Where's the Urgency, WICB?

Last October, after Teddy Griffith assumed the presidency of the WICB, primary in the list of goals that he outlined was that, by June 2005, the West Indies would be one of the top three cricket playing teams in both Tests and One day competition in the world.

He also urged the West Indies players to "use the next 12 months of a very challenging schedule of international tours to cement and procure consistent winning habits and performances".

In his words, that was the criteria that he wanted to be judged on. Given the desultory performances of the West Indies team since Teddy Griffith uttered those words, one would think that Mr. Griffith's pronouncements has not filtered down to the rank and file of the WICB or that the West Indies brain trust is not inclined to show any urgency or commitment to turning the team's fortunes around.

Fast forward to June 2004 and the West Indies team has embarked on a tour to England without a bowling coach. This is eight months into Teddy Griffith optimistic timeline, and still the WICB refuses to get it right.

Consider that in the most recently completed series against Bangladesh, the West Indies bowlers could not bowl on one side of the wicket, or land their front foot behind the crease when delivering. With Fidel Edwards looking less and less like a strike bowler with every outing, and Tino Best still tending to spray the ball around, the West Indies will have to depend on Pedro Collins to spearhead the attack, along with the returning Jermaine Lawson.

In his only outing against Bangladesh, Lawson was nowhere near the bowler he was against Australia, albeit he is still working out the kinks of bowling with a remodeled action. With the experienced Mervyn Dillon and Corey Collymore seemingly so far out of favor that a Nixon McLean recall seems a greater likelihood, it is almost certain that the West Indies bowling attack will be a relatively inexperienced one.

Therefore, it was shocking to hear WICB CEO Roger Braithwaith announce that the West Indies would not employ the services of a bowling coach because, "Gus Logie had not asked for one."

Say what?!? Is this the team that lost three to nothing against England? Even though they managed to bowl out England more often than not, many times they had England on the ropes and just could not close the deal. Were it not for the fact that Andy Roberts couldn't bear to see his beloved West Indies whitewashed in his native Antigua and contrived to produce a shirt front of a wicket, the record of avoiding white washes at home would have gone the way of our recent cricketing fortunes -- south!

Make no mistake, there is a Guyanese proverb that states, "wha' miss yuh ent pass yuh" and England, as can be judged by their recent clinical dismantling of New Zealand, is clearly on the ascendancy, while the West Indies continues to drift like a rudderless ship, not withstanding President Griffith's grand pronouncements.

In addition, rest assured that no pitch curator in England will be as charitable as Andy Roberts. I suppose a whitewash administered at the Oval would have less of an impact than say if it happened live and in living color at the Antigua Recreational Ground.

Our most recent opponents Bangladesh, even with Dav Whatmore capably filling the role as coach, hired Owen Mottau as a specialist batting coach, and brought in Michael Young and Trevor Chappell to assist in their fielding. The results were palpably obvious when time and again the Bangladesh lower order were able to hold off the West Indies bowlers and build valuable partnerships, something that the West Indian tail has not done in a very long time.

So it's off to England we go, sans a bowling coach and with a coach and captain who don't often see eye to eye, even though Brian Lara, when asked about the relationship between him and Gus Logie said, "Our relationship has improved 100%." Does that mean that there was no relationship between the two?

Did Teddy Griffith know that his grand plan to return the West Indies to previous glories by 2005 was in such grave danger, as his captain and coach not seeing eye to eye? Did any alarm bells ring at Factory Road when the captain in a fit of pique and curiously self-flagellating histrionics claimed that he would resign if the West Indies couldn't beat Bangladesh after five days of cricket?

As June 2005 quickly approaches, one is left to wonder what Teddy Griffith will do should his self appointed goals not be met. Brian Lara managed to save his job, but can he help Teddy Griffith save face?