Of Injuries and Investments

With the news that fast bowling prospect Jermaine Lawson is facing the better part of a year in remedial work comes the question of how the young man will earn a living in the meantime. While the WICB is covering the costs of his Australian jaunt, and has taken care of similiar work already done in the Caribbean, there is still the issue of bread on the table.

Certainly we have made progress since the days of Michael Holding, when a long term injury meant the end of a career, but there is still some way to go in ensuring that players do not get lost by the wayside. In fact, ensuring that talented young players are taken care of is vital in attracting good players back to the sport.

As it stands, Lawson is looking at next year's English tour of the Caribbean before he can realistically hope to be able to earn any sort of living from playing cricket. One wonders if he is weighing his options, given the hard road trodden by Reon King, Ian Bishop, and many others before them. Lawson's match-winning haul against the Aussies is still fresh in our collective memory, but how many will still be thinking of him next year in England, or when we travel to Australia?

What is required is a means for young players to be able to maintain an income when they fall outside the inner circle of centrally contracted players, but remain in the loop of West Indies cricket. While it must be recognised that the WICB does not have the financial resources to fund such an undertaking itself, the board does have the administrative resources and the experience required to manage it and locate the required financing.

Some sort of a co-op placement system could be devised, whereby a corporate entity sponsors a player during their rehabilition or for a certain period while they fall outside of the umbrella of selection. In exchange for paying a salary -- it doesn't need to be exorbitant -- a company could gain a higher profile in the region and utilise the transferrable skills of a player while he is out of the loop.

At a minimum, such a player could act as a spokesman for his sponsor, but most of these young men can offer a range of services to their patron.

It's a win-win-win situation - the WICB keeps a promising asset in the system, the sponsor gets publicity and an employee, and a young cricketer has an opportunity to develop as a player and a person. Even WIPA - the militant players' union - can find no just cause for complaint if their constituency gains some economic power through a system like this.

Governments can do their share in this by offering the usual incentives to the private sector. West Indies cricket goes at least as far as Caricom in promoting common ground in the regional which in turn means stronger economies. Add another win, for regional economies, if Caribbean cricket regains any of its former stature.

Of course all this seems pretty simple, but it will take some initiative and real leadership to bring something like this from conjecture to a reality. It is to be hoped that when the current vacancies at the WICB senior level are filled, we will have those qualities in the people empowered to make a difference.

Without an investment in the youth, there will be no future. This truth is self evident, and the new guard is charged with making that investment, starting with Jermaine Lawson.