Dear Editor,
Several years ago the WICB (the board) recognized there was something inherently wrong with its governing structure, so it asked three prominent persons to look into it. They did, and produced what came to be known as the Patterson report, Mr PJ Patterson having been its chairperson. A few years after the report was submitted , amid allegations that its recommendations had not been followed, the chairperson of the board claimed that several of the recommendations were in fact implemented without specifying which ones these were. The board, however, within a relatively short time period, almost surreptitiously, sought and received another report on governance, this one designated as the Wilkins report, the author being a prominent Kittian lawyer of that name. Both Messrs Patterson and Wilkins have said that their recommendations have not been followed. The latest report sought and received by the board is that of a group chaired by Professor Bariteau, and accordingly named after her. The first recommendation in that report is the dissolution of the board.
The big news story this week is the Chairman of the Caricom cricket committee, Dr Keith Mitchell`s attempts to convene a meeting of his group with the board chaired by Mr Cameron, presumably to work out an orderly dissolution. Everyone recognizes Dr Mitchell as a politician, but few realize that Mr Cameron is also a politician, and an enormously skilled one at that. Remember the latter shortly after the biggest fiasco in the history of WI cricket, was re-elected by defeating ‘Big Bird’ Garner, perhaps the most feared fast bowler since Harold Larwood. My advice to WI fans is that they ignore the struggle of the titans, and concentrate their energy on their cricketers.
When the former Australian captain Steve Waugh wrote his autobiography some ten years ago he said that the West Indies team of the seventies and eighties had inspired the Aussies to become better cricketers. They became good enough to defeat the West Indies in the West Indies in 1995.
Waugh, ten years later, has repeated the complimentary admission, this time, however, attempting without success, to explain the precipitous decline of West Indies cricket.
The latter is difficult to explain only because it fell from such commanding heights. As some have pointed out before me, it is the attainment of those commanding heights that is more difficult to explain in light of the laws of averages and of probabilities.
Worrell, Weekes, and Walcott were born in successive years within one mile of one another; Sobers Kanhai and Gibbs emerged shortly thereafter. Haines and Greenidge emerged at about the same time from the same island. Roberts, Holding, Croft, Marshall, Garner, Bishop,Walsh and Ambrose all played together or immediately following one another. Richards followed Lloyd as captain. Richards, Roberts, Richardson, Ambrose and the two Benjamins all appeared almost at the same time in an island of about fifty thousand people.
Reasonable cricket people would have anticipated the decline, recognizing that they would not be likely to be able to prevent it, but would put some long-term plans in place.
Fans should worry that the stimulus behind the intervention appears to be less the decline in the quality of cricket in the region, than in the long string of losses in international contests. The earlier mentioned Steve Waugh took his cue from West Indian cricket officials who reprimand cricketers for accepting an offer to play twenty-over cricket for a six weeks period for ten times more than what the board can offer to make themselves eligible.
To play Tests for a year, and those who either never could play or could no longer play at the highest level, say twenty over cricket is killing Test cricket.
Every country has twenty-over cricket for financial reasons. The West Indies Test selection seems to suffer the worst from the scheduling of twenty-over cricket in other countries, but no one seems to see scheduling as being at the heart of the problem, and makes a concerted effort to do something about it. I think it is reasonable to believe that cricket administrators internationally are the worst in any sport. Has anyone heard complaints about more income earning opportunities for players in other sports?
The fans should worry that whoever becomes the new bosses of WI cricket will continue, for reasons that have never been clear to me, to be insensitive to the needs and desires of those who really matter, the players.
They should insist that the officials do something about the pitches about which all former players complain. They must not tolerate the sort of treatment meted out to Gayle, Bravo, Pollard and Simmons, even to Lara and Chanderpaul. They must demand that the reasons for young talents like Barath and Kieron Pollard just disappearing, be investigated, as should the absurdity of suspending a coach on the eve of a tour when alternative penalties for his misdemeanour were so obviously available. None of these things need have transpired even with the poor governance structure.
Yours faithfully,
Romain Pitt
