Is this the lowest point in West Indies cricket?

It’s a bitter pill to swallow for the fans in Caribbean and also their massive admirers around the globe.

When the cut-off date for the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 was set at September 30, 2017, little did the fans of West Indies cricket know that the team won’t show up at the next edition of the premier tournament, which will be played in England. Though the Bangladesh cricket team’s recent successful outings against Pakistan, India and South Africa had pretty much sealed West Indies’ fate, the fans across the globe were hoping against hope that they would still make it. But now it has become clear; West Indies won’t be one of those eight teams in England from June 1-18 in 2017.

West Indies have won the trophy in 2004 and ended up as the runners-up twice. But now, instead of them a resurgent Bangladesh side will be on the plane to England. It is a hard fact to digest that a team once referred as the Calypso Kings. Indeed, they ruled the cricket world. They have won the ICC Cricket World Cup twice, won the ICC World T20 and Champions Trophy once, and now for the first time ever a major ICC event will be held without them.

(Related story: Breaking News: West Indies withdraws its membership from ICC; will soon be an IPL team)

It’s a bitter pill to swallow for the fans in Caribbean and also their massive admirers around the globe. How did this happen? Well, wasn’t it on the cards? The West Indies cricket had hit the self-destruct button a long time back when its board started having issues, mostly payment related, with its players. As a result, players’ revolt became a commonplace thing. The issue at times escalated so much that on multiple occasions, the board was left with no option but to field a second string side. Last year, the players left an international tour to India midway and returned back. On another occasion, which is a recent one, team’s coach Phil Simmons, a man thought to shape them for the future, was unceremoniously sacked a couple of days after he questioned team selection. (Related story:West Indies fail to qualify for Champions Trophy 2017; Bangladesh do)

The board’s attitude has done no good to the Caribbean cricket. It has had serious issues managing players star players like Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo. Champions like them were left out of the side after fallouts. But with the advent of franchise based T20 cricket, the star players from the region suddenly found themselves many takers, enhancing their bargaining power. Amidst this tussle between the board and the players, the West Indian cricket suffered the most. And with this new low of missing out on the Champions Trophy bus, it has started bleeding.

So where does the West Indies cricket go from here? With current chairman of selectors Clive Lloyd at the helm, one can hope getting back on the track is easier. Lloyd is the man who had once made the West Indies cricket team a dominant force in world cricket. It was he who transformed a bunch of highly talented individuals into a team of world-beaters. Team’s supporters would be hoping for a similar turnaround. Also with a new captain in Jason Holder, who’s a young lad full of positivity, things can only get better from here. Team’s fall has been disappointing, but we hope that it acts as just the kind of motivation the team needs to rise like a phoenix from the ashes.

Only time will tell if a young Holder is capable to re-unite the group of independent islands into a dominant force that it was once. Talent is definitely there but question will be managing the egos and attitudes.

West Indies’ history in major ICC tournaments

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

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