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ICC and World cricket must intervene and save the West Indies cricket

West Indies' loss against Australia by an innings and 212 runs does not surprise its fans now, for that has been the story of the West Indian cricket of late.

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A question of intent: Can the West Indies team improve? © AFP
A question of intent: Can the West Indies team improve? © AFP

In February 1996, during the World Cup in the subcontinent, world cricket’s minnow Kenya handed the mighty West Indian team a shock defeat in the group match. Not that the West Indian decline had not started by then, but they were still considered a strong enough team to be beaten by a non-Test playing nation. The team was criticised for its body language that exuded disinterest and disharmony and its complacency that contrived to produce the most embarrassing defeat in West Indies’ cricket history. Almost 20 years later, in another World Cup, the Caribbean team was yet again humbled by an associate nation, when Ireland beat them in the 2015 World Cup clash. FULL SCORECARD: Australia vs West Indies, 1st Test at Hobart.

The free-fall continued throughout the year as the team missed the bus to ICC Champions Trophy 2017 for the first time.  More recently, the team lost to an Australian team severely depleted by the recent retirements of some of its top players. The humiliating defeat — by an innings and 212 runs well inside three days — does not surprise its fans now, for that has been the story of the West Indian cricket of late. From the team that produced some of the finest cricketers of the 20th century, especially from mid-1970s to the mid-1990s, to turn into a bunch of mediocre players, the team’s decline has been a sad one.

Decoding the debacle

An Economist piece by Tim Wigmore on the side’s decline describes the shocking West Indian collapse in numbers. West Indies won 71 and lost a mere 20 Tests against the other eight Test-playing nations between March 1976 and March 1995. Since June 2000, they have won 14 and lost 80.

To a certain extent, the destruction has been self-inflicted. West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA) have constantly been at loggerheads. As a result, there has been a talent-drain as the best of the players from the islands’ are left with no qualms about becoming T20 mercenaries rather than take pride in playing for their national team. Read: Why Frank Worrell Trophy 2015-16 is important for the future of West Indies cricket.

But more importantly, ICC is to be blamed for this debacle. Their decisions have been driven by the interests of the Big Three — India, England and Australia — and poor West Indies clearly does not feature in their plans. Moreover, ICC also want to reduce membership of their 2019 World Cup from 14 to 10 nations, and to cut the number who qualify automatically to six, which can possibly mean that West Indies might slide further downhill. ICC have also cut down the amount that they  will distribute to West Indies cricket significantly, which means the board is left with lesser money to pump into the system.

How can they improve?

The constantly repeated statement after every West Indies loss that ‘world cricket needs a strong West Indies’ has become a cliché. But for a strong West Indies, WICB needs to put up a decent infrastructure in place — state-of-the-art academies, coaching facilities, physiotherapists, counsellors, mental conditioning coaches et al — which is essential to address their problem of not producing quality cricketers. In addition, they need proper pitches and a lot of overseas exposure for their players.  They need a lot of ‘A’ tours, which usually help a cricketer develop his game and hone his skills. Read: Steven Smith ought to skip 2nd Test vs West Indies at Melbourne.

Unfortunately, all this is very expensive. That is where ICC and wealthier boards need to step in. With their bottomless buckets of cash, they can be more generous and inclusive in their approach. It is also important that the money goes into the pockets of West Indian cricketers. If the players are paid well at home, they will be happy playing for the West Indies team rather than look for greener pastures of the T20 leagues outside the Caribbean. ICC must show some intent on resolving the crises instead of just the plain talks of developing the game. They must also ensure that tussle between WICB and WIPA comes to an end, so that the West Indian cricket does not suffer any more. 

As far as the players are concerned, they need to display a different attitude and more self-belief. They looked seemingly disinterested and lacklustre, and have seemed like going through the motions. They lack the motivation and pride in representing their team. Cricket is a team game, but sadly, they look far from a team. They have looked like a bunch of disinterested individuals, which is certainly not helping their cause. They need to work hard as a team, get their basics right and apply their skills on the field.

It is understandingly difficult for the team at the moment, as they are lacking senior players and have no hero to look up to within the team (it is nobody’s fault that they have left out Shivnarine Chanderpaul, their only world-class cricketer). There is no Brian Lara, no Richie Richardson, no Courtney Walsh and no Curtly Ambrose playing for them now.  Having said that, they do not have to go too far for inspiration; the aforementioned players, once part of the glory days of the West Indian cricket, are still around. Richardson is the team manager, Ambrose the bowling consultant and Walsh a tour selector. They all are with the team on the Australian tour that is currently underway. Lara, too, is available. An effort is required from both sides. The players must reach out to the seniors, and vice versa. Together they can revive the West Indies cricket. All that is needed is, as always, the intent.

(A self-confessed cricket freak, Chinmay Jawalekar is a senior writer with CricLife and CricketCountry. When not writing or following cricket, he loves to read, eat and sleep. He can be followed here @CricfreakTweets)

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