The 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!
Themis
Simple.Prove me wrong or shut up.
Ok, do you want the “Indians” out of the Wea st Indies team? What are Ramphal’s qualities as a mediator? Could Ramnarine have chosen a different time to have the current controversy settled? Remain Anonymous, do!
In light of Ramphal’s ethnic cleansing statement this gentleman’s appointment to mediate does smack of insensitivity. He did admit he was wrong by basing his comment on a Nationa newspaper report when a man of his prominence could have used other ways to corroborate.
Ramphal did not assert that there was ethnic cleansing? He said that there were intimations of such. If I say that there are intimations of racism/ethnicism on BU am I saying that BU is racist/ethnicist?
@Themis
The assert was dishonest by Ramphal in the context of the discussion. He based his statement on a newspaper report and that is the flawed premise which he acted on which displayed disingenuity. You don;t even have to factor that he is a diplomatic actor who is Guyanese and careless words would have obviously inflamed a situation in the context of Caricom relations.
The real question, as far as I’m concerned, is why the WIPA was the one to ask Caricom for help. The WICB is the one that benefits most from regional governments and they seemed prepared to pull W.I cricket and by expension the whole region down. Had the WICB approach Caricom, in the first case, W.I would have PROBABLY been better represented in the series against Bangledash.
@Themis (LIB): I said some time ago that “intimations” would be forget. Popular use has already replaced it with “practising”. Should he have sought to use other channels to corroborate. Probably. Would it have helped? Can’t say. The PM first said there were no raid then changed that to clarify the context. (I need to revisit those news reports, but can I verify them. Try checking with GIS. I defy anyone to show me a clear government statement at or near the time.)
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Even if the government bungled the PR on the amnesty you have not provided any good reason why Sir Shridath Ramphal should have maded the statement he did based on a Nation newspaper report.
Some of us have agreed to disagree on ways forward for WI cricket. I just offer the link to a story of a once famous/mighty sporting outfit that wallowed for over 30 years far from the top flight, but who this season will be back there, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/25/sports/soccer/25soccer.html?_r=1&hp. The story of Burnley Football Club is not unique but has some bigger lessons. If you want to read of its history (founded in around 1890), the Wikipedia version is quite good.
Burnley FC’s fate has matched closely the fate of the town through economic times. The club was always renowned for excellent scouting of talent and training. It survived for a long time by playing well and developing well young players who were sold to bolster finances. Some of the greatest players in the English game came through the Burnley ‘system’. The club had to survive always in the shadows of ‘mightier’ big city clubs (like the two Manchester clubs, Liverpool and Everton), even when they were champions. Those mightier clubs would often be much more attractive financially and in terms of possible success. Burnley also had to stave off competition from a range of nearby professional clubs, who had mixed fortunes. (If you do not know the map of English soccer, just look at a map of Lancashire to see the many professional clubs there.)
Survival in English soccer is not like in the US, where the organizing bodies aim to help parity by the draft system or the moving of teams around the country. Teams have to work for it all themselves.
Moral: If you can only visualize your destiny a few short steps ahead you will never reach very far.
Two thoughts have gone through my mind in recent weeks. Access to English county cricket was a boon to WIndies at a key time. When it was less available what was done to fill the gap? We continued to plough resources into producing sugar when our costs of production were well in excess of world prices but our sales were made possible by EU subsidies. We did little to adjust to life without those subsidies even though the EU had clearly set out the timetable for their withdrawal. When the subsidies ended, we cried ‘foul’ or ‘help’.
I don’t think our regional record on foresight and planning is very good. Shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted is too common. Worse still is letting the horse bolt and not doing anything about the gaping stable door. I think the region is good at both. Cricket is just the latest example.
Just food for thought.
LIB
The club had to survive always in the shadows of ‘mightier’ big city clubs (like the two Manchester clubs, Liverpool and Everton
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I have very little knowledge of the UK but I think that you’ve redrawn the map and relocated those two teams.
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
@Sargeant
“The club had to survive always in the shadows of ‘mightier’ big city clubs (like the two Manchester clubs, Liverpool and Everton
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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.
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.
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
@The Scout
The problem will not be solved even if the WI best team returns at win.
Best? Why? He got 2 wickets at a cost of 96 runs each in the Test series!
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.
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.
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.