As the life is gradually squeezed out of West Indies cricket by supposedly responsible bodies scrapping for its control, it was inevitable that its first-class tournament that started on Friday (still unsponsored and known simply as the “Regional Four-Day”) should be as surreal at it is.
For the first time since it was launched in 1966 as the Shell Shield, one of the participating teams, Guyana, has had all its home matches shifted to neutral territory by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) as a result of an acrimonious power struggle between the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) and the government that has only worsened. In addition, its scheduled Test against Australia has been withdrawn.
In another, if unrelated, episode the Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) picked Chris Gayle for the opening match against the Windward Islands, as it had
