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The Darkest Day In West Indies Cricket

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west_indies_cricketThe West Indies cricket test team was beaten by the Bangladeshis today. The significance of this result of being beaten by a team ranked last in the ICC Rankings is yet to needle its way into the psyche of the depraved West Indian cricket fan.

The West Cricket team represents one of the few regional entities which had been held up as a symbol of Caribbean unity. In light of the illogical decisions in recent years exhibited by the WIBC and WIPA, the biggest stakeholder of all the PEOPLE has now been dulled into a state of apathy.

To be a world class performer in any sphere requires the best management approaches and all that it brings. The members of the Board of Management (WIBC) which oversees West Indies cricket are not selected based on any pre-requisite competencies which mimic how successful organizations are run. Instead the Directors of the WIBC are all elected based on membership in private enclaves which operate based on petty whims and fancies of many seeking fame and fortune.

While the focus has always been on the WIBC and WIPA, there are other stakeholders equally or more important to ensuring the success of West Indies cricket. When several Caribbean government took the decision to pump millions into cricket stadia and collateral infrastructure to stage CWC 2007 the PEOPLE became the key stakeholder in the business of West Indies cricket. Bear in mind with the exception of Trinidad, and to a lesser extent Barbados, any decent economist would have advised against the impoverished Caribbean islands assuming the additional debt based on a payback linked to legacy. The subsequent actions by the Caricom governments to pump scare resources into CWC 2007 suggest a failing of leadership, BU further suggests that the region is being afflicted by this dearth in leadership in every facet of governance.

The statement which best surmises the state of West Indies cricket was made earlier this month by Dr. Julian Hunte, President of the WIBC:

The WICB President pointed out that although the West Indies players are the third best paid in the world (after England and Australia), they are ranked Number 8 and that their performances are inconsistent with the emoluments they receive.  Dr. Hunte said, We want our team to be Number One both in performance and emoluments.  However, if we do not start winning we run the risk of being relegated and we will not be able to earn the money that we require to regain our place at the pinnacle of world cricket.

There is enough blame to spread around in what has become the sorry tale of the demise of West Indies cricket. Unfortunately the WIBC is currently the entity charged with the responsibility to lead West Indies cricket to the banks of safety. For this reason alone we support the WIBC’s position to banish the WIPA to obscurity and develop a roadmap 10 years too late to rebuild West Indies cricket.

Better late than never!

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110 responses to “The Darkest Day In West Indies Cricket”

  1. Sargeant Avatar
    Sargeant

    As far as the WICB is concerned the dispute is still on,. Michael Holding’s comments on this group of officials are very relevant.

    One step forward two steps backward the dance continues

    http://www.nationnews.com/news/local/WI-big-boys-in-the-cold-FRONT-PAGE-OTHER

  2. livinginbarbados Avatar
    livinginbarbados

    @Sargeant
    “The club had to survive always in the shadows of ‘mightier’ big city clubs (like the two Manchester clubs, Liverpool and Everton
    ***********************************
    I have very little knowledge of the UK but I think that you’ve redrawn the map and relocated those two teams.” [I that that the English syntax confused you. The sentence means the two Manchester clubs (- City and – United Football Clubs), AND Liverpool and Everton Football Clubs). Those are the (4) big city clubs I had in mind.

    However, you can have the georgraphy lesson attached, for good measure,
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lancashire#Geography. You will see or discover that almost every adminstrative area of Lancashire has at least one professional club. Hope it’s clear now.

  3. The Scout Avatar
    The Scout

    I have just watched a further humiliation of the W.I team or should I say Worse Indies team. If the WICB has any real interest in W.I cricket and not in themselves, they would stop playing hardball because all that is happening is the Worse Indies team plus the diehard W.I supporters are ALL embarrassed. The strongest team MUST now play in the next two ODI’s to salvage some pride in WI cricket, if any pride is left. I see a white, black, or coolie wash for the W.I if this present makeshift team continues and this will cause the breakup of WI cricket as we knew it. I for sure will not watch anymore cricket, period, if the WICB continues with this team.

  4. The Scout Avatar
    The Scout

    I realise the WICB is vindictive and arrogant and is a law unto themselves. I also realise that they don’t listen to anyone who disagrees with them. However, I would make my suggestions to them. From the present makeshift team, i would retain Dave Bernard Jr, Sammy and Roach. I would them play the others from the original team, if any ofthem fail to produce, then I would replace them with player like, Philips, Richards,Dowlin and maybe Best from the makeshift team. There are others who are still in line for inclusion but an “A” team should be chosen and allowed to gel and use them as the “replacement of players team.” This is embarrassing to the entire region and jst cannot be allowed to continue

  5. David Avatar
    David

    @The Scout

    The problem will not be solved even if the WI best team returns at win.

  6. Themis Avatar
    Themis

    Best? Why? He got 2 wickets at a cost of 96 runs each in the Test series!

  7. The Scout Avatar
    The Scout

    Can anyone see a similarity between the WICB and the BLP? They both seem to have their self interest at heart and can not see the big picture. The WICB seem willing to pull W.I cricket to the mire and the BLP seems to be willing to do the same to Barbados. Both the bajans and the W.I fans would like to see a coming together of the two parties in their different crises to solve simple problems but arrogance is a brut.

  8. The Scout Avatar
    The Scout

    David
    I agree the problem will not be solved, even if the best team plays and wins. The only way this problem can be solved is if a NEW REVOLUTIONARY body is formed, with much input from regional governments. The new playing conditions should be similar to Australia’s. I would play the players on a basic scaled salary and give incentives. Contracts should be over a two or four year period. Irrespective of how the player is, if he continues to fail over a given time , he would be replaced by the player who merits the play

    Themis
    You are right. I don’t know why I mentioned Best but then if the WICB can recall Powell, then Best should also be allowed to further embarrass us.

  9. livinginbarbados Avatar
    livinginbarbados

    Given the position I have taken, I was very interested to read Tony Cozier’s piece “Breakup, to what end?” in today’s Sunday Sun, http://www.nationnews.com/news/sports/cozier-column-AUG-9-copy-for-web, which highlights the steps of at least Trinidad and Tobago to ‘go it alone’. I think his ventilation on the topic suggests that it is not all poppycock, though clearly not everyone’s cup of tea.

    I bow to Tony’s superior knowledge on the game, but that does not mean that his conclusions are right. A very good read, though.

  10. West Indies Cricket – regional institutions in declineBarbados Underground

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