At the end of the last Red Stripe Bowl I had reason to be
justifiably and
harshly critical of the Jamaica Cricket Association for the
poor manner in which it had managed Zone A of that tournament.
Having covered the first two days of the fourth round Carib Beer
Series match between Guyana and the Leeward Islands at the Enmore
Community Centre I am beginning to think that I will have to once
again beat my keyboard in protest against the ridiculously
substandard hosting of at least one aspect of the game. This time
of course it is the Guyana Cricket Board that will come under
fire.
The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) is pouring cold water on a
U.K. newspaper report claiming the controversial levy on tickets
sold in the U.K, Europe and Ireland has been lifted.
Chief executive officer Roger Brathwaite issued a statement on
Wednesday to debunk a Daily Telegraph report that an
"unexpected concession" by the WICB would make sales to all
nationalities available at face value later this month.
Despite the West Indies' perennial failures with bat and ball,
there is one aspect of their game that is so far below standard
that it would shame even a club cricketer. It is probably the one
area of the game most easily improved with some coaching and
regular practice, but the fielding of recent West Indian teams is
at best, pathetic.
The more you hear from South African captain Graeme Smith, the
more likely you are to feel the man is a cry cry baby. Every time
his team is on the losing end, South Africa's biggest cry cry baby
begins to bellyache.
Firstly, it was bad umpiring decisions which cost his team the
series against Pakistan last year. Smith went out on a limb to
pound the umpiring in the series, calling for the third umpire to
have a greater say in close decisions.
Roger Harper was the main speaker at the Third Annual Award
Ceremony of the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC), which was held on the
20th December last. Fluently, he made his case for an improvement
for West Indies cricket. He detailed several elements which could
ensure that this would happen, but in particular he specified the
need for an improvement in the game at the club level; "the bedrock
of West Indies Cricket."
