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HEADLINE: Dark day for Windies cricket

 
CaribbeanCricket.com 2014-10-18 10:19:45 

New Delhi: A bunch of Caribbean islands, each with their own governments, coming together for cricket is one of the greatest examples of a sports co-operative. The hordes of problems in recent decades aside, the many differences were generally papered over and the facade of a unified front maintained in West Indies cricket.

But on Friday when the Calypso boys struck the rather unmusical note of abandoning their India tour midway following a pay dispute with their cricket board, Caribbean cricket lay in tatters. The West Indies cricket collective isn't dead yet; but its spirit lies buried. Friday will always be a dark day in its history.


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jacksprat 2014-10-18 11:07:23 

The fall of West Indies cricket and the rise of pay disputes have almost happened in synchronicity. During its glory days in the 1980s, West Indies primarily played for pride as best illustrated in the documentary, Fire in Babylon.

Yeah let's keep this myth going!

When the players had no leverage and options 'pride' & ' passion' was largely all they had by way of remuneration so they fell in line.

Lest we forget, even the poorly paid Fire in Babylon generation withdrew its services in the middle of a series against Australia and later played for more money in the Packer series while the WICBC was forced to send a second string team to India & Pakistan.

Players-even the ones who were once prepared to be the willing puppets of the WICB and parrot the official Board-sanctioned platitudes-will take a stand when their own pay is threatened.

They, like everyone else, know that "Pride" and "Passion" will never be legal tender!

 
Chrissy 2014-10-18 11:10:05 

In reply to jacksprat

Headley once told them 'So What' when they said take it or leave it after rejecting a crap offer.

It's all myth.

 
POINT 2014-10-18 11:11:10 

In reply to CaribbeanCricket.com

That is very stale News . Dark Days started decades ago ; in my opinion . When England decided to ban ALL Overseas Players in the mid 1980's

THAT BAN WAS AIMED MAINLY AT OUR PLAYERS

& TEAM , THE BANNING OF OTHERS COUNTRIES

PLAYERS WAS MERELY COLLATERAL DAMAGE .

HISTORY INFORMS US THAT AT THAT JUNCTURE

OUR PLAYERS & TEAM WERE THE BEST IN THE

WORLD .


England was tired of having our Players
making a living playing Cricket there , and then our Players beating them for years at the International level .


It would be remiss of me if I did not mention the fact that at that juncture those in the governance of Cricket in the Region did absolutely nothing to help our Players maintain their skills .

My contention is that they could have formed a Pro or Semi Pro Regional League
to assist our Players maintaining their skills with the assistance of Regional Sponsors .

SPONSORS LOVE WINNERS , AND OUR TEAM &

PLAYERS WERE THEN THE VERY BEST IN THE

WORLD . SO THAT WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN A

PROBLEM .


The truth is that the greatness of our Players & Team were achieved without any help from those in the governance of Cricket in the Region .

This made them unfortunately believe that
our Players could once again become great without their assistance financially as well as otherwise .

WE now know that this was a colossal lack of Foresight & Vision on their part , because their inactivity slowly , but surely the skills of our Players & Tea started deteriorating .

Frankly they are still deteriorating unabated , because those who are now in the governance of Cricket in the Region still believe in the fairy tale that our Players will nce again become great without massive input of Financial Resources . That aint ever going to happen .









cool

 
dayne 2014-10-18 13:13:49 

In reply to POINT

Excellent points Point, WI cricket could go into a further decline if this incident in India is not dealt with wisely.

 
POINT 2014-10-18 17:31:55 

In reply to dayne

India was the only friend the WICB had in International Cricket . It was therefore imperative that The WICB do what needed to be done to avoid a disruption regarding the Tour .

However the WICB decided to again employ its main Machiavellian tactic . everything is the Players fault . Cancel the Tour, and make it look like it was the Players Fault .

The WICB has failed to understand that it burnt the bridge with the BCCI . Evidently those in the WICB have never hear of the expression " LOOK BEFORE YOU LEAP " .

 
Andy99 2014-10-18 17:41:24 

In reply to jacksprat

Many ignore the truth.
Build up the 80's guys like they were some god like characters who did everything right by the West Indian people but as the facts show it wasn't so.
And they weren't wrong, that ain't no favor them doing. Pride and Passion doh pay the bills. Cricket is them job and a job they only have until the reach 35 maybe 40 if they lucky.
How many of us does fight fuh a lil 10% or 15% increase in pay, how many would be happy with a 50% or 75% (as being reported) pay cut just for the 'greater good'.
As Polly says

Went to the grocery told the cashier i have LOVE, PRIDE and PASSION, still didnt get the pampers!!

 
XDFIX 2014-10-18 18:10:20 

Different kettle of fish now, Yardies in control and no star quality player on the team!

These set of mediocre players haven't earned the right to strike over a $35k pay cut!

In fact, there should be a bigger cut given the years of under performance and over payment.

We are restructuring for a brighter future and that includes pay cut. They either take it or leave WI cricket for IPL.

You just don't bite the hands that feed you.

I salute Hinds!

 
POINT 2014-10-18 18:53:22 

In reply to dayne

What is needed regarding Cricket in the Region is a totally Independent Entity over the WICB .
The WICB has shown for decades now has demonstrated that it is totally incapable of governing Cricket in the Region
It once had Sponsors for the Regional Tournaments ; they decided to leave . The debacle at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium ; the animosity towards the Players ; Making our Players who have never played Cricket in England for a living ; going there to play matches in early Spring .

I cite these examples to demonstrate that the WICB is totally unfit to be in the governance of Cricket in the Region . I could also cite the fact that it commissioned two Reports ; the Patterson
Report & the Wilkin Report , and then rejected the salient features of these Reports . The people in the WICB are not serious people . They therefore must answer to a higher Authority , since the ICC has failed the Region by refusing to admonish the WICB regarding its lack of
Good Goverance .

If this is done , then & only then would I
be in favour of the Regional Governments
contributing to Cricket in the Region . There however must be total Accountability ; Responsibility ; Transparency ; and Incompetence must never ever be tolerated . The Old Boys network must be a thing of the past .People must be on the Board because of their competence , not how much money they have .

 
Star 2014-10-18 19:12:01 

In reply to POINT
I really have to admire you POINT.

You predicted this all along and stuck to your guns.

You always labelled them (W)WORST (I)INCOMPETENT (C)CRICKET (B)BOARD.

Take a bow Mr.POINT.

 
powen001 2014-10-18 19:17:39 

In reply to Star

fellas...fellas..and any ladies present...

BCA prez Garner says that we could be kicked out of World Cricket...

I personally dont believe that but this 65 million potential fine aint chump change.

And further..

If the Employee...has a dispute with its UNION ...how the employer is to take all the crap for this one?


for the record: I must play it fair...this is tween WIPA and the players.

If WIPA prez was playing stooge and doing folly behind the scenes with WICB prez..bring the evidence cause all arrows point to WIPA s Wavell being seriously OUT a order...and now WICB s very existence is under threat...

wunnuh fellas ready to put together a SCAB team? lol

 
POINT 2014-10-18 20:48:09 

[b]In reply to Star[/b

Only when Cricket in the Region is completely restructured , will I think about taking a bow . I know that my assessment of Cricket in the Region is valid . So I really dont give a Damn what my critics say .

I believe in speaking the Truth . I sat down one day over ten years ago , and figured out how Cricket in the Region came to this Sad , Sorry State .

There are two sets of Villains in Regional Cricket . The Cricket Boards & the Sports Journalists in the Region , many of them are staunch Supporters of the WICB .

Their main role is to bash the Players ; and say very little about the Incompetence & lack of accountability by the WICB .
In essence wittingly or unwittingly , most
of the Sports Journalists in the Region have perpetuated the idea that the WICB is infallible .

I simply cannot & will not accept that CRAP . It is my perspective that the People in the Media are as much a part of the problem as the WICB .

Look at what happened when the Guyanese Government took the GCB to Court . The ICC & the WICB were powerless to stop the Case from being heard , despite their bleating that Governments cannot interfere in Cricket .

Contrary to that asinine comment

GOVERNMENTS CAN TAKE THE ICC AND ANY

MEMBER OF THE ICC IF THEY HAVE A VALID

CASE FOR DOING THAT .

Let me again state that a President of Pakistan fired all the Members of the Pakistani Cricket Board on 4 separate occasions for malfeasance .

He then appointed a Chairman , and an AD HOC Committee to run Cricket
in Pakistan until there was fresh Elections for the PCB . The ICC could not do a blasted thing .

The ICC & ANY CRICKET BOARD CAN BE HAULED INTO A COURT OF LAW TO ANSWER CHARGES . In essence they aint above the Law . If they believe they cannot , they are simply being delusional . The recent case in Guyana proved that fact .