To the disappointment of Caribbean cricket fans the West Indies cricket team was booted from the ICC T20 World Cup tournament. The demise of the men in maroon provides the opportunity to make an observation without appearing unsupportive of the regional cricket team to win the tournament.

The practice of the anthem being sung or played before the start of a game or in the case of the West Indies the playing of the song ‘Rally round the West Indies’ makes for an interesting colloquy in 2024. Quick research explains the rendering of a country’s national anthem is meant to “instill a sense of pride, patriotism and passion, whether it be on the sporting pitch or at a historically significant event“.

On the singing or playing of David Rudder’s ‘Rally round the West Indies’ the blogmaster had no issue at the time the song was adopted in 1999. The lyrics however have become somewhat redundant. The song opens with a truism – ‘For ten long years, We ruled the cricket world…’ in the chorus there is what can be described as a fair promise, ‘Pretty soon the runs are going to flow like water. Bringing so much joy to every son and daughter’.

The blogmaster understands West Indies cricket management is locked into the arrangement with the adopted Rudder anthem. We are a scattered group of sovereign countries which makes the adoption of a single national anthem unrealistic the subject of a future blog.

A critique of David Rudder’s weak delivery of the song at the start of games featuring the West Indies since being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease has merit. His delivery although provoking feelings of nostalgia, sentimentality and causing many to shed a tear, did not mask Rudder’s inability to deliver the song with passion and close to its original version because of his medical condition. His rendition of the ‘anthem’ was as weak as the surfaces commentators have been complaining.

The observation is not meant to be disrespectful of the maestro but one must be true to self. The blogmaster anticipates many will disagree with the opinion expressed. Although members of the BU household are not diehard cricket fans – growing up in Commonwealth countries, studying Caribbean history, reading C.L.R James: Beyond the Boundary – one could not help but develop an interest in the adopted game we used to embarrass the former colonial masters and at the same time give vent to unbridled happiness to Caribbean people living mainly in Great Britain in the 60s, 70 and 80s.

Is it fair to opine many of our strong regional institutions that have served us well are in decline?