The Independent Voice of West Indies Cricket
We mustn't kid ourselves into believing Twenty20 cricket is a passing phase. In my view it's here to stay and will grow from strength to strength.
In Britain it's a huge hit, not least because, in Summer, people can do a full day's work, then go to the park and spend those long evenings playing in or watching a cricket match to its completion.
Guyanese left-hander Leon Johnson has been named captain of a 14-man West Indies squad for the 2006 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup. Jason Mohammed of Trinidad & Tobago is vice-captain
The squad will reassemble following the Christmas and New Year?s break on January 10, 2006 for a further five days of preparation prior to departure for Pakistan where they will play a series of warm-up matches before going on to Sri Lanka.
The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) isn't entirely happy about the way Texan billionaire Allen Stanford is going about organising his 20/20 tournament.
Stanford, who deliberately kept the WICB in the dark about plans for the $28 million tournament, has been dispatching former West Indies greats to WICB member territories to start disbursing funds, a move that has apparently irked the board.
People like to believe that the English-speaking Caribbean islands and Guyana, which make up the West Indies have - until recent years - always produced great fast bowlers.
It's actually not true. In the 1920s the likes of Learie Constantine, George Francis, George John, Herman Griffith and in the 1930s, Manny Martindale were outstanding bowlers.
Writer and commentator Fazeer Mohammed has called for Wavell Hinds to take the struggling Shivnarine Chanderpaul's place at the helm. In an article published on Cricinfo, Mohammed lays out his case for the Jamaican captain to take over, citing his captaincy experience, his ability to represent the side off the field, and his demonstrated willingness to enforce discipline.
Despite the obvious questions over Hinds' ability to hold down a spot as a player, Fazeer suggests that Wavell is the best of the available options. He also suggests that not least among Hinds' qualifications is his visible role in WIPA, which he sees as positive factor in smoothing over relations between players and management.