Time was when the manner of last Saturday’s nine-wicket defeat suffered by the West Indies at the hands of England would have sent shock waves through the Caribbean; it would have brought forth a collective howl of outrage, a baying for blood, a boisterous, insistent demand that heads roll. Last Saturday’s familiar display of woeful ineptitude by the West Indies passed relatively quietly. Even England did not appear to want to make much of a fuss about it.

These days, those swift reversals of fortune, from positions of comparative strength or – to put it more precisely – relative safety, to inexplicable defeat, have become par for the course for the Caribbean side; so that while some of us still fret over those kinds of outcomes, the once widespread regional preoccupation with issues of winning and losing has been supplanted by a resigned indifference to the outcomes of the team’s encounters. It may be an unflattering thing to say but the truth is that some of us, perhaps even most of us, have now come to expect little from ‘our boys.’ As far as outcomes of encounters are concerned we live in times of always fearing the worst.

full article in Stabroek News

In reply to CaribbeanCricket.com

The truth is that " Intestinal Fortitude "
aint something that can be bought in a
Store .My take is that Stamina - Mental & Physical are the embodiment of Intestinal
Fortitude . Stamina also cannot be bought
in any Store .

Stamina of every stripe can only be
acquired by playing a lot of Cricket ;this
is an axiom . I have continuously stated
in this Forum that Players on all the Teams ranked above our Team Play a hell of a lot more Cricket than our Players .

Obviously therefore , their Stamina level
in ALL aspects of Cricket are at a higher level than our Players . It is in the
longer versions of the game that this fact
raises its Ugly Head , and as a result
becomes noticeable to all .

This is precisely why the outcome of Matches between our Team & Teams ranked
above our Team are seldom in doubt .

It is instructive for all of US to inform ourselves , How & Why this malaise that
currently exist came into being . We therefore have to look at the Past ; the present & the Future because there is linkage between all three .

At a time when our Players & Team were the
very best in the World . England decided
to severely limit the number of Overseas
allowed to play Cricket in England . Now
that was 30 + years ago .

Obviously this meant that a lot of our
Players , who did not get Contracts to play Cricket in England were in the Region
Idle , because when not participating in
the Regional Tournament or representing
the Regional , they were Idle .

For 3 decades those in the governance of Cricket in the Region , did not do a blasted thing . In essence , they sowed the seeds of the demise of the Stamina of
Our Players . Essentially WE are currently
Reaping the spoiled neglected fruits of
those in the governance of Cricket .

I will always insist in this Forum , that
at the juncture when England limited Overseas Players from Playing Cricket in
England . An Opportunity existed for the
Board to form a a Regional Pro or Semi Pro
League .

At that juncture Our Players & Team as I
have continuously stated in this Forum ,
Our Players & Team were the Best in the
World . I honestly believe , that those in the governance of Cricket in the Region , would have been able to get Financial Sponsors ; to form a Pro or Semi Pro League . They did nothing .

Now I have absolutely no doubt that had
they done something , currently the Stamina of Our Players in all Formats of the game , but especially in the longer versions would not only be great , but their Intestinal Fortitude would surpass
the level of other International Teams
ranked above our Team .

The Future depends on whether , those currently in the governance of Cricket
have come to this realization . The PCL
is a start , but it is 30 freaking years
late . Knowing the WICB's Track Record ;
there aint no guarantee that the PCL is
going to be here 5 years from now .

In reply to POINT
Point yuh still digging? Stop reading all this crap, and believing it. No other cricket playing team is drawn from separate countries.
Money is at heart of your " Intestinal Fortitude ". Money, pure and simple. All the other teams in the ICC top tier have better infrastructure,more resources, and more participation from their population. The WI situation is similar to the US soccer situation. The best athletes in the US are playing the money sports. Baseball,football,basketball.
These writer can write all the shit they want but they were shitting bricks when the score was 202/2. We gave them the game so they wouldn't turn off their tv's or whateva, plus we have to keep ICC subsidy going. Half the regulars weren't there and they were shitting bricks.

In reply to POINT

The PCL is 30 years late because WICBC did not have the kind of money to run a pro league. Now with a much wider revenue stream including the huge TV deals the can afford it. So basically, from a financial perspective they are only about 3 to 5 years late. You have to be realistic. It was even difficult to pay the players 30 years ago.

In reply to Stumpoff

I am really annoyed , by those who deliberately discard the fact that I have
continuously stated " A REGIONAL PRO OR SEMI PRO LEAGUE ".

Now your assertion about being only 3 to 5 years late is nonsense , and that is
putting it mildly . Apart from the money , my estimate is that it is going to take about 20 years for our Players to get to the top ; obviously that is if the effort
to get them to the top is sustained financially & if they play lot more matches in all the versions of the game .


Always , I have stated the fact that when England limited the number of Overseas Players from Playing Cricket in England ,
Those in the governance of Cricket in the Region could have easily formed a Regional
Pro or Semi Pro League .

At that juncture , our Players & Team were
the best in the World . So there is no excuse why a Regional Pro or Semi Pro League could not be formed .

Financial Sponsors love being associated
with Winners , and our Players & Team
were Winners . It is Good for their Business .

It was the Incompetence & lack of Foresight & Vision by those in the governance of Cricket then & now that is
largely responsible for the Lack Stamina
in all aspects of the game , and is largely responsible for the lack of
the Intestinal Fortitude of our Players .

Let me once again state the fact that if
WE want our Players to improve then MONEY
must be spent . Obviously thirty plus
years ago the cost would not be as high as it will have to be now .

It is asinine to conclude & suggest that
Our Players who are playing less Cricket
than their Competitors on Teams ranked above our Team will win matches , against
those Teams ; particularly in the longer versions of the game .

In reply to billydred

The question is how much money is being
put into Matches at the Regional level , to bring our Players to be on par with other International Players .

The point I am making is this ; unless our
Players play more matches at the Regional Level , they will never ever get to the top . It is that freaking simple .

Now it is up to those in the governance of Cricket in the Region to make this happen
if their goal is to try using halfway measurers , it aint going to work .

Look I have stated several times in this Forum , that I am unaware of any impediments that prevents the WICB from
seeking Financial Help from potential Sponsors . Unless of course , Potential
Sponsors do not like How the WICB operates .
This is mere speculation on my part , but if the WICB cannot persuade potential
Sponsors , to come on board , then the
WICB only has itself to blame .

I really dont think that the WICB helped
its Image , when it Recklessly abandoned
the Tour to India without an iota of care or concern about the fact that it placed the BCCI in serious Financial Straits .
Essentially the WICB seriously wounded
itself by its behaviour regarding the
Tour to India .

In reply to CaribbeanCricket.com
We are ignoring a simple, embarrassing fact. These West Indian cricketers do not have the mental ability to stand up to test cricket. Simply put, they are dunces. Yes, they may win a 20/20 game or even an ODI because all you are required to do in these shorter versions of the game is yam at the ball. It requires no strategy, no thinking, no mental ability, just physical brute force. That is the only way these West Indian cricketers can approach a game of cricket.
Just look at how these so-called batsmen went out there and just threw the bat at the ball in an "if a ketch it" fashion. That was their approach at a time when patience, intelligence and skill were required. Maybe they have a little of the third requirement, but the first two are non existent, especially the second one.
Our only consolation is that everything is cyclical. Some day in the distant future, if there is still a West Indies team, we might come full circle and find ourselves with some cricketers who possess the intelligence and skill that will once again take us to the pinnacle of the cricketing world. Let's hope!

In reply to rhatid

How do players on Teams acquire Stamina ;

Mental & Physical ??

Do they buy it in a Store ?

Can it be obtained from taking a Pill ??


I have explained all this ,in my threads ,
if you read them slowly , you should be able to understand what must be done , to acquire Stamina .

Look at James Anderson , he has the ability to bowl long spells , so do the other English Bowlers .

Their Batsmen can concentrate for long ours at the Crease . Their Fielders are always alert . One thing I know for sure
they did not buy their Stamina in a Store .

In reply to CaribbeanCricket.com

It is very interesting that when You click
on the full Article entitled " The Roll -
Over Factor in West Indies Cricket ";
in the Stabroek News , there is a section entitled " Related Content ", there are a
Series of Articles .

At the very top , there is a link to an
article entitled :

" CARICOM LEADERS SHOULD ACT

TO SAVE WEST INDIES CRICKET "


This article is dated August 26 , By Staff
Writer 5 . Now this article was written
nearly 5 years ago . The author cited 5 things . Of the five that were listed , number 1 & 5 were the essential parts of
the article . Number 2 ; 3; & 4 are perhaps not relevant now . However 1 & 5
are certainly still relevant today .

I find it very interesting that today , nearly 5 years later , nothing has changed ; like the Character in the book :

" ALICE IN WONDERLAND " WE are Running
very fast , but are still standing in the
same place , nearly 5 years after the
Author of the article called for CARICOM
to intervene in Cricket . The article
deserves to be read by all in this Forum .