Ian Bishop shamelessly begging for his buddy ICM

to be given a long term contract with Bangladesh

But stayed far from any comment on Sammy

In reply to Narper

I heard that comment by Bish...

I did hear another commentator, note the dismal coaching on the CWI team.
He noted improvements must be made.

Then again, Narps, what is there to say about Sammy?
It showed in the last 3 games...didn't it.

In reply to sgtdjones


If you are going to heap praise on one coach for the all round brilliance of one team then you have to at least comment on the coach of opposing team which consistently performed very poorly in fielding, bowling and batting in the entire series.

In reply to Narper

Whether football or cricket you praise the coach of the winning team,dats how ting go.

In reply to granite

... and cuss his raas once we lose.

In reply to Narper

ice cream man is a great coach. infinitely better than sammy, pretty boy floyd or rayon griffith(west indies fielding has been abysmal under his watch)

In reply to natty_forever



Hello natty ...good to see you...

Commentators love to over analyze....they sellout WI by telling the world of our weaknesses while know nothing of our opposition

Trial by fire....

WI is the most unfortunate team in cricket having to endure the loss of players to franchise cricket on every tour.....mind you that's our most competitive player we keep losing

In reply to Wasp

It’s a thought-provoking and passionate perspective you’ve shared, and it raises many valid points about the state of cricket in the West Indies compared to other nations like New Zealand. Over the years, the West Indies' decline has been a topic of much debate, and it seems to stem from a mixture of systemic issues rather than pure misfortune.

First, the notion of opponents leveraging commentary or external insights to strategize against the West Indies speaks more to how predictable or exposed the team's weaknesses may have become. Teams at the top level often study their rivals meticulously, but when a team like the West Indies has struggled for decades without a clear turnaround strategy, it becomes easier for opponents to exploit those vulnerabilities.

I will mention New Zealand’s transformation, and that’s a great case study. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, New Zealand cricket was far from the powerhouse it is today. They were often seen as underdogs, but their cricket board took deliberate, strategic steps to overhaul their system. This included investing in domestic cricket, improving player pathways, and fostering a culture of accountability and professionalism. Players like Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, and Trent Boult emerged from a system that was designed to nurture talent and sustain excellence. Importantly, the board also managed its finances prudently, ensuring that players were adequately compensated, which helped maintain loyalty and focus.

Now, when it comes to the West Indies, the situation feels much more fragmented. The lack of a clear, documented, and consistently implemented plan for player development and financial stability has been a glaring issue. While there have been sporadic efforts, such as the Cricket Professional League (CPL) introduced to bolster regional cricket, these initiatives often lack the long-term commitment and infrastructure needed for sustained success.

Moreover, the relationship between the West Indies Cricket Board (now Cricket West Indies) and its players has historically been fraught with disputes over pay, contracts, and governance. This has led to key players opting for lucrative T20 leagues instead of prioritizing international duties. The irony New Zealand players coming back to tour is striking—because it highlights the stark contrast in how their system fosters loyalty and ensures that their best players are consistently available for national duty.

As for when the “misery” began, many point to the late 1990s and early 2000s as the turning point. The West Indies’ dominance in the 1970s and 1980s was built on a combination of raw talent, strong leadership, and a fiercely competitive domestic structure. However, as other nations professionalized their systems, the West Indies lagged behind. The decline of regional cricket, poor administration, and the rise of financial incentives in global T20 leagues all contributed to the erosion of their cricketing dominance. Did any other board suffer the same?

Ultimately, the key difference between New Zealand and the West Indies lies in the willingness to adapt and evolve. New Zealand recognized its shortcomings and took proactive steps to address them. The West Indies, on the other hand, appear to have been stuck in a cycle of mismanagement and short-term thinking, which has prevented meaningful progress.

Perhaps the question now is: will Cricket West Indies finally take a page out of New Zealand’s book and commit to a long-term, cohesive strategy?
Or will they continue to rely on the occasional flash of individual brilliance to paper over the cracks?
Time will tell, but after three decades of decline, the urgency for change has never been greater.

In reply to Jumpstart

If he was so great, what would his winning ratio be as coach of CWI?
Alex Ferguson, Phil Jackson, Vince Lombardi and Scotty Bowman were great coaches.
Sammy is new at coaching. He should work his way up the ladder. There seems to have been a trend since the Leeward and Windward CWI presidents to show the people in the combined Islands that they are replacing a wrong.
I have a problem with the DOC; no previous experience, Sammy has given HC every format without having previous coaching experience.

In reply to openning

he had terrible personnel. its not simmons fault that the one batsman then averaging over 40, darren bravo, was exiled for almost three years, its not his fault kraigg and shai could not lift their averages above 35(in shai's case, 30), is not his fault the selectors somehow thought RTN was a test cricketer. And as we saw with the 2016 wt20, when he had a good team, we won matches and tournaments. Immediately after the wt20, we came second in the 50 over tri-series with sa and australia, again on the backs of good players being selected: narine took a 6-for in the 1st game against SA, Pollard scored a half century in that game as well, Both Bravo jr and Samuels scored hundreds versus SA and Australia respectively, and Ramdin scored a 90 something versus Australia. Shannon gabriel took 3/17 in a five over burst against SA(taking out de kock, AB and Faf) to qualify us for the final. If you're thanking holder for that, when the side was stripped and simmons fired for asking for bravo and pollard to be selected fort the Pakistan series in UAE immediately following this, WI were humiliated. No quackery yuh posting will change that

In reply to Narper

Ian Bishop portrays a saintly roll as a commentator, always noncommitting about anything, his rhetoric is sickening

In reply to Jumpstart


It is good to see Simmoms involved in the game and not sitting and waiting for intervals; he is not a great coach.
The coaches I listed are winners and produced many Hall of Fame athletes.

In reply to openning

fergie had beckham, yorke and cantona at various points in his caree, plus CR7 among others. Phil Jackson had the greatest basketball player in history, plus pippin, rodman(who was already a legend with detroit), plus kobe, shaq etc. Simmons had in the batting department(and we are taking the 2015 test series down under as a sample): kraigg, shai, blackwood,warrican, holder, rtn(who was promoting breast cancer day and the pink test as well), ramdin and darren bravo. Samuels was there as well. kraigg, shai and blackwood do not and have never averaged over 40, which is the generally accepted rubric for consideration as a good batsman. The only man on that tour who had a career avg over 40 until that point was Darren bravo, and he scored a hundred and a 80 something on that tour. Denesh ramdin scored two half centuries, in what would be his final test series as a wi test player batting at. this is the team that motivated Mark Nicholas to call the team short of brains. Like DJ, sarwan and Gayle before them, both would be out of WI colors within a year's time in tests

personally i think this part of his apology and his apology in general was a mask for what i think is deeply rooted racism(if his daughter wants to marry a black man, it might probably come out in its nasty glory; claiming Maco as his best friend was akin to see i have black friends too and thus further entrenched my suspicions)) but Holder's teams(he was captain both during the world cup and that visit down under) gave him the ammunition and it was so poetic that he 1) did not play a single game and 2) had no role in any decision making despite being officially the vice captain for the tournament. There is only so much a coach can do. If the players are of poor quality, then he's doomed. If they're barely or not of international standard, worse yet

In reply to Jumpstart

Dude, I would stop if I were you.
Name two great T&T batsman.
Name one great T&T bowler.

League cricket is not international cricket, stick with the IPL.

In reply to Jumpstart

Shai, KB and Carlos cause the ICM being an avg coach, but Bravo, Pollard, Rampaul and the Angel performed excellent and therefore will be remembered as great cricketers who records promoted the ICM to coaching the no1 team in world cricket.
Did I miss anything.

In reply to tc1

I was shocked to see a Barbadian youngster contracted by the Redforce in this year's CPL, knowing T&T has the best players in the region.

In reply to openning

Our structure is the issue, yuh jus' have to be active in a n affiliate (regional) board of CWI to be at the top of the pecking order for positions. Who thinks that the real reason for say A Franklin Stephenson never being considered fir any coaching position or consultancy is his rebel background think again

In reply to openning

Jumpy gone silent.

In reply to openning

I could name one that is better than every bajan batsman save gary sobers

In reply to Jumpstart

I will put Everton Decoursey Weekes five consecutive test tons to Lara's two test records any day of the week.
The 3 w's records
Weekes Test 58.61 FC 55.34
Walcott Test 56.68 FC 56.55
Worrell the diplomat Test Test 49.45 FC 54.24

Lara Test 52.88 FC 51.88

The best Aussie who is respected by his country, Bradman Test 99.94 FC 95.14

This Barbadian has a better test record than most T&T batsman at tet and FC

Seymour Nurse Test 47.60 FC 43.93

In reply to openning


......everton never score a century down under and you putting him above Brian.....clearly you're drunk

In reply to Jumpstart

I don't drink stopped a year ago,.
Have you ever seen Sir Everton's bat?
I put his stats as a reference, I don't care which batsman anyone puts up, No one matches Everton Decourcey Weekes.
On a rain wicket, I saw this batsman make a split, two fielders in his back pocket, three slips, a silly mid-on and a silly mid-off, his left leg pointed to the bowler, right leg pointed to the keeper. butt on the ground, the ball hit the boundary board, and every fielder applauded

In reply to Wasp

Every time Bishop opens his mouth, is negativity about West Indies Cricket, and spewing every weakness, known , of every batsman, to undermine West Indies cricket. He is an unapologetic traitor.

In reply to openning

everton scored one hundred in england and none in australia...... brian lara scored at least one century every time he visited australia and only failed to not score a hundred in one english summer.........clearly you're drunk