“West Indies cricket – Without respect for our game, only the strong will survive!”

May 01, 2011 Sports

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Colin E. H. Croft

You may think that I am crazy.  Join the club.  On principle, I agree with West Indies Cricket Board Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Ernest Hiliare, who suggested; “no man is bigger than the game.”  Very true!
While many might still have tremendous acknowledgements in West Indies cricket folklore, George Headley, Brian Lara, Viv Richards, Malcolm Marshall, Frank Worrell, Wes Hall, Clyde Walcott, just a few of the more illustrious cricketers produced here, are no longer playing. Some are even dead!
Yet, that glorious game that West Indies entered back in 1928 still continues on. The man is correct!
One wonders, though, what will happen to cricket, especially pertaining to West Indies, even as players of much lesser ability, and no real grounding in the game, or its history, take positions.  Good cricket is not dead, not after ICC CWC 2011, as it seems far out of reach of our futile efforts here in the Caribbean.
As the saying goes; “before you make plans to go forward, you must know where you have come from!” Given the utterances flying back and forth over the last few weeks, most seem not to know that at all!
The first time that I heard that comment from a WICB person was from Jeffrey Stollmeyer, former West Indies captain, and, from 1974, WICB President.  He uttered those words, in 1977, when most of West Indies team had signed up for World Series Cricket – Kerry Packer’s cricket – and were promptly banned!
Sir Clyde also uttered same when the rest of us, including me, in 1978, also signed up with WSC.
Yet, gallingly for them, surely, they were both proved incorrect. History will show that players were actually bigger that the West Indian game in 1979, for as much as WICB would have liked not to have us back at all, they had to ‘rehire’ us, as West Indies were defending 1975 ICC World Cup Champions.
There was no way that our ‘2nd team’ then, good as they were, certainly better than the 1st team that we now have, would have been sent to represent us, and, more particularly, defend that initial win.  We won ICC CWC 1979 too, with the full, reconstituted team.  Player power does sometimes overcome!
These days, there is no such demarcation.  All of West Indies cricketers are so average that it is like ‘six of one, half dozen of the next!’ Who is selected makes no difference. The results are still the same!
Anyway, let us divert here somewhat, even if the references are quite relevant. At least, I think so!
If you are a man, or a woman, for that matter, of that certain age, you must know “The Queen of Soul”, that lady who likes to cook, and to eat most of what she cooks, and to sing, beautifully; Aretha Franklyn.
If you do not, you would have seen her belt out “My country ‘tis of thee” on a cold, spring morning in 2008, ushering in President Barack Obama’s first term to office.  People still talk about that rendition!
But, Aretha is known mostly for her 1967 mega No. 1 hit “R-E-S-P-E-C-T”. That is now a world anthem!
Another great hit, “Only the strong survive” was originally done, in 1968, by another soul singer, Jerry Butler, and was made even more popular, and forever prudent, by both Elvis Presley and Billy Paul.
Without real respect, both given and received, regardless of the entity, atmosphere, environment or industry, only the very strong will survive. That is why so much of what is revered in West Indies cricket is dying, or has already died. There is no respect for our game, not from authorities, or from players!
Let us take the stalwart players identified in the she-bang that has hit the fan in West Indies recently. For their efforts alone, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan deserve much greater respect from all involved in West Indies cricket. They too have done their best representing us.
Chris Gayle – 91 Tests:  (batting) 6373 runs – h/s 333 – avg. 41.65; (bowling) 72 wickets; 228 ODI’s: (batting) 8087 runs – h/s 153 no – avg. 39.06; (bowling) 156 wickets.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul – 129 Tests: (batting) 9063 runs, h/s 203 no, avg. 48.98; 268 ODI’s, 8778 runs, h/s 150, average 41.60.
Ramnaresh Sarwan – 83 Tests:  (batting) 5759 runs – h/s 291, avg. 41.73; (bowling) 23 wickets.  166 ODI’s:  (batting) 5400 runs – h/s 155 no, avg. 43.20; (bowling) 16 wickets.
With these statistics, these three should get better treatment than they have had. Not only have they endured a torrid time, almost always in a losing combination since joining the team, but they have improved well enough over time to be our best present day cricketers. They deserve much better!
While I would also agree with Dr. Hilaire that even with their input, West Indies has been losing very regularly, it is not the fault of Chanderpaul, Gayle and Sarwan, given the numbers above, that we have lost so often. No man is an island, and also, no cricket team can be made up of only three players!
Superimpose present team senior West Indies cricketers into the equation, and the façade is poorer.
Dwayne Bravo has become a full ‘show pony’; almost a fraud. His batting has become tail-ender-like, as all he does now is swipe meaninglessly, as if he thinks that his so-called aura will make runs. As the Antiguans would say; ‘it nah wuk so, Jack!’ Application and understanding are necessary here!
His bowling has also gone further to pot. Indeed, it is verging so that Dwayne Bravo should not even bowl at all, as he is too expensive, experimental and expansive; hence so many useless giveaway runs!
All he does nowadays is make noises, and complete antics. If you doubt me, just look at the returns for the recent ODI’s. There has been no production at all.
Please do not tell me that he is injured. If he is selected to play, then that suggests that he is fit enough to play, and to perform. If he is not fit enough to play, and perform, then he should not be selected!
Daren Sammy is similar. By now, he probably feels like a hunter who has only a tennis ball to fend off a charging elephant. Even if he hits the animal, he will be trampled. I reiterate. It is not his fault that he is where he is, but where is the respect of West Indies cricket from the people who put him there?
These incumbents cannot respect West Indies cricket enough to continue this consistent tripe!
The most disappointing aspect so far in our 2011 international season has been the press, commentators and coverage. Am I seeing the same games that they have been seeing?
To date, no-one has suggested that the cricket is so very desperately damned poor. Everyone just seems to want to be ‘politically correct’, saying whatever they think that the people in authority, or sponsorship, want to hear, hoping that it would change something. Fantasy does not change facts!
Without the respect for, and knowledge of, our cricket and its legacy, only few will be strong survivors!
Enjoy!

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