Dear Editor,
My last word on the physical fitness issue:
I believe that physical fitness is important for cricketers. I am sure Gayle believes the same thing and that his comment to the effect that running laps is not the only important training device, does not suggest otherwise. I do not know what Lara told the Australian physiotherapist Waight, but I am reasonably sure that Lara appreciates the importance of physical fitness and did not say otherwise to Waight.
I raised this issue because I do not believe it to be true that lack of physical fitness and commitment were the causes of mediocre performances of WI cricketers in the period when they were not competitive. I believe it is in the interest of all supporters of WI cricket that the right conclusions are drawn, so that proper steps are taken to improve the quality of WI cricket.
The evidence of uncompetiveness points to a dearth of cricketers as good technically as the opposition in the early years of that period, and that for the entire period WI cricketers did not have as good a support system as the opponents, who had made it their duty to study the WI greats of the seventies and eighties, and invested heavily in preparing structures and systems to enable their teams to defeat, in particular, the WI team, that had caused so much angst to those bigger countries by the frequent humiliation. Steve Waugh’s autobiographical tome is perhaps the best source of information on this subject.
The exuberance of cricketers from those larger countries whenever they defeat the WI even though ranked much lower than they are, is less reliable, but also evidence of the same phenomenon.
Once WI journalists and fans get that simplistic explanation out of their heads, they will be able to revisit the laws of probability and of averages that account partly for the cyclical nature of sports domination, and, more than anything, place the responsibility for making their team competitive on those people who run the game, like journalists and fans in other countries do. Success involves much more than physical fitness, and if you pay attention to what Lara and Gayle had to say, you will realize that is precisely what they believe.
Yours faithfully,
Romain Pitt
