Clyde Griffith: So much has gone wrong with the administration of cricket at the local and regional level I am not in any way surprised that the team is one defeat away from elimination.

The police in Barbados are taking Cricket World Cup (CWC) officials to court over the controversial searching of officers at the March 5 warm-up match at the 3Ws Oval.

Ricky Singh offers a must-read analysis of the fiasco that is Cricket World Cup 2007:
For their part, Caricom cabinet ministers and even a few Heads of Government have been openly pouring blame on the ICC and WICB, when the reality suggests that, ultimately, the region’s governments cannot honestly escape their own failures to show sufficient […]

For the West Indies to qualify for the semis of the Cricket World Cup, this must happen:
1) Australia to beat England on April 8
2) West Indies beat South Africa on April 10
3) New Zealand to beat South Africa on April 14
4) England to beat South Africa on April 17.
5) WI to beat Bangladesh on April […]

In the Sydney Morning Herald, Mark Nicholas dissects the “let down” of a World Cup, zeroing in on the blame game that has erupted over the West Indies team’s disappointing on-field performance:
We are a month into this let-down and there have been two games, arguably three, worthy of the tournament’s title. West Indies are in […]

Wisden Cricinfo: The latest round in the seemingly endless battle between the West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA) and the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has resulted in another defeat for the board.

Mike Selvey sits in an empty ARG in Antigua and writes a column about how the ICC and the Cricket World Cup organisers robbed the world of one of the greatest, most lively cricket destinations.
Antigua has a white elephant that will see, if it is lucky, one Test match a year and little else. There […]

Ian Mohan, a Trinidadian World Cup volunteer, writes about the experience in a tone that will bring tears to your eyes:
It dawned to me that the ICC does not care about our little countries and our economies. They are alien to the socio-economic status and the way of life of the spectators of cricket, and […]

West Indies cricket great Viv Richards blames World Cup organizers for the poor attendances and lack of atmosphere created by the local fans.
“Something is seriously missing. I definitely believe we have too many restrictions in place. We are a unique and vibrant people with our own style. Someone seems to have said ‘We want you […]

The ICC has not been willing to address the [World Cup] issues. Chief executive Malcolm Speed, touring media facilities at Guyana’s new Providence Stadium, was asked about the problems, but replied: “let’s concentrate on watching the cricket shall we?”

In a last-ditch attempt to pack fans into the the new Kensington Oval, the authorities in Barbados have started to give away tickets. Anything to look good on TV but more evidence of money going down the train.

Clive Lloyd: “This West Indies team can play much better than they have done. They played well in India and advanced to the final, something no one had expected them to do so…I hope to motivate the players by making them realise the pride of representing the West Indies at cricket. We have a lot […]

A Jamaican fan, responding to a Scyld Berry article on the ridiculous prices at the World Cup, makes his point perfectly (scroll down to the reader comments and look for the one by R Ford)
I dunno, I’ve been sitting in stands, hot as all hell, no water, no curry goat and rice and peas, no […]

Tony Cozier concentrates on the on-field portion of this World Cup disaster. Some highlights:
A call for another waste-of time inquiry:
No house will be torched, no effigies burned, no buses stoned and, to be sure, no resignations tendered. But the lamentable cricket that has left the West Indies all but out of their own World […]

By the way, it’s been a while since the chief World Cup cheerleader gave us a classic “delightful cacophony of sonorous rapturous merriment” line. See what happens when reality bites you in the ass?