‘Manning up’

The Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia is one of that country’s great sporting traditions. As England try to regain some face against a rampant Australia, after having already meekly surrendered the Ashes in Test cricket’s oldest rivalry, it may be a little strange to recall that, at one time, the West Indies were actually the favoured headline act on Boxing Day.

Sadly, even the most optimistic West Indian cricket fan would have to admit that those days are lost for the foreseeable future. And in the wake of the twin debacles of the recent Test series against India and New Zealand, one would be forgiven for thinking that, just as the Ashes are represented by an urn purporting to contain the ashes of a wooden bail, it might be a good idea to strip most of the current West Indies Test team of their whites and burn them – the whites, that is, not the players.

In the first three matches of the current Ashes series, England were so thoroughly outplayed, their batting so fragile and their bowling so toothless, that one might also be forgiven for thinking that they were the West Indies in disguise. But one should not underestimate the intensity with which the Australians have played and the cricketing and psychological dominance they have managed to impose on ‘the old enemy’.

Already, one England player, Jonathan Trott, has returned home after the First Test, because of a stress related mental illness. Another, Graeme Swann, has retired from international cricket with immediate effect. Wicketkeeper Matt Prior has been dropped and more changes are expected at the end of the tour, with the hunger and will – not just the form – of several players under intense scrutiny. Even the team supremo, Andy Flower, who took England to the top of the world Test table, is understood to be considering his position. On the back of a horrendous Ashes campaign, changes must be rung. Notwithstanding the cyclical nature of international sport, competitiveness, an upward trajectory and success are the things that really matter.

But not in the West Indies, apparently. All the good work of the early part of the year has been completely undone in the space of less than two months. The disaster that was the India tour was compounded by the selectors retaining the same team and same captain for New Zealand. And whilst there were a few glimpses of fight, these were totally overshadowed by the general woefulness on display, which saw the West Indies humiliated by the lower ranked team in the Second and Third Tests, reaching their nadir in the second innings of the Third by being bowled out in just 31.5 overs for 103 – a recurring pattern that the foreign media like to refer to as “collapso cricket,” a sad parody of a once proud tradition.

Skipper Darren Sammy has conceded that some careers could be on the line, including his own. But he has not put up his hand and admitted that he is as much part of the problem as some of his colleagues. It seems that he would prefer either to continue to enjoy the protection of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), the selectors and the coach, rather than acknowledge that he should concentrate on the shorter versions of the game.

After the Third Test, Mr Sammy said, “[T]he selectors recommend the captain. If I’m asked to do the job I’d still do it. They’ll make the decision.” These are not the words of a man who sees the need to step aside before he is asked to. Indeed, if he is as faithful a servant of West Indies cricket as his admirers think, then he should have no compunction whatsoever in immediately resigning from the leadership of the Test team.

Before the Third Test, coach Ottis Gibson publicly called on the team to “man up.” Well, so should he, the current selection panel and the WICB also; they are all responsible for this sorry state of affairs. But as in regional politics, accountability does not seem to be part of the WICB’s lexicon.

We now hear that the future of the West Indies Test team will be mapped out early next year when Mr Gibson meets with the new director of cricket, Richard Pybus. Mr Gibson has already said that “it’s a bit premature” to be talking about careers on the line. It seems that, unlike Mr Flower, he is not considering his own position. Therein lies the problem: self-interest trumps all.

If Mr Pybus wishes to be taken seriously and oversee a turnaround in the fortunes of West Indies cricket and the performance of what should be its flagship side, the Test team, then he will have no alternative than to pursue change within a culture of self-interest and mediocrity. We hope he understands the challenge and is man enough for the task.