Thursday 1st March 2007
Clarence Hiles reports from the Caribbean...
Not a ball bowled yet but there's plenty of heat here with the news that West Indian legend Courtney Walsh has added his tuppence worth to Michael Holding's criticism of the involvement of the 'minnows' in the World Cup.
Where do these guys come from?
Barely a few months ago the same big Courtney was in Belfast on PR work encouraging local fans to come to his homeland for the World Cup first round matches! He's certainly not wearing a Jamaican tourism hat with these comments, and really if we are all going to have a little snipe here and there, why have World Cup matches in cities like Kingston with such a dreadful crime rate?
The trouble with some so-called celebrities is that they can't see any further than themselves, and when it comes to the bigger picture and the overall development of cricket across the world, they aren't particularly interested. Holding is a renowned critic and no stranger to controversial remarks, but Walsh has long been seen as a visionary figure who did a lot to bring the West Indian team together in his reign as captain.
The comments didn't go down well with Scotland's Gavin Hamilton who has been adjusting to Caribbean life here in Barbados in preparation for next week's warm-up games. Former England player Hamilton said he was 'amazed' at the comments and how narrow-minded they were in the interests of developing the game across the globe.
Better news elsewhere from Pakistan, with the 'withdrawal' of Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif with 'niggling' injuries. Spokesman for the Pakistan Cricket Board Pervez Mir went public immediately and said; "This has nothing to do with doping."
Now, who would ever have thought that?
