The Crisis of West Indies Cricket

With each passing day, it is becoming clear what is ailing West Indies cricket. It is simply not just the indiscipline of players, the lack of batting skills required at the test level or the question of leadership. It is a combination of these factors and a now discernible crisis in the primary institution which is supposed to regulate the game in this region. Let me see if I can explain what I mean.

While we have concentrated on the technical and other reasons for the succession of defeats we have suffered, especially after 1994, very few West Indians have paid attention to what might be an important source of our woes. I am referring to the organisation that is responsible for the administration and development of cricket, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB).

Within recent times the WICB has presided over a number of situations which have been nothing short of disastrous for the game. A particular example comes to mind: it is the unpleasant situation that occurred just before the beginning of the South African tour of 1998. Anyone who has read Courtney Walsh?s biography "Heart of a Lion" would know that the elements which led to this crisis had been there for a long time and had been ignored by the WICB. In fact, Walsh implies that over time the WICB was prepared to engage in acts of deception in order to deny the players their particular rights and privileges. It took a strike to bring some sobriety to the approach of the Board to the players.

It should be recalled that the situation in question occurred during the tenure of Pat Rousseau, who is a businessman and who led us to believe that he would bring an approach to the administration of the game which was informed by particular business practices. One assumed that this meant elements of fairness, transparency and accountability. Regrettably, this was not so. For, apart from the crisis on the eve of the South African tour, the WICB under Pat Rousseau presided over such substandard administrative practices and behaviour, such as sending over-age players to a tournament, the unauthorised expenditure of funds which led to the loss of Walsh's pension, and squabbling among top officials of the Board. At the end of Rousseau's tenure it was clear that the new dispensation that was supposed to bring about important changes in the administration and the actual playing of cricket had not occurred. The ?business only? approach to the game had proved a failure. Above all, there was little accountability and little effort made to get the stakeholders to participate in the promotion and development of the game.

With the advent of a new Board under the presidency of Rev. Wes Hall, there were great hopes that changes, which could not be made under Rousseau, would happen. More than a year has gone by and it is clear that the current West Indies Cricket Board is also mired in difficulties and problems ranging from a shortage of revenue to the seeming inability to come to terms with the substantive administrative and other requirements for the hosting of the World Cup in 2007. What is more, and I speak here from personal experience, is that the Board seems to ignore the fact that it is merely a trustee for the stakeholders of the game in the region. By this I mean that it is difficult to get responses from the Board on matters which the average citizen of the region consider to be germane to the development of cricket. This Board rarely responds to enquiries. And its "Across the Board" column, which appears in regional newspapers, is unsatisfactory. It does not say much about fundamental aspects of the game or its administration

Lapses are also not explained. Tino Best, for example, was asked to postpone his departure to join the West Indies A Team in England, so that he could be considered for selection for the President's XI Match against India. He stayed; but he was surprisingly bypassed. No explanation was given.

Now let us look at another matter. Viv Richards was appointed chairman of the selectors. In the view of many, this meant that this great batsman might have a role in the development of young cricketers. In fact, this is not so. Richards can only select from the pool of players submitted to him. This is my understanding. In fact, the development of players is left to what is called the Cricket Development Officer. The current Cricket Development Officer, as far as I am aware, is not gifted as far as cricket is concerned. If I am wrong about these matters, somebody from the Board should tell me so, and they should tell me at the same time, what is the relationship between the Chairman of the Selectors and the Cricket Development Officer.

Indiscipline is such an important matter that something must be said about it. Because the WICB seems incapable or does not want to compel National Boards to insist on penalising players from the respective territories for infractions of known regulations, cricketers are led to believe that they can flout regulations and the law with impunity. This could have tragic consequences as a young A Team cricketer found out recently.

West Indies Cricket is not only riddled with indiscipline but is also increasingly facing a situation where the management of teams sent abroad seem to be unable to persuade their wards to understand the meaning and responsibility of wearing the West Indian colours. I shall say no more than to refer anyone concerned about West Indian Cricket to read the recent interviews given by the Manager of the West Indies A Team to Canada, Mr. Joel Garner, and the Coach, Mr. Gus Logie. How long can this continue?

There is a lot to be said. There could be, for example, enquiry into why coaches from outside of the region are being sought to rectify our weaknesses and improve the standard and efficiency of the game. This would take us into an important psychological which would require a wealth of detail. But such an enquiry needs to be done and will be done in the future. For the time being, I will confine myself to some of the more obvious and current issues.

Let me, however, refer to one more issue that is troubling in its implications. Recently, Carl Hooper, the Captain of the West Indies Team and the Captain of Guyana, had to speak out forcefully about the practice conditions he found in Saint Lucia in preparation for a match in the Red Stripe Bowl Limited Overs Competition. The Barbados Advocate, which conducted the interview with Carl Hooper, made this observation: "It is understood that there were no visits to St. Lucia by WICB officials prior to the Red Stripe Bowl. And when one considers that this is the first time the island is hosting the tournament, the WICB must be held even more accountable." If the WICB cannot ensure such elementary preparation at this level, how can it consider carrying out the detailed preparations which would be required for the hosting of the World Cup in 2007?

It is my view and my view alone, that an efficient, competent and organised WICB is essential to the redemption of West Indies Cricket. It is no point attacking young players for their indiscipline or their technique when the organisation appointed to preside over every aspect of the game seems to be at odds with itself. Discipline at the level of the Board will have a salutary effect on the players themselves. We have been hard on our captains and our managers and our coaches.

It is time to put the WICB under the microscope.

* Ronald Austin is a die-hard West Indies cricket fan, based in Guyana.