ICC Champions Trophy: Why West Indies absence could become the norm
AS the eight leading ODI nations convene for the ICC Champions Trophy, one side is conspicuous by its absence.
Over the next two and a half weeks, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka will do battle in world cricket’s second most prestigious 50-over tournament.
But missing the party are West Indies, ranked only ninth in the ODI standings.
The game in the Caribbean has been on the slide for a number of years – gone are the glory days of Malcolm Marshall, Viv Richards, Curtly Ambrose and Brian Lara – as the row between the nation’s cricket board and its star players continues to undermine the fortunes of the team.
Winners of the first two editions of the World Cup in 1975 and 1979, the Windies were the standard-bearers of limited-overs cricket following its inception, but their absence from this year’s Champions Trophy is the culmination of a slow and steady decline.
Since the retirement of their last superstar Lara in 2007, West Indies have struggled – without success – to produce a side capable of challenging the traditional powers in both the Test and ODI arenas.