West Indies must put aside distractions and defy the odds

FOR cricket followers, this weekend there is much to hear and read about the first officially sanctioned day-night Test match, using a pink ball.

However, there is very little about the arrival in Australia earlier this week of a West Indies cricket squad for a three-Test series.

Caribbean cricket lovers of an older vintage, with memories of the glory days, find it galling in the extreme that for the international, regional and local media, a West Indies touring team in Australia deserves no more than a polite after thought.

The fact that the current West Indies team loses far more than it wins is obviously a major contribution to the current situation. Yet, that is not the whole story.

Just as crucially, shambolic management, which has led to a succession of debilitating crises over a period of many years, has demoralised the psyche and undermined the credibility of West Indies cricket. Indeed, there is a direct link between poor cricket management and on-field performances.

Many, who were once die-hard West Indies cricket fans, now angrily declare that they no longer care.