Wes Hall, Where is Your Spine?

It is no coincidence, I am sure, that the indiscipline within the West Indies cricket team has grown in direct proportion to the team's inability to compete in international cricket. How can you expect a man who lacks the ability to follow simple instructions and abide by simple, clear rules to be able to conduct himself as a professional on the field?

You cannot.

And yet, when the team management makes a decision to act and make an example of one of the most junior members of the squad, they are immediately undermined by the very office that should be supporting them.

The details of the latest infractions are completely irrelevant. What is important is that we have a group of young men who are being paid to travel to India and play cricket. Some of this group seem to have other priorites and steps need to be taken to reverse this behaviour. This has gone on too long, from Brian Lara's well-chronicled undermining of Richie Richardson to Marlon Samuels and Merv Dillon out on the town in India while their side loses dramatically.

In my opinion, the team management did the right thing by telling young Samuels to pack his bags and get out. However even if they were wrong, they should have been supported in their decision by the WICB and by Wes Hall personally. Instead they were blatantly undermined and now stand stripped of any credibility before the players. Please, don't let me see any surprised faces if there are resignations tendered after the double whitewash.

Here is the message sent out to the young players: "Turn up those collars boys. Do as you please, because when you are on tour you are untouchable, far away from any authority."

Anyone need to be reminded what our overseas record is? Anyone care to guess why?

When Hall assumed office, we the fans were promised greater accountability and more transparency. While I am at a loss to find the accountability the transparency must be the fact that we can see right through this administration. It seems pretty clear that the only reason such an intervention would be made is from fear of public backlash in the Caribbean. How did we get such a spineless administration?

In their "Across the Board" column a month ago, the board proclaimed: "The WICB will have to take some hard and, maybe, unpopular decisions to stamp out the infelicities creeping into our cricket and threatening to railroad the hard work of those who have built West Indies cricket with their blood, sweat and tears."

Talk, talk, and more talk. All the respect for Wes Hall that I have had through the years has evaporated. All I see now is a useless administrator desperately trying to sweep more garbage under the carpet.

I am told that the WICB is a private company and can manage its affairs as it pleases. If that is the case, then perhaps they can remove my beloved 'West Indies' from their name. Perhaps they could change it to Caribbean Clowns Incorporated, or maybe Hall's Cricket Circus.

* John Richardson is a West Indies fan and CaribbeanCricket.com columnist based in Canada.