False Pride And The Coaching Quandary
Wed, Aug 7, '02
It pains sometimes to ask the questions which expose the under
belly of the obstacles to the development of cricket in the
Caribbean.
One debate that has been exposed of late is the coaching position.
The current coach is Roger Harper. Some, ironically mainly
Guyanese, question the wisdom and taste of discussing Harper's
position whilst he still is under contract and in position, but I
will leave that opinion to sort itself out. I am well used to
having my taste questioned.
Recently the jockeying took an amusing twist when Roland
Butcher, aided by the Barbados Nation, attempted to throw
his name into the hat. Butcher was quoted in consecutive articles
on consecutive days (with nary a Tony Cozier article in sight).
English-based son of Barbados, he questioned the wisdom of using
'foreign' techniques as evidenced in the now-dominant Australian
coaching model (whatever that means).
His logic, summed up was, 'they borrowed from us and now we want to
borrow from them' in West Indian indignance. Indeed that statement
should catapult Caribbean man Butcher to the top of the queue.
Not once did the articles, lending promise to Butcher's status as
returning hero, question that he effectively had to resign from the
Bermuda job halfway through his contract. But Butcher has made the
right moves already. After all, the West Indies position is only
slightly bigger than Bermuda.
A debate ensued on the CaribbeanCricket.com forum about the
suitable replacement. One direct question asked was if Butcher,
Graeme Ford and for arguments sake the UWI and assistant WI coach
(maybe the WICB will send us
a letter to correct us on his job title) Jeff Dujon went for the
job, who
would you give it to.
One respected answer was that Graeme Ford represented old world
South Africa, and the coaching position was one at the top of the
hierarchy of responsibility. We must sort our problems out
ourselves. Immediately the coaching position becomes a weapon of
regional pride. Now, I'm thinking 'in' the box with this sentiment
that this is professional sport.
The same thinking, after all, derives pride from Lara consoling
Kenya that being beaten by them wasn't as bad as losing to South
Africa.
However, when the WIPA sought to use the high profile tour of SA to
embarrass the WICB into a deal, in ENGLAND (that most Caribbean of
countries) that pride somehow was on the back burner. Indeed, when
that well known non-apartheid created ex South African player Dave
Richardson was sought out by the West Indies to find sponsorship
amidst the rubble of the tour, going around South Africa with his
begging bowl, West Indian pride was in full cry.
And not to mention the coup-de-grace. The first tour of South
Africa by proud West Indians, playing with all their hearts and
with unity (having negotiated their deal with all their hearts and
unity and an English lawyer), ending with a loss so humiliating to
Black South Africans that it set back township cricket as badly as
WI cricket in the 80's helped crush apartheid. And with Lara
seeking relief playing golf on courses not built or occupied by our
Kenyan either.
But I digress.
What's the real point?
The West Indies are in no position to be identifying racial quotas
as criteria for selecting the next senior team coach. Neither
should any foreign coach walk into a job that requires an
extraordinary jack-of-all-trades simply for being
Caucasian or verbose. Quite frankly, the coach of the West Indies
team needs to be better than most because the structures that aid
so many of the others are not available. But it is also folly to
suggest that we work on the structures and just pick anyone in the
interim. We could as well ask Harper to leave the laptop and let
Garfield Smith be coach.
This job should be about selecting the best person. Rohan
Kanhai is being wasted working with Guysuco youngsters no matter
how many gems he unearths. Because at the top there might be
someone who is unable to nurture the talent he identifies. If
Graeme Ford or indeed Bob Woolmer puts forward a plan that works
within the constraints of what there is and isn't (is = talent,
isn't = money, infrastructure, uniform pitches) and they
step to the plate, I see no reason why Butcher and Dujon (who has
too many roles anyway), should win through, unless they do so by
dint of excellent records and plans.
One day, if Butcher were to be coach, the captain would be based in
Australia, the coach in England the team would be in limbo, and the
fans in some form of purgatory. Sounds like a perfect plan to me.
I was asked whether Caribbean youth were so insecure as to whether
it should matter who the focus of marketing the WI team
concentrated on or what the publicity concentrated on. As insecure
I imagine as those who pretend that West Indies cricket history is
going to be tainted by having a foreign coach for a team that is
supposed to be trying to improve.
My preference? I have openly agitated for the return of Kanhai to
the position of coach, and Brian Lara must take up the position of
captain, if only as a caretaker until one of Sarwan, Ryan Hinds or
even Wavell Hinds come of age. And if people continue to insist the
players do not listen to anyone, then let's leave the laptop to
coach and captain the team. After all, if it looks good, and we can
get some good English out of it, that should satisfy the tough West
Indian fans.
Oh and make that a black laptop please, made in the Caribbean. Just
like the one we used in the 1980s.
** Kenny Green is a West Indies fan. He spends a lot of his time
as 'Commie' on the CaribbeanCricket.com message board.