The death of Test Cricket……

….has been grossly exaggerated.

Play attractive cricket and the crowd will come. Organize and plan your cricket with players' development in mind and you can produce great exponents of the longer format.

On the issue of play attractive cricket and crowd will come, that is a true true statement. You other statement about plan your cricket with players black black bla, don't just make the statement, tell us how.

In reply to Casper
Agree

In reply to Casper

test cricket in the west indies is dead thanks to 9 of the last fourteen years of incompetence. Sri Lanka performed very well in this years WTC cycle(up until last night, they were still theoretically in with a shot at the WTC final), so too did NZ and new zealand. pakistan had some problems but they finished strongly, beating england and being very competitive in Sa. SA is in the WTC final, the second of the non-big 3 teams to qualify for a wtc final. of the other test teams, only one is a long time icc member and they have performed extremely poorly despite the brisbane win and the success of the pace attack

Jumpy is correct. The sad fact is that none of our batsmen are worth spending a day watching. That is why the crowds do not come out. They certainly came out in the 60s and 70s when we were no more than competitive because we had world class players. Now we have no world class batsmen and perhaps only 3 international standard players in Roach, Seales and Shamar. That is why we need to re-examine the entire batting line up post Pakistan and perhaps start the new cycle with a fresh team. It makes no sense speaking of incumbents when these people are generally only able to average in the 20s in test cricket. This means that they are at the bottom of the test heap in any event so why give them the right to continue playing without having to fight with others for their place. 2025 has to be the new beginning or the complete end for WI test cricket. We simply cannot go on like this.

In reply to PalsofMine

if we had 6 chanderpauls, ppl would have still come out, because we have a very good pace attack and therefore the chance of winning is high once runs are scored. but the batting isn't only NOT exciting....it is poor in the extreme. the only people in 2024 who have played at least one innings of substance against major opposition have been hodge, da silva, holder and athanaze and none of them have approached the consistency required for international cricketers. We couldn't chase 263 against a 2nd string SA attack with three days to make it, with mootie and da silva getting us 40 runs adrift from the target after coming in at 100-5 and 106-6. of course the skipper features nowhere here

I think the West Indies will only have 3 test matches in the Caribbean in 2025, all against Australia.

If there is no others then that is the perfect opportunity to get some A series cricket in.

BS, the public devalued our cricket, even if we start producing great batsmen our public has now value American sports more than they value traditional cricket.

Imagine playing in front of 2 stray dogs and 1 cat for any period of time and see if it can motivate someone to do better.

In reply to tc1


i disagree with that. if the west indies are winning people come out.....as we saw during the 2009 series vs england.....the attendances for those series were massive, and certainly a throwback to the crowds of the 80s and 90s. You didn't get those kinds of crowds for the 201 series because even though the team won and played some excellent cricket, Dave Cameron's stewardship of West Indies cricket alienated a whole bunch of people. If cameron had lost the election before the series, there might have been bigger crowds, but he was still there and most of the Caribbean still saw him as a problem. Proof of this is that he still lost his reelection bid after a series win against major opposition.

Once the west indies is performing well, people come out. the 2009 england series crowds was a result of the work done before: first WI team to go to SA and win a test in 2007, first WI not to lose to nz in nz for 13 years in 2008, drawing 1-1 with a very good SL team that had been runners-up in the WC with murali and vaas who had usually humiliated ost of our players in 2008, winning an ODI series in england for the first time since 1984 in 2007.

The real problem is that West Indies will no longer qualify for the big league.
Let that sink in.

In reply to Jumpstart

If cameron had lost the election before the series, there might have been bigger crowds, but he was still there and most of the Caribbean still saw him as a problem.

Caribbean public don't follow CWI on the level that CC posters do and therefore are not involve with the daily affairs of the Board.
Cameron election had no effect on the crowds' sizes, come with a better argument.

In reply to Casper


Spot on! When you have the likes of shiv and Kraigg you’re better off watching paint dry. WI did not win much in the late 60s and early/mid 70s but everyone came out to see them play at home and abroad. Why? Well, a couple of reasons like Sobers, Kanhai, Freddo, Kalli, Lloyd, Rowe and company.

In reply to CricSham
What other options were available to fans in the late 60s and 70s?
I have several nephews and nieces in England and Bim; no one is interested in cricket.

Millions of West Indians went to England between the 1950s and 1970s. How many of their children took up the sport or are fans of cricket?

In reply to Casper

Thank you. I have been engrossed with Saffies vs Pakistan and this India vs Australia series. Real test cricket. Real gripping cricket each and every day. When I see India getting 5 tests I think back to our WI team being a fixture down under.

In reply to openning

If saying that makes you feel good then by all means say and do believe it.