On Jimmy, Bishop, Hector...
Wed, May 1, '02
Well, I have finally managed to crawl towards the line. Unlike
our man at last lap though, 'Commie' is still sharing his drink and
thoughts.
I was asked about the whole point of these articles. I believe
critical thinking is dangerously stagnant all over the Caribbean.
The inertia is such that I would consider cricket journalism one of
the easiest professions in the region, and it keeps on being easy
despite our supposed 'love' for West Indies.
Here are three scenarios which sum up the laissez faire nature
of our journalists:
1. After the departure of Dennis Waight, not a single
journalist in the Caribbean has had either the conviction or the
good sense to seriously question the ability of Ronald Rogers, who
is presiding over the most injury-prone side in our history. Isn't
there one journalist with a notion that, just maybe, Rogers is
simply not good enough?
2. Not one journalist in the Caribbean has explained why
Jeffrey Dujon has now become Mr. Invisible in the West Indies
hierarchy despite being appointed assistant coach in a fanfare of
regional optimism, in tandem with the appointment of Roger Harper
and our own Rhodes Scholar Ricky Skerritt.
3. We have not seen a single assessment or examination of
the structure of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and how it
affects the administration of cricket in the West Indies. We have a
WICB general meeting on May 25 and we are being told the selectors
may or may not be replaced but not one fan on the street can
testify that they have one clue as to the process for nomination,
the criteria for success, and indeed the whole structure of events
on that day. We know nothing about things which we, indirectly, are
supposed to own.
Anyway, back to a more direct continuation of this series on the
media coverage of the game in the Caribbean. Recently, I have had
the joy of reading both Everard Gordon and Dorian
Bryan. The latter, a staffer at the Barbados Advocate,
has indeed managed to usurp all others for claim to most insular
writer in the Caribbean, a feat which should not be underestimated
in this climate of parochialism. He/she (in a land where a
cricketer is named Shirley, you can never be sure) calls for the
selection of Courtney Browne and Sherwin Campbell whilst silently
ushering in Pedro Collins into the fold was a masterpiece. Right
time, right place, hell even right publication. So for drawing my
attention, I salute you Dorian Bryan.
I was also asked for my opinion of Jimmy Adams. Jimmy was
indeed impressive. The lead presenter for Sky Sports has not
exactly hidden his preference for the West Indies. With that in
mind, it would have been easy for Jimmy, as a former player and
team captain, to show a slant towards the West Indies perspective
(you could say Jimmy is a shrewd judge of a crumbling cookie), but
he has held the show together by being both impartial and astute in
his observations. But more than anything, I think Jimmy has done
the West Indies players a great, great service.
How is that so oh 'Commie', I hear you all ask, eager eyes being
diverted from the latest Merv Dillon prediction.
My observation is that Jimmy has managed in one fell swoop to get
us to respect the difference between armchair criticism and the
isolation of the cricketer at the crease. Let us remember, at the
end of his tenure as West Indies captain, Jimmy was seen as an
uninspiring defensive man who could hardly bat anymore. This, I
believe, is the same Jimmy we saw in the studio. The very same man.
We are seeing Carl Hooper being metamorphosed from a potentially
quiet genius (Commie thinks one of the greater cons in life is to
equate silence with thinking. Many a village idiot simply couldn't
muster speech) into the very same uninspiring defensive captain
that Jimmy turned into.
Onwards we shall go.
Ian Bishop is another interesting newcomer. I sincerely
believe that Bishop's back injuries has a direct bearing on the sad
state of fast bowling in the West Indies. He would have mentored
many of the current bowlers, as the man taking over the legacy from
Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh and providing the link to the
next generation. As a commentator, Bishop is extremely popular, a
man good looking enough to bring over the casual sports fan (I see
eyebrows being lifted, but the Comster need not sing Bun Chi Chi
man to be able to comfortably say the obvious) as well as being
respected enough from his playing days to bring a level of
familiarity to the commentary.
The only problem with Bishop is that it is not difficult to fall
asleep whilst he commentates. Even Colin Croft, our ertwhile
piloting buccaneer with the heavy hand, provokes reaction that
triggers discussion. Bishop toes the party line, avoiding
controversy at all times. He needs to have someone like Croft there
to make his good sense sound even better than it actually is.
My two last subjects come from the smaller islands. Hamlet
Mark who writes for CaribUpdate.com and the
social commentator and academic Tim Hector.
Mark needs to have a serious talk with those who proof-read his
columns as his message is often 'sullied' by errors. That said, he
has posted some respectable articles and he has also seemed
somewhat clumsy trying to be objective about Junior Murray, going
from an extreme where he described Murray as a far better keeper
and bat than Jacobs to now recognising that he has failed.
Ridley Jacobs is an interesting cricketer as I have never heard of
one cricketer so maligned by others who attempt to project their
own choices. From our gold medal winners Dorian Bryan and Andrew
Mason touting Courtney Browne, to Hamlet Mark and Brian
Williams touting Murray, not one commentator has acknowledged
the qualities of Jacobs.
I will underline it because I respect Jacobs and seek to offer him
a headline role in my critique of the standards of West Indian
cricketing journalism.
Jacobs is third in all-time Test dismissals in the history
of West Indies cricket, behind Dujon and Deryck Murray. He also
jointly owns the most test dimissals record in one inning (7), a
feat that went unnoticed at the time among even his teammates.
Jacobs jointly owns the ODI record with 6 dismissals. In front of
the wicket, his batting average is higher than any 'keeper
in West Indies domestic and international cricket since Dujon. He
is the only West Indies batsman to have scored a century
against South Africa.
Check this: Of all the wicketkeepers from every Test playing nation
to have Ever played the game, Jacobs is also fourth in the
least number of byes conceded per match. Lastly, amongst all the
present-day 'keepers, he is ranked second in dismissals and
catches per match, behind only Mark Boucher.
But, statistics aren't always the full story. Jacobs has kept
wicket to attacks far weaker than David Williams, Junior Murray and
Courtney Browne have all kept wicket to. Yet his performance at
every level surpasses them. Ponder that for a moment.
Yet, I've not seen a single article from a Caribbean journalist
pointing out the folly of replacing a man who simply needed backup
support. Because they simply didn't care, or in the case of Hamlet
Mark, were so blinded by his declining form that they forgot Jacobs
is actually a standout. Even when the slide in his performances are
considered, Jacobs is head and shoulders above all contenders and
the emphasis should be placed on finding a younger
replacement more than anything else.
It is indeed one of the biggest indictments of Caribbean cricket
coverage that Jacobs was kept out of the West Indies cricket team
by a collusion of elements promoting the likes of Shane Forde and
Ricky Hoyte ahead of him. The fans with the statistics won't
forget.
Tim Hector is a writer whose themes are essentially politicised by
his background as a socialist and an Afro-centric writer. He can
also be best described as the quintessential Caribbean man with a
number of hard hitting articles on West Indies cricket, often
written with an emphasis on the history of our achievements.
Hector is now recovering from surgery in Cuba and we all hope he
will be back to full fitness soon to see some cricket. His writings
give a great insight as he has a background as an administrator of
cricket in the Leeward Islands. And, his viewpoints are strong
enough to give someone something to argue against and for. He is
the only writer to have openly called for Harper to walk, partly
because of his desire to see Viv take up the role (something which
I disagree with, as Kanhai would be a much better choice) but also
because he seems to be the only one who is bold enough to question
the cricket sense behind the continued cycle of failures. His work
in the 'Fan
the Flame' column, which is available on GuyanaCaribbeanPolitics,
may provoke disagreement and debate but they never just sit there
like a bland recording of proceedings.
Only in the Caribbean do we have sports journalists who are loathe
to openly call for the head of a losing coach. You can smell the
fence-sitting. Of course, they make little jibes and give little
hints but it is never plainly said. We kept habits that even the
English colonisers abandoned. Travel a little. Go to England or the
U.S and survey the sporting journalists who cover football, cricket
and basketball. Better yet, look at the reaction towards the South
Africa's cricket selectors and management who have beaten all
before them and failed only against the all-conquering Aussies.
There is no sense of sentiment. Heads must roll.
Yet, our journalists continue to perpetuate the non-complaining,
it-cannot-be-improved mentality and all over the 'Net and at the
grounds and bars, you have fans who simply shrug their shoulders
and divorce themselves from change. The "make-no-difference" apathy
affects West Indian cricket as much as our politics.
Cricket coverage and reporting must attempt to make a
difference. I would like to hear a journalist really tell me
what the West Indies coach and selectors see in certain players who
repeatedly fail. I would really like to know how Joey Carew
can be re-elected as a selector time and time again. I would
really like to hear a journalist give the captain a lecture
on the idiocy of batting last in Trinidad, no matter what the
so-called 'experts' advised.
I would like to see Tony Becca and Tony Cozier openly
challenge each other's views and generate honest debate. I would
like to see someone challenge the archaic parochial thinking of
Keith Holder and Andrew Mason. And I would like to see all
of these people spend time opening up the Rubik Cube that is the
WICB to the most important stakeholders: The FANS.
Yet, we know the least. We do not know the selection criteria, we
do not know the rules and laws of the WICB, we do not have one
inkling of the progress on the World Cup, or what the players or
management are paid (all pro sports give an indication).
West Indies cricket has become out of place in a world where even
the original old thinkers have abandoned the habits of the
plantocracy that we still embrace.
No amount of God fearing people in critical positions within the
WICB can save us from the reality that we face right now. It must
improve or we will sink further and apathy will become the common
reaction to our continuing failures.
Commie has cussed his final cuss on this aspect of WI cricket.
Next: My review of the West Indies selectors and a look forward to
their continued attempts to confuse us all.
** This is the third installment of a three-part examination of
the work of the cricket media in the Caribbean.
PART
ONE: Windies Pundits Under the Microscope
PART
TWO: On Cozier, Becca, Croft & Mason...
** Kenny 'Commentator' Green is a West Indies fan from Dominica.
When not musing about West Indies cricket past and present, he
makes a living as an IT Director.
