Our Cricket is Crippled

For many West Indians, the third Test loss to England was like an admission that a son was a drunkard. We hoped and hoped that it wasn't so, but had to accept it after his third collapse, right before our eyes.

Let's get one thing straight though. England deserved to win and deserves every congratulation. It was the manner of the West Indies capitulation, however, that brings a tear to many an eye. Had there been a fight from the West Indies batsmen, we would have been more accepting of our misery.

When Australia pummeled us into the ground last year, we bore our losses bravely, because we saw some fight from the West Indies batsmen. We knew our bowling stank, and accepted that. Here, though, there is no fight. England has figured out Gayle, Lara, Sarwan and Chanderpaul, and they seem unable to adjust. And, the tail has been stuck firmly between the legs.

Not only do we have four crippled batsmen, but we also have a mentally crippled West Indies Cricket Board (WICB). Why hasn't coach Logie helped his batsmen to counter the English bowling tactics? And, if the batsmen's failures were entirely their fault, why weren't Gayle, Sarwan or Chaderpaul replaced after the first Test, or even after the second Test? Surely we could have replaced them with (Ricardo) Powell, Reifer, Campbell or others. Like with Dwayne Smith in South Africa, the opposition might have been unprepared and thrown into disarray ? even if temporarily.

As it is, Gayle, Sarwan and Chanderpaul (and even Lara to some extent) have been allowed to fail time and again, and nothing is ever done about it. In other words, they are being told, "It's okay if you guys fail. We can't replace you."

The lack of replacements is no doubt our own doing too. We have focused almost entirely on resuscitating the vaunted four-prong pace attack, but have paid no attention to our batsmen, spinners or fielding. And the results show today. We have several promising young pacers, but no new class batsman or spinner on the horizon. And, our fielding is the worst in the world today.

Lara's leadership too must be held accountable. His prima donna personality seems like the worst possible option in a rebuilding process. How can any player ever be disciplined if a different set of rules seem to exist for Lara, and even for Gayle, Sarwan and Chanderpaul? And, how can the team support staff do their work effectively if they is always a potential conflict with Lara?

We saw no changes after the terrible first Test loss, and only one exclusion (Sanford) for poor performance after the second. For many, this meant the selectors didn't see a major crisis ... only a temporary problem. Now, though, the fans have had enough and have moved beyond forgiving.

If there is no improvement or accountability, a lot will crumble and fall ... maybe even support for the game in the West Indies itself. No West Indian fan will hang around for the massacre that will surely follow in England this summer. And poor public support is bound to seriously affect the preparations for World Cup 2007.

We either shape up or ship out ... and the ship's horn is blaring loudly already ...