After writing on West Indies cricket for thirty-nine years, and watching it for the last 63, I feel a little like the former Los Angeles Dodgers’ pinch-hitter Kirk Gibson, who when asked by his manager Tommy Lasorda in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series if he had anything left, said: “I think I have one good swing.”
West Indies cricket is like a volcano which erupts ever so often, only to, after spewing lava, return to dormancy. So much so that those holding positions in its hierarchy after fleeing, return to their normal habitat around its base.
Since January 1998 when Trevor McDonald wrote `Trouble in paradise’ for the UK Telegraph, no fewer than sixteen cricket-writershave asked the same question: `Whither West Indies cricket?’
The last eruption after the debacle at Sabina Park, as violent as it might have been, might result in much the same as previous less volatile ones – with no casualties, people returning to occupy their villages around its base, and the resumption of business-as-usual.
In the aftermath of July 14th last, countless solutions have been posited. And as Chris Dehring – the Cricket West Indies (CWI) CEO noted after the latest cricket summit, up to a hundred faults were found in need of fixing. I will not add to that mountainous pile. Instead, I am choosing to ventilate some observations. And as not to suggest bias, do so in alphabetical order.
Administrators:
Brian Lara – a former West Indies captain, in his remarks at the Summit, suggested that CWI in seeking solutions to its predicament, might need to be more open and inclusive. Many will suggest that the inflection point of our downward trajectory, began exactly 30 years ago at the same Sabina Park, and at the hands of the same opponents.
Quite a few of the cricket administrators who are now presiding over our regional cricket, were in power then, and remain so today. Another point of note, is that when CWI feigns openness and calls for outside help, the call is still very much parochial – to the legends. A peruse of letters to regional newspaper-editors, suggests that there are some good ideas beyond those imprisoned in the silo of CWI.
Conflations:
The vitriol effervesced after the 27-all-out at Sabina, suggests that in the region, there exists still, a psychological anchor to Test cricket. But these days, between the rise of T20 cricket; lumping cricket in with tourism; and the latest – straddling our attention between the Americas abroad, and our own rehabilitative needs at home, we appear to be losing focus. Few however, seem to remember, that chronologically, behind sugar whose production became important to the Caribbean in the 1740s, and ahead of tourism which began to take-off in the region in the 1950s, it was Test cricket beginning at Lord’s in June 1928, which put the West Indies on the map.
No international cricket team which has sunk and then risen back to enjoy the upper echelons of Test cricket rankings, has done so without an effort much more focused than the West Indies’. It is as if we have become scatter-brained. Or, despite what’s said, might we not now have in-effect, given up the fight and resigned ourselves to swinging in our hammocks?
Fig Leaves:
If one listens closely to the CWI talking-heads, two of the primary excuses for our precipitous slide in Test cricket, vacillate between a lack of money and poor pitches in the region.
Regarding the former, two Trinidad and Tobago cricket writers/commentators are both right. An annual threshold ICC stipend of about U$80 million to West Indies cricket, is of-course nowhere near what the Big-Three is allotted. But nonetheless, the amount is notchickenfeed.
`Make lemonade, CWI’ was Garth Wattley’s suggestion in his of February 4th last. And in a recent podcast, Fazeer Mohammed pointed to inefficiencies if not outright squandering, withing the CWI administration.
The call for better pitches throughout the Caribbean including those prepared for international matches, has for years been made. Three years ago, I was made aware of a team of CWI operatives which was teaming with experts in Australia to address the same. This gestation period for collaborations such as this one to bear-fruit, is far too long.
Heads of Governments:
Regional prime ministers and presidents mean West Indies cricket well. But at times, they are far too quick to claim parentage of any West Indies on-field cricket success, but then quicker to distance themselves from the team’s frequent defeats. Just listen to Mason & Guest when the West Indies win, how they pile-in.
Hooked on Sixes:
Say what they may, every cricketing territory in the Caribbean, wants either their own T20 league, or, a domiciled CPL franchise. In November 2024, the Global Super League better known as the ExxonMobil GSLT20, organized by the CWI and chaired by Sir Clive Lloyd, kicked-off in Guyana. And just within the last month, the St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ Minister of tourism, Carlos James announced that his country is exploring the possibility of becoming a base for a Caribbean Premier League (CPL) franchise.
In an August 2021 North Zone Cricket Council article, the Trinidad Guardian’s Tony Rakhal-Fraser lauded the CPL for (quote): “its contribution to growth, development and exposure of West Indian cricketers to international competition, attracting foreign direct investment, facilitating the earning of foreign exchange by countries, paying the salaries of players and support staff, and attracting hundreds of millions of viewers to the telecasts of the tournament.” The latter he said, equated to exposure for the `Tourism Caribbean’. No mention was made of nurturing some of the region’s cricket talent, into Test cricketers.
Likewise, in the recently concluded ICC meeting in Singapore, said Chris Dehring to Forbes’ Tristan Lavalette, (quote): “T20 is the thing in the Caribbean, it has helped keep the flame alive for cricket. The CPL works well for us. It is very popular in the Caribbean and a big part of the future for cricket in the region.”
No wonder that Peter Miller – CPL’s Head of Public Relations & Communications, is now almost a regular on the aforementioned weekly Caribbean cricket talk show.
Few however, seem to remember, that behind sugar whose production became important to the Caribbean in the 1740s, and ahead of tourism which began to take-off in the region in the 1950s, it was Test cricket beginning at Lord’s in June 1928, which put the West Indies on the map.
When the West Indies lose Test matches, we lambast T20. “T20 is only and exhibition,” said Sir Clive Lloyd at the recent Summit in Port of Spain. “But Test cricket is an examination.” But by the rush to embrace T20 cricket, the Caribbean is not unknowingly, helping its cricket fail the examination.
Ineffective Directors of Cricket:
A Director of Cricket (DoC) is a critical interface between a modern-day cricket administration, and players. But when compared to DoCsof high-performing international cricket teams, the latest ones in this crucial role for CWI, stack-up as weak if not as totally ineffective.
Let’s face facts. For the last few years, West Indies cricket has not lucked upon either a Rob Key or a Graeme Smith.
Journalists:
Instead of so-so-match-reporting, sports journalists in the Caribbean, hardly deep-dive into issues worthy of follow-up. The outcomes of investigations of alleged financial improprieties in some of the territorial cricket boards and within CWI itself, all over-time, have died a natural death.
The alleged outrageous overpayment of a staff-member reportedly hired-on by one past president; the contractual relationship between CWI and the CPL over-which such a hullabaloo was made last May at a previous cricket summit, also held in Trinidad; and a territorial cricket-board member allegedly heard on-tape lambasting his prime minister, are some such stories which come-to-mind. These and others, have been allowed by the regional sports-press, to vaporize.
In addition, one would have thought that the recent announcement by CWI, of its championing the cause of spreading the gospel of cricket in the Americas – quite likely at the behest of the ICC – while our own house remains in shambles, would have aroused serious public debate. But alas, as what now appears to be the norm, Caribbean journalism is only regurgitating the happenings.
Mia Mottley’s Proposition:
When Brian Lara’s stupendous 213 and 153 respectively, propelled the West Indies to enthralling Test match wins at Sabina and Kensington over Australia in March 1999, those results put a pep in ever Caribbean national’s step. Compare those psychologically halcyondays to the debilitating ones which followed the 27 all-out at Sabina this past July. The question then becomes, in all practicality, is West Indies cricket not a public good? But if it is deemed not to be, then – as the Barbados prime minister the Honorable Mia Mottley floated during her keynote presentation at the 22nd Annual Sir Frank Worrell Memorial Lecture – should it not be?
The legal framework as to what defines a public good, is quite complex. But, if the West indies region collectively feels bad when our cricket fails us, and those charged with properly executing its governance also fail us, then, could not West Indies cricket be defined as a public good? The public is already funding governments through taxes, and governments are being asked – as the CWI president recently did – to (quote): ‘step-up-to-the-plate’, regarding getting more cricket programs into primary schools. Could the collective psychological feel-good-need, coupled with CWI’s demands, not at least start a heathy debate of the prime minister’s proposition?
Past Players:
There might well be some truth in Peter Roebuck’s lambast of some former West Indies players as being partially to blame for the downfall of West Indies Test cricket.
“Past players blame the administration but it’s a cop-out,” wrote Roebuck in his December 2007 commentary `Decline and Fall’. “Too many of them queue up for the handouts provided by past fame and present sponsors. Too few of them serve in the confounding fields where players are made and broken.”
Except for the likes of Sir Andy Roberts and Colin Croft, some former West Indies players are prone to say bold things in private, but cowardly things in public. It’s as if they get cold-feet, choosing instead, to sing for their supper.
Present Players:
Back in December 2023, the West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder opted to miss-out on the West Indies Test tour of Australia.Supposedly, there were more lucrative deals conflicting with the tour. Then just last month, he now (quote): “Wants to leave West Indies cricket in a better place.”
Not dissimilarly, while proclaiming in December of 2020 that West Indies cricket comes first, the West Indies white-ball allrounder Andre Russell opted-out of a West Indies Twenty20 (T20) tour of New Zealand, only to show-up immediately after, for the Sri Lanka Premier (T20) League. And just recently in the T20 home series against Australia, Mr. Russell could only spare the West Indies, his services for the first two matches staged in his home country Jamaica, presumably to lap-up the adulation of his hero-worshiping home-crowd, on the announcement of his retirement from international cricket.
The moral of these two exhibits is that West Indies cricket, to virtually every modern-day West Indies player, has now become a flag of convenience.
Presidents:
Lastly, unilateral CWI president’s decisions such as back in 2014, the sidelining the then Caribbean’s doyen cricket writer/commentator Tony Cozier; the siding with players who are at times reluctant to represent the West Indies; the hiring and retention of dubious batting coaches; and in President’s Shallow’s case, the stoking of embers of insularity, have all not been some of their finest moments.
Conclusion:
The West Indies are failing in too many areas, to be successful at refloating the region’s eminence at Test cricket. To borrow from Prime Minister Mia Mottley, we are (quote); “playing the fool.”
Ray Ford – a Jamaican, has been writing on West Indies cricket matters for the last 39 years. He holds master’s degrees in business (MBA) and in program & project management, from Michigan State University and the University of Michigan-Dearborn respectively. He ran for the office of Cricket West Indies president in March 2023.
