Dear Editor,
It has become very difficult, if not impossible, to see cricket on TV in Canada anymore. I suspect the reason may be a general decline in fan interest in the game internationally. Cricket administrators ought to take note of this decline for which they may bear the responsibility.
As a keen supporter of West Indies cricket, I was struck by the notice given to the WI board by the head coach, of his intention to leave his post. It is not unreasonable to speculate that he has concluded that there is no hope for progress because of the “politics” of West Indies cricket. There is reason to believe that the board is not even aware that Darren Bravo has the highest ‘away’ average of all West Indian test players in any era, as they seem not much concerned about his exclusion from touring teams.
The promise made by Jimmy Adams, the chief development officer, to remove unreasonable selection shackles has not been fully implemented. The board makes no efforts to take a leadership role, or indeed to play any role, in the governance of the game internationally, especially with regard to integrating all formats of the game and making rule changes that are much needed in test cricket.
I believe and recommend that the board should attempt to rehire Mr Phil Simmons as head coach with a contract that gives him much more freedom, including freedom of speech, which is a critical avenue for progress in any field of endeavour. His dismissal was an egregious error.
Yours faithfully,
Romain Pitt
