Message Board Archives

Legendary West Indies cricketer Sir Curtly Ambrose is laying blame for the collapse of regional cricket squarely at the door of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB). The WICB’s territorial partners, however, did not get away unscathed.

Fielding questions from the audience at yesterday’s start of the 16th Annual Secondary Schools Leadership Symposium held at the Cascadia Hotel and conference Centre in St Ann’s, Port-of-Spain, titled “Think Big, Start Small,” Ambrose said, if regional officials had an uplifting vision for the future of the sport they would have put systems in place to ensure cricket retain pride of place.

“West Indies cricket,” he replied, pausing. “It’s disappointing. When you look back, many years ago, we were the number one team in the world. For 20 years, we were the best team in the world and 15 of those 20 years we never lost a series. That’s unheard of in any sport. Having been part of it, it hurts to the core. I believe that the West Indies Cricket Board and territorial boards have to take most of the blame! Why? Because when we were the best team in the world, nothing was ever done to nurture the talent.”

 

read more at Trinidad Guardian

Full Story

In reply to CaribbeanCricket.com

A real man...No watch no face...call it as it is Curtly!

Respect!

In reply to CaribbeanCricket.com



Ambi is spot on in everything he said here....too bad the group that really need to act on what Ambi sehs will continue to ignore!!!

In reply to WestDem

or worse...go after Ambi with some payback hush yuh raaa*^% spite...a la Cameron et al.


and you know...AMBI does not care.

In reply to powen001



Ambi is fearless...he already know they will want to payback him fuh these comments...Ambi is no Richie!

I am sure Ambrose is prepared for the pushback victimization y the incompetent WICB.

Like others who who have dared to express an independent opinion on the state of West Indies cricket-like the Coziers and the Holdings-without regard to singing from the approved WICB hymnal, he will probably be declared to be "bad for West Indies cricket" by Cameron, and be marginalized by him and his cabal.

Kudos to him!

I guess Ambrose is no Clive Lloyd!!

In reply to CaribbeanCricket.com

Duh!!!

Well said Ambi

In reply to powen001

Co-sign.


//

a dread and a baldhead

In reply to CaribbeanCricket.com

My guess is that Ambi has already been jettisoned by the new coach. So he can speak freely without fear of repercussions. His criticisms were more directed at past boards though.

In reply to Walco

or not looking forward to a piece of the pie?

In reply to CaribbeanCricket.com

What has Ambi and the Antigua Cricket Association done to develop cricket in Antigua. It's easy to blame the Board for all the ills of WI cricket. But the Board is only a representative of the cricket loving population of each territory. If the cricket association in each territory, including the legions from each territory, fail to develop cricket in its respective territory. It's a little hypocritical for these legions to place all the blame on the Board

In reply to doosra

Let's put it this way. Gibson was not the only coach who did not joint the WI team in Grenada prior to the Bangladesh series. I was reliably informed that Ambi was lobbying for the job of Head Coach after he learned about what was going down with Gibson. That match protest the Amazon Warriors made during the CPL hurt his chances.

BTW, I would love to see Phil get Carl Hooper involved with the senior team.

In reply to Walco


Lord have mercy.......the last part of this post..........

In reply to Walco

Carl is the new coach of the Amazon Warriors
so he is around

Hooper was also with the HPC for a spell.

In reply to Walco

Ambi should be given some role

i wonder if he will continue to work with the Amazon Warriors

In reply to cherri

Looka trubble doh nuh Yuh doan haffi tell me yuh doan want yuh boy Carl anywhere near di WI team.

In reply to doosra

Agreed.

In reply to Walco

If Carl join the WI coaching staff won't be long b4 Lara take him out at the knees.

In reply to carl0002

I think those two have mended fences though

I am awaiting Phil's team of coaches, I really don't care who he hire, just want him to be totally responsible, for team and coaching staff.

Well said Ambrose, no watch no face call it how you see it.

I wouldn't be so quick to say the board will try alienate him.
The man still needed so if they want to play petty and done wid de man well it's them
But he should be kept with the senior team or better yet work with the juniors, cause best to train them young in the way they should go. Than try to teach ole dog new trick

Ambrose isn't saying anything new or earthshattering. This has been said by every commentator and every legend from twenty years ago.

In reply to CaribbeanCricket.com

This is the default fall back clause for all the experts who looks for the reason. Seems they never heard about anomalies and freaks of nature.

If all great and wonderful things can be replicated what a wonderful place this world would be. I would be visiting the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus as a regular vacation stop...

In reply to FuzzyWuzzy

Most dynasties end no matter how much nurturing is done.

In reply to Commie

i find the whole "prepare while we were doing well" a very abstract thing (not sure i want to call it a concept)

it is not transition planning, is it?

did we miss a trip with the transition/expectation train

In reply to Kay

A late math lecturer from UWI once told me that what Barbados and by extension WI did in cricket was a statistical anomaly never to be repeated given population size.

I cussed him then but now I understand what he meant.

In reply to FuzzyWuzzy

you;re so fuzzy

you believe the probability

but you also believe that they should have planned and prepared?

In reply to Commie

Can someone tell me who nurtured Ambrose and them? The same wicb that did nothing afterwards?

Don't you have to have talent first to be able to nurture it?

In reply to FuzzyWuzzy

and how do you get the talent?

from evolution or creation?

and what is talent?

In reply to doosra

I dunno ask Ambrose and those who think we have lots of talent

In reply to FuzzyWuzzy

Exactly. WI team then did not have any structure or coaches still they were able to produce talent. I dont understand the need for structure and coaches. If Ambi and co were able to do then, if youngsters are interested in making it they surely will do that.

In reply to FuzzyWuzzy

You are going with the premise that how players were developed and coached in the 70's, 80's and 90's, still apply today.
Where was the videos of Ambrose bowling prior to an Australian series, where was Viv weakness so that it could be attacked, when he first came to the wicket.
Did Australia had an academy or a athletic centre during those years?
Times have change,

In reply to openning

And maybe that has exposed our limitations

In reply to Pacy

If this was coming from your type writer, you would had to mail it to all of us, thats how time has changed.

In reply to openning

Exactly and that is the crux of the matter. Tell Ambrose that please... nurture me big foot!!!

In reply to FuzzyWuzzy

It has, and without a structure and development centres, we will lag at #8.
Why has it taken so long for Jason Holder to have knowledge of his bend left foot, which reduce his speed?
I am quite sure no coach in bim, during his junior years, went through a video session with him, frame by frame.
Cricket development is not like when we were growing up, going to practice after a 9-5 job, is something of the past

In reply to CaribbeanCricket.com


Well for over 10 freaking years I have stated that those in the governance of Cricket sat on their Asses & did nothing
when Our Players & Team were the best in the World , to Harness , Enhance & Hone the skills of our Players .

I am on record in this Forum stating that it was incumbent on those in the governance of Cricket to Form a Regional
Pro or Semi Pro League , with financial
assistance from Sponsors in the Region .

Sponsors love Winners , and our Team & Players were Winners ; so getting Sponsors
was not going to be a problem . 30 plus
years , it suddenly dawned on them that they they should have a Professional League .

In essence for over 30 years they were akin to RIP VAN WINKLE , these are the
people in the governance of Cricket in the Region .

The sad thing is that their staunch Supporters in the Media will never utter a word against their colossal Incompetence .
Those in the Media view their as being
the Attack Dogs for those in the governance of Cricket in the Region , by
always being very critical of the Players , while saying little or nothing about
the colossal incompetence of those in the governance of Cricket in the Region .

Hell Recklessly putting the WICB into financial peril to the tune of 42 million dollars , cannot be deemed to be a competently run Organization .

This fact has seemingly escaped the Sports
Journalists in the Region , who have yet to asked the WICB , whether , it considered the factors that would have
ensued by pulling the plug on the Tour to India .

I seriously do not think that this was a trifling matter , evidently the WICB did , perhaps that is why it is now in serious Financial straits .

In reply to openning

Every twobit fan in bim talks about jason's bent knee so it's not a new Columbus like discovery. The key is what can be done to correct it. And doesn't Jason not have to do the work to fix it?

All is not lost It is not late to put systems in place to improve. NOW is the time for the WICB and the former players to look to the future, utilise their knowledge and come up with a plan to improve cricket in the WI. It makes no sense spending time harping on the past. We have a lot of talent in the region and should be focusing on the positives - We have to change our mindset.

In reply to Pacy

I had a coach as a school boy,

Viv would not survive him as coach with gold watch and chewing gum.

In reply to FuzzyWuzzy

The debate should not be about Jason. Jason has the physical attribute that got him ahead of the other fast bowling contenders. The objective now is work on his game, be the best in Bim then west indies then the world. So far his progress has been steady. Consistent line and a couple yards faster each season. Hopefully success will follow.

In reply to FuzzyWuzzy

Times changed buddy, Australia have all their top players passing through the australian academy. McGrath and Ponting were at the same academy and the teachers and students usually lined up to watch that hot contest when they took on each other in the nets.

Langer, Martyn and the rest of the big bad australian team went through the academy. Don't under estimate it, times have changed my friend. We waiting on freak of nature to throw us a cricket version of Usain Bolt. These things don't happen very often in life, and unfortunately, what happened in the late 70's and 80's for us was a rare spell of talented cricketing genius ruining through the region especially in the fast bowling department.

Some men are born with super natural talent, others have to work their ass probably 4 times as hard to get close in comparison.

In reply to jen

Don't/didn't we too have an academy, HPC ?

Name the stars that produced

Video analysis at best is a teaching tool. Video analysis on its own cyah tek wickets. You need persons to implement plans and also to be able to think on their feet when the opponent changes the parameters that were present from the video analysis.

Sadly we have been lacking in too many persons who can think on their feet and all de video analysis has come to nought. It has been pathetic having to watch big hard back international players having to wait for instructions from the dressing room to change a field placing or the line of attack to a batsman dat has got stuck in.

In reply to jen

The Australian are paid professionals, they belong to a state clubs, with coaches.
We cannot name one west indian that attended HPC, returned a to professionally run club, as a contracted player.
Australians, English and others, can train with Cricket Australia , and use shield games to harness their skills.

In reply to FuzzyWuzzy

Adrian Barath...Brandon Bess...Bonner...

In reply to carsbry

I have no problem with putting things in place , the point I have been making and I
am still making is that Systems should have been in place decades ago . If that was done , Our Players today would be the best in the World .

But if Systems are put in place now , it is going to take at least 25 years before our Players get to be the best in the world . This aint an overnight thing .

The sad Sorry Fact is that NONE of the so called Sports Journalists in the Region ever questioned those in the governance of Cricket in the Region about this .

They have to my knowledge , questioned the
fact that Players on other Teams ranked above our Team play much more Cricket than our Players .This in my opinion is significant , because it is only by playing a lot of Cricket , can Our
Players be fully competitive in the
International Cricket Arena . Hell this is basic stuff .

In reply to CaribbeanCricket.com

Very much the same words I heard Deryck Murray say while commentating on a regional game a few years back.

In reply to openning

It is nice to see that you are beginning
to see the Light . It sure took a long time . As I have stated here for years :

IT IS ALWAYS ABOUT PLAYING A LOT OF

CRICKET . FOR OVER 3 DECADES , WHEN NOT

PLAYING IN THE REGIONAL TOURNAMENTS OR

REPRESENTING THE REGION IN INTERNATIONAL

MATCHES OUR PLAYERS WERE ESSENTIALLY

IDLE .


Meanwhile Players on other Teams when not
representing their Countries , were playing , League ; County ; Zone & State
Cricket . WHILE OUR PLAYERS WERE IDLE .
BTW , please spare me any B .S about the
PCL that was started 3 freaking years ago .
The question is this :

WHAT IMPEDIMENT EXISTED 30 + YEARS AGO

THAT PREVENTED THE WICB FROM FORMING A

PRO OR SEMI PRO LEAGUE ?????????????

PLEASE BEAR IN MIND THAT OUR PLAYERS

THEN WERE THE BEST IN THE WORLD .


The funny thing is that the Sports Media
never mention this ; they were so busy skewering the Players , that this escaped their attention . So much for their Journalistic Skills .

In reply to POINT

I've been consistent in who is responsible for young cricketers in Barbados, you blame the WICB, I blame the BCA.
The last 3-4 years a number of counties, have their winter training in Barbados, a number of the England players was with their counties in the Island.
Some of these players were part of a set-up from the U-13 level, I doubt they had any other job.
Our structure is at the school level, some islands have from U13 to U-19, others get together and select team only for the regional junior tournaments.
Point, more cricket is played in the region than before, it is not having a professional set up at the club level,, and contracted players that are some of the problems.

in the final analysis the players themselves must have pride in their performance. Our players as soon as they get to International levels suddenly stop working as hard on their discipline, training and diet.

If our infrastructure was weak how come our U19 team is able to compete world wide?

You guys can debate as much as you want. But the players desire to win & win & win is what is key.

Look back at the videos of the WC and look again at the Associate teams, They fight like hell to the last ball to defend small totals.

Our lads OTOH give up too easily. I watched Benn' fielding with disgust. How can he be called a professional cricketer? What can infrastructure do about attitude?

As far as I am concerned, talent with poor discipline & attitude is no good and Benn & others like him, for example, should never be picked in an international team

In reply to Pacy

... because we suck and the way we ben doing thing nah wuk.

In reply to openning
... some say WICB some say BCA ... where is the difference really?

In reply to anandgb

... because at that age you can get away with "murder".

... this desire has to be fostered from early.

In reply to anandgb

We compete but what do we win? At that level also it is about pure talent which we have.

The other nations have improved and left us at square one. They have embraced technology, copied the methods that made us great and improved on it. Look at the WC 2015 for example. Aggressive cricket fierce fast bowling, attacking batsmen. Where has that gone in windies cricket?

In reply to openning

So who thirty odd years ago prevented the WICB from having a Professional System ;
when our Players & Team were the best in the World ????

My perspective is that it was those in the governance of Cricket in the Region ,
who continuously lack FORESIGHT &
VISION . BTW , nothing has changed they
still lack Vision & Foresight .

They however can take comfort in the Fact that their Friends in the Media bluntly refuse to tell the Emperors that they lack Foresight & Vision .

That has had a serious impact on Cricket in the Region .The fact that those in the Media are perpetually aiding & abetting
those in the governance of Cricket , are
in actuality , the Seeds of the decline
in Cricket , in the Region , like it or not .

Sure they will all deny it , but I hope that One day ,Deep down they would come to this realization and apologise to the
People in the Region . But I aint about
to hold my breath , because they are just as Arrogant as those in the governance of Cricket in the Region .

THEY BOTH BELIEVE THAT THEY ARE

ABOVE CRITICISM FROM OTHERS

I simply cannot subscribe to such B.S .

In reply to Commie... who talking about being a dynasty ... just want to be competitive. Take Ozland for example.

It is laughable to hear people talking
time change . That is true , however

THE WICB AINT CHANGE & THAT IS A

FREAKING PROBLEM , REGARDING CRICKET

IN THE REGION .


The problem is that many refuse to acknowledge that fact . They apparently
prefer to bury their heads in the sand , while those in the governance of Cricket in the Region continue ruining Cricket in
the Region .

In reply to Commie

True BUT look at Australia they have had fallow periods but those periods dont last 20yrs!

Aus was weak when WI was strongest BUT adjusted quickly and has had 3 strong periods since with the Waughs, Hayden/ Mcgrath and now. It is all about PROCESS and Management.

Governments have conducted negative policy, using Bim as an example, Coed Schooling messed with the medium sized Schools like HC et al that had long been nurseries for talent. 360 boys from 11-19 is not large enough.

Secondly, Basketball Courts have appeared all over some islands detracting from Cricket. Reality is that virtually no one in the islands will make it to the NBA! Terrible strategy! We have and could DOMINATE Cricket though, especially as ODI and T20 become the major forms. Bball is a sport for those 6ft 4ins and taller, a very small segment of the population. Cricket geniuses can be very diminutive or giants. What is sweeeter than a lil top quality batsman spanking a giant bowling at 90 mph??

WICB are top notch DAMAGERS!

In reply to POINT

Part of the problem is that they are above criticism, we must be able to FIRE clowns like Cameron!
Why was he re-elected??????? Pure BS politics and no system to monitor and control! In any proper Corp a "leader" like Cameron would have been fired on the spot for not having Player Contracts finalised on time, for not flying to India immediately!!!!!!! JOKERS!

In reply to Real-cricket.. we embrace cowlashing as aggressive batting.

Interesting that Ambi forget his behavior under WI first coach!!
He was one of the individuals who contributed to the coach getting fired.

In reply to moneybrain

Look Cameron & Hinds were handsomely rewarded because of the wonderful job they
did , in making WIPA , a Department of the WICB .

The reason why Regional Players are getting now getting paid , is to numerically out
vote the Senior Players at every twist & turn .

I predict that within a year ALL the Senior Players will not be representing
the Region in International Matches .
Those in the governance of Cricket in the
Region never ever does things out of the
goodness of their hearts .

EVERYTHING THOSE IN THE GOVERNANCE OF

CRICKET IN THE REGION DOES HAS AN

ULTERIOR MOTIVE THAT BENEFITS THEM ;

MORE THAN IT BENEFITS OTHERS .


The Coup engineered by Cameron & Hinds is
a classic example of what I have stated .
As I stated , in this Forum weeks ago ,
the Senior Players need to Opt out of
WIPA , and seek collective representation
outside of WIPA .