...in the Caribbean with a number of people calling for an end to the West Indies cricket team as such, and each country standing alone. The thought opens up a complete new can of worms for the ICC, and may well be the catalyst that inadvertently brings change, if and when it comes to pass.
The initial outburst came from Trinidad several weeks ago, but this week another spokesperson in Jamaica has joined the bandwagon, largely on the back of another poor performance by the West Indies “Defence Force” against Bangladesh.
Just what this might imply for Cricket Ireland is another story, but William Porterfield and his rising stars would certainly fancy their chances against any Caribbean country these days, as cricket in the islands has been on a steady decline for over two decades.
The West Indies cricket team is an unusual dimension in any sport, let alone cricket, given that it is an amalgamation of a number of Caribbean islands and South American countries that have no other formal bond. Admittedly there are economic and political meetings under a Caricom banner, but within this medium, each country has very clear sovereignty and independent identity that is jealously protected. Each country also has its own currency, government and constitution, and dare we say, its own football teams, hockey teams, athletics teams, and so on. The unification of the region under a cricket banner is a one-off, and while it has served the region magnificently for almost 100 years, perhaps it has outlived its value and importance?
Many of the calls for change have been borne out of frustration from within a community that has loved cricket with a passion from generation to generation. In the early days of West Indies cricket the ability of cricketers in the Colonies to unite and compete against their colonial overlords was a big motivation, and when the great West Indian teams assumed international supremacy in cricket, the region took immense pride from their achievements. Sporting dominance manifest itself in all sorts of ways, not least in economic terms, and the evolvement of tourism as the major industry in the region, brought prosperity and improved living conditions.
But all that has soured in the last twenty years, much to the chagrin of not only the Caribbean people, but to the great players of yesteryear who have watched in horror at the way the modern players have become pre-occupied with remuneration, and how the West Indies Cricket Board has been totally inept in moving with the times, either on or off the field. The current impasse is nothing new to West Indies cricket, as the relationship has never been great, and down through the years there has been plenty of bias and distrust when some island’s interests were in the ascendancy. Also absent is the unifying force of a great leader on the field; a Frank Worrell, Garry Sobers, Clive Lloyd or Vivian Richards, as recent incumbents of the West Indies captaincy have been a bigger part of the problem that the solution.
Just how a new era could be accommodated within international cricket remains to be debated, but it does raise the profile of a divisional test structure and that can only be good for the aspirations of countries like Ireland, Scotland and Kenya. There is no doubt the stronger islands could all compete against the lesser test nations, but how far they could rise up the ladder is speculation. However, looking back in history there was a time when Barbados had a stronger team than the West Indies team, and even inter-island matches in the sixties and seventies were high standard. However, the players involved were world class, and that’s certainly not the case today.
Clarence Hiles
Editor
