The Independent Voice of West Indies Cricket

Cricket no longer on top

Sun, Aug 30, '15

by TONY COZIER

Commentary

CRICKET was the sport that created and, for decades, maintained the West Indies’ reputation for athletic excellence.

For so long the passion of its fanatical public, its strength has rapidly withered, for a variety of mostly self-inflicted reasons. It now ranks ninth among ten Test and ODI teams and, for the first time, is excluded from the eight-team Champions Trophy in 2017 in England.

Fortunately, the consequent despair of all West Indians has been lifted by performances in another sport, by the region’s magnificent athletes, mostly Jamaican with rising numbers from its smaller constituents.

As the individual now unreservedly recognised as the all-time king of the sprints, his sport’s showpiece events, Usain Bolt has been the ideal energiser to put a smile back on the faces of cricket’s sad devotees.

Bolt is a towering Jamaican with a spirited Caribbean sense of fun whose long strides cover the track with the power and speed of lightning. Barring a false start disqualification in the 2011 World Championships, he is unbeaten for seven years in either of his favoured events, the 100 and 200 metres at major championships.

 

raed the full article at Nation News