Dear Editor,
Do West Indian cricketers lack pride in playing for nation or region? That is the charge being levelled, justifiably perhaps, by a leading Indian cricket commentator, Nirmal Shekar, writing in the prestigious The Hindu newspaper published in Chennai. The charge has come in the wake of West Indies dismal performance during the first two Tests of the current series. The West Indies saved face by holding on to a draw in the second Test, thanks to rain that washed out one-and-a-half days of play. Otherwise, it would have been another humiliating defeat that has repeated itself so many times over in the last decade even against not so strong opponents.
As the commentator noted, during the 1970s and 1980s, WIndies cricketers offered immense viewing pleasure in the stands and on TV when they had a full arsenal of fearsome bowlers and brilliant batsmen in the line-up. In the last several years, there has hardly been either of the two with the exception of a gutsy Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who the selectors discarded because of age even when he was performing better than the youngsters. Even now, Indian fans prefer to watch an obdurate Chanderpaul than what passes for cricket from the current crop of young players chosen by the selectors.
As Shekar commented, the performance of West Indians in the recent two Tests was an embarrassment to the great Sir Garry Sobers who was being felicitated in the stands as he turned 80; at his age, he probably would have done much better with the bat than some of those chosen to represent the once mighty Windies. Shekar writes: “Sir Garry would not have seen a worse West Indies side. He would have done much better all alone against the Indians than this entire West Indies team”. And this was the best team the selection panel said it could come up with. Is it not time for the panel to go since the team it selected has failed the region time and again?
As Garry told Shekar when he (Sobers) was playing for West Indies: “It was for pride… We played for honour and pride … It was all about the team and our personal goals were to be the best”. But not this crop of players for whom money is everything. This crop of players abandoned a tour to India for more money – honour and pride were not part of their thinking except for a Shivnarine Chanderpaul. As Shekar noted, West Indies cricket is in free fall with crowds at matches being less than 1500 when at one time there would be 15,000. This is attributed to several factors: bad selection of players put together by an inept selection committee, headed by Clive Lloyd, who chose not to select the best players; terrible management that is not interested in reform; 20/20cricket which has greater interest from players; conflict between players and management; conflict between players and the selection panel; monetary greed; bad habits of players.
The decline of West Indies cricket is a result of, more than anything else, “the character of players and culture of the team” according to respected commentator Peter Roebuck some years ago.
So what is the solution to the problem facing regional cricket? Shekar feels West Indies are not inferior to their counterparts in other countries or from those of the past in the region itself. They need discipline and recognition they are playing for a cause and not just money, and such a cause will once again propel the team to the top. Shekar also feels the selectors must put the best team forward, and put its heavy arsenal of best batsmen and bowlers to full use. But that is easier said than done, as the selectors also have axes to grind and who will break or make records, and the management is unwilling to make way for better administrators.
Yours faithfully,
Vishnu Bisram
