Scotland and Zimbabwe, have improved beyond recognition while a former world champion crumbled at the might of the Netherlands. Lord Constantine and Sir Frank Worrell must be looking down in horror!
Yours faithfully,
Dhanpaul Narine
