West Indies Cricket Bloomers (WICB)
Sun, Apr 10, '05
The WICB is made up of a very high percentage of underachievers. The board simply lacks vision.
The administration that has been responsible for one of the most dominant teams in the history of sport, has somehow managed to transform success into abject failure.
From the mid 1970?s to the very early 1990?s the West Indies cricket team was simply unstoppable. We dominated the world of cricket with consummate ease.
Our players inundated the world rankings in every department. Teams would capitulate before a ball was bowled, such was the aura of supremacy.
A misguided few may attempt to assign this success to the innovative policies instituted by the very same board. Unfortunately, this is not true.The team was great because we had the best athletes. Our players of old were genetically superior to their contemporaries.
This talent, combined with an inherent desire for success on the part of individuals, enabled us to dominate.Success bred success.The players psychological approach to cricket was bolstered by winning.
The self-esteem, procured by having the world at our feet, propelled the players into a ZONE of INVINCIBILITY. This, in turn, led to a confidence that could overcome any difficult situation.
* Live Commentary -- West Indies vs. South Africa!
Cricket was just a game back then. The principles of science, physiology, psychology, biomechanics, nutrition and computer analysis were yet to be applied in a structured manner.
Abject failure, desperation and desire to turn the table on the mighty West Indies, motivated the well-financed, developed countries to create a development program geared to create world champions.
While this renaissance was taking place, the WICB was resting on its laurels. The WICB fully expected great cricketers to be born throughout the Caribbean region.
They did not understand that great coaching, and application of scientific principles could compensate for a lack of natural ability and genetic structure.
The WICB basked in perceived glory, enjoying cocktail parties at Lords, travel abroad, exquisite hotels and rubbing shoulders with the world?s elite while our cricket suffered.
* Live Commentary -- West Indies vs. South Africa!
The gardener had neglected to water and prune the rose bushes. Soon the garden would become overridden with choking weeds.Our heroes became financial paupers, forced to sell themselves to the highest foreign bidder.
Great players approaching the end of illustrious careers were unceremoniously discarded without as much as a simple thank you.
Such is the arrogance of the WICB.
The WICB failed to plan for the future, because at that time the spoils were simply too sweet to ignore.
Ignorance, incompetence and insensitivity now pervade the WICB. The present impasse is as a direct result of this.
West Indies cricket is big business. How many CEO?s of major Caribbean corporations are on the board?
How many of these board members really know the true monetary value of West Indies cricket?
How many of them are adequately able to define Team Branding as opposed to personal endorsements?
It is clear that the board was blinded by a ?perceived cash cow? which could eliminate the headache of another annual five- million US dollar deficit.
The WICB, knowing its own limited capacity to negotiate million-dollar deals, enlisted the help of a third party (ISL, at a whopping US$2.5-three million fee) to source sponsorship on its behalf. This admission alone is sufficient to call upon the entire executive to resign.
Furthermore, for reasons best known to itself, the WICB refused to disclose to loyal sponsors of 19 years (Cable and Wireless) that the offer on the table was in fact from a global competitor. Repeated claims that the board was unaware of this fact are simply ridiculous.
* Live Commentary -- West Indies vs. South Africa!
A further illustration of the board?s lack of foresight occurred when C&W finally realised that it was, in fact, a competitor who was attempting to take its place.
Unofficial approaches were made to board members and officials to re-open negotiations. These pleas fell on deaf ears, thus resulting in the board being out-maneuvered once again, this time by C&W, who proceeded to scoop up the individual assets of the board.
The board failed to secure its assets through written contracts and, or, agreements and decided instead to depend on verbal suggestions to the players in Barbados ahead of the ODI on May 5, 2004. This illustrated the board?s insensitivity to the individual player?s desperate financial situations.
However, the greatest display of insensitivity, ignorance and downright incompetence on the part of the board was on its inability to protect its captain and ?blue chip? player, Brian Charles Lara.
Following full disclosure to Digicel by the board of Lara?s unique situation with his personal sponsorship package and Digicel?s acceptance of this fact, the board signed a contract which provided Digicel with an ?out clause?, in case that it was unable to persuade Brian to change allegiance.
The clause states that ?the WICB shall do its endeavour best to ensure and procure that by June 30, 2005, no player, or team official, will be contracted to a competitor or a third party competitive product.?
This means that Brian Charles Lara cannot and will not play for the West Indies team after June 30th, 2005, unless he renounces his C&W personal endorsement contract.
The WICB is continuously outsmarted by others, which leads me to conclude that it is an intellectually challenged administration.
The board failed to protect its captain, who had a pre-existing, ratified, personal endorsement contract with C&W. Now, rather than fight for him,the board instead is trying its utmost to get rid of him.
We should not be surprised by this lack of desire to support our cricketing heroes by the board. Gus Logie, Sir Garfield Sobers, Richie Richardson, Roy Fredericks, Conrad Hunte, Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, Ridley Jacobs, Ian Bishop, Carl Hooper, Courtney Walsh, to name a few, were discarded by the board at various points in their careers without the display of a modicum of respect.
The removal of Brian Lara as captain, due to a conflict between rival sponsors, is unethical and simply unacceptable.
The board created the situation and is punishing a player for its mistake.
People who try to rationalise that Lara should have been demoted anyway, are simply missing the point.
* This article is published in partnership with the Trinidad Guardian.