Well, we in the Caribbean, have, over the years, watched the rise and the fall of West Indies Cricket.
To our dismay, the West Indies Cricket Team has continued to perform sporadically (having instances of success, amidst dismal failure), since 1992.
No matter how we've tried to restructure our cricket, the results have been lackluster at best.
Our recent stint in the Cricket World Cup 2007, where we finished 7th overall, highlights the failure of everyone involved with West Indies Cricket to really infuse imagination, discipline and motivation into West Indies Cricket.
Since the last three years, every time we are supposed to play in a major tournament or do a major tour, there have been disagreements between players and the West Indies Cricket Board about salary or sponsorship.
And somehow these issues have always been left unresolved up until the very last moment...so that there is a huge blowup before every major tournament or tour. The only reason why we haven't heard much about it during the Cricket World Cup 2007 is because the Caribbean is hosting the event and it would be scandalous to have these disputes occurring during these games.
I really believe that it has been a blessing in disguise for the West Indies Cricket team to have performed so poorly during the Cricket World Cup 2007...because our house really needed cleaning up!
Brian Lara, while arguably a very gifted batsman, has performed poorly as captain of the West Indies Cricket team, with 60% more losses than wins. It has been said that he has played selfishly over the years (in not allowing other batsmen to shine) and that many players lived in fear of him due to his clout on the Board and in the West Indies, in general.
(It is said that if a player had an argument with him then he would side-step them for a major tour or tournament in favour of someone who had more of a favorable impression of him.)
Well, I don't know if this is true, as I'm not associated with the West Indies Camp, but what I do know is that he didn't seem to be able to motivate the players to do their best.
And I don't put the blame squarely at Lara's feet, for I feel the entire West Indies Camp is to blame for the dismal failure of the team.
Firstly the Board, for:
1) Not insisting that a high level of performance and discipline be necessary for recruitment to and for maintaining a presence on the West Indies Cricket team.
(We've heard of these guys partying into the wee hours of the morning, just before a cricket match. We've also heard from the West Indies Team physiotherapist, Stephen Partridge, who says that the boys continue to be indisciplined in their approach to training and to their diet.
Well, this was very evident in their last game against England, as we saw a very out-of-breath Ramnaresh Sarwan, while he was only at 80 runs.)
2) Not paying the boys, based on performance. Hence their indisciplined approach to the game, and them wanting more salaries for performing dismally. (The Board has now said (on Monday, April 23,2007) that they will include a performance-based pay clause in the guys' contract...so let's see if this is actually done.)
3) Not creating the environment for West Indies Cricket to flourish. [We've been hearing about the creation of a Cricket Academy (where young cricketers could perfect their skill and learn from great West Indian players of yore), for the last 15 years, and up until now, no Academy has been formed.
Oh, we hear that former coach, Bennett King will be setting one up in a month's time...but how ironic...this guy wants to set up an Academy, just as he's on the way out of the West Indies...
Could it be that he wants to leave some legacy behind...so that when he returns to Australia, his stint as West Indies coach, won't be seen as a dismal failure?]
4) Not insisting that Board members have vision and integrity when enacting their duties.
Hence us seeing an expatriate, Allan Stanford (and not the West Indies Board), setting up 20/20 Cricket in the West Indies, to further the opportunities for the guys (both present players and players across the Caribbean region) to earn some extra money from cricket and for West Indies Cricket to get more exposure among young West Indian males.
Males who are more prone to watch and play basketball and football, due to the proliferation of these games on cable TV.
Also, us seeing questionable selections, with a bias towards the selection of team-members (not due to performance) from certain countries, like Trinidad.
4) For not empowering the coaching staff to call out and dismiss players who don't take their training regimen, seriously...this is mentioned, in more detail, below:-
Then the Coaching Staff:
1) For not having the guts to tell the guys to shape up or get out.
When the Team physiotherapist, Stephen Partridge, reports that in May 2006, the boys wanted to reduce their training regimen, due to the increase in injuries from same and that the coaching staff agreed to this, knowing full-well that if the training regime was down-graded, the boys wouldn't be able to match up against the top teams in the world...
Then I call the coaching staff cowards, or people being too concerned about being "politically correct".
They should have stood their ground and insisted that the guys diet properly and gradually increase their training, to the regimen required. And also let the Board know that if the boys refused, then they be replaced with players who were more serious about the game of cricket.
2) For being so settled into the "West Indian Way" of doing things (doing business based on friendship and not on principle; lack of vision and the beating down of people who show promise of succeeding) that they forgot why they were being employed.
3) For not speaking up sooner, when they saw that things were going wrong with the training regimen of the team. [Why are we just hearing the Team physiotherapist's Report (as mentioned above), publicly, in April 2007, when it was prepared in December 2006?]
Then the West Indies Team:
1) For failing to realize that their performance is directly related to the income they will earn from cricket.
Top teams will get crowd-support and hence high ticket sales, lucrative sponsorship deals (both as a team and individually), great TV and media-rights deals and additional revenues from down-industries...industries that depend on cricket for their survival or for extra income.
Just look at the sport of football and the brand recognition (how many people can tell you the top football teams in Europe) and equity (being able to cash in on fans being loyal to the brand) of teams like Liverpool and Manchester United and the billions of pounds/Euros ( £/€ )that these clubs can attract,as a result!
Billions which allow their top players to demand €/£100 million salaries!
2) For failing to be professionals and to take their sport seriously...as mentioned previously re them partying and their lackluster training regimen.
Also for them failing to study the art and science of cricket, so that they can be among the top players in the world.
3) For not realizing the importance of their positive performance to the Caribbean community and that they really let us down when they perform poorly. Conversely, how they make us feel proud when they do perform well.
4) For not realizing that their failure causes a persistent negative perception of the peoples and businesses of the Caribbean, as people who like to have a good time, but are dismal failures at doing business!
5) For failing to mature quickly, so that we wouldn't have a crisis now in finding a suitable captain for the team.
Hmmh!
Well enough of the criticisms.
At Girl With a Purpose blog, we want to foster constructive criticism (criticism with suggestions for improvement), so here are my recommendations for the way forward for West Indies Cricket.
1) The whole organizational structure of the West Indies Cricket Board needs to be revamped, so that they can be more effective in proliferating the playing of cricket across the region and so that:
a) The best players(based on attitude, intelligence, skill) can be selected to the West Indies Cricket team.
b) Players concerns can be addressed promptly
c) Players will play under the right conditions that foster high-performance.
d) The previously high standards of West Indies Cricket, can be maintained.
2) The entire Board should be asked to resign and should be replaced by people with vision and integrity, who can help West Indies Cricket attract US$ billions in revenue and do what's in the best interest of West Indies cricket.
3) Only the best-performing players and players with the right attitude, intelligence and discipline should be selected for the upcoming tour of England and for future places on the team.
4) Brian Lara should stay as far away from West Indies cricket as possible.
Right now (and for the next 5 years), his presence on the Board or in any other influential position in the West Indies Camp, will only serve to demotivate and distract the team.
5) The entire coaching staff needs to be replaced with Caribbean people (with international experience) who have the skills to properly train and motivate the the team to be among the top 3 teams in the world...
...People with guts, who will say and do what's in the best interest of West Indies Cricket.
6) The Cricket Academy must be set up quickly, with the right planning and personnel, with or without Bennett King.
7) The suggestions made in the Physiotherapist's Report must be taken seriously and acted upon promptly!
8) That an analyst and statistician be appointed to the team who can:
a) Benchmark the team's performance against top teams like Australia
b) Analyze the team's performance in all their matches
c) Give actionable suggestions for improvement.
9) The post of captain be one in which the captain will be limited in exercising bias in the selection of team-members.
10) There be transparency and fairness in all decisions made at the team, staff and Board Levels, so that personnel will have proof that they have been and are being, treated fairly.
11) That leadership training be mandatory for all team members and that they can all get a feel for leadership by being rotated as team captain for different tours.
12) That the knowledge, taste for success and experience of previous players, be fully incorporated into the psyche and training regimen of the current team, so that they will have a constant desire for winning and that they will have the acumen to win.
Well these are my recommendations for the way forward for West Indies Cricket...do you agree?...what do you think of the above analysis and recommendations?
Your comments are very much welcomed!
Sources include:
1) Article, "Physio's report describes fitness, training mutiny", CricketWorld.com, April 16, 2007
2) Article, "Don't blame Ken Gordon, alone , by Dale Rankin, CricketWorld.com, April 16, 2007
3) Editorial, "A flawed genius moves on", The Jamaica Gleaner, April 21, 2007
4) Article, West Indies Cricket Board Confirm King's Resignation, The Jamaica Gleaner, April 24, 2007
Gillian
