West Indies cricket needs a complete overhaul in order to develop batsmen at the required level for Test cricket.

That’s the verdict of former Barbados and England cricketer Roland Butcher, who in a wide-ranging interview with Barbados TODAY, stated that the current system from grassroots upwards, does not lend itself to producing high-class Test batsmen. He said an examination of the batting averages of both the players in and outside the Test team painted a sorry picture.

“Until we get our first-class cricket right where batsmen are scoring heavily and demanding a play, nothing will change. If you look at someone like Mike Hussey, when he played for Australia, he had scored ten thousand first-class runs which means he had been putting runs on the board before he eventually got his chance. We do not have anyone like that. If there are players outside of the team averaging in the twenties in regional cricket, then you will stick with the players currently averaging in the twenties in Test cricket,” he said.

Read more at Barbados Today

In reply to CaribbeanCricket.com Caribbean ports of call.Cristobal ? Think the writer meant Colon. Cristobal is the port on the Pacific side. The ship would not be traversing the Canal and back, approximately 104 miles, to pick up passengers and pay the Canal fees.Passengers would take the train that runs along the Canal route.