The West Indies- What can be done?

Something clearly needs to change, but what? Following their tour of Australia late last year, I had hoped they had found a new steel and determination in their cricket, and that they had something to build on, but since that tour they have been woeful. I don't even think they've won a match against a major cricket nation since then, apart from the D/L affected T20 v England.

They have talent. For the last 10 years we've been saying that they have a lot of talent, but they can never seem to put it together to get good results.

So, what can be done? New players? New coaches? The disbandment of the Windies as a team, with the Caribbean countries going it alone on the world stage?

Thoughts.

Something to think about-

http://www.cricinfo.com/westindies/content/current/story/461237.html

"Overall attitude of the players" = T20.

John Dyson and Steve Folkes - two recent Aussie WI coaching staff members - say that the Windians just have no discipline. So stroll up and have a bit of hit and giggle for 3 hours sounds about their pace these days.

T20 and its money is farking the great game.

But they're not even good at T20. Only Gayle, Bravo, and Pollard could be considered 'world class' in that form of the game.

its very frustrating for fans like myself, WIF and others fans of WI cricket

Perhaps in the intersts of competition the West Indies Test 'franchise' should become 'the Americas' ... they might be able to find 3-4 Test worthy players in Canada and the USA.

Sobers, Kanhai, and the 80's greats must have developed ulcers watching this mob.

They need a hard-arse strict captain to mould this bunch of rag-tag losers into a disciplined force. Gayle is not that guy, he doesn't GAF.

When he was copping a lot of shite in the press last tour of Oz, he showed he could change his game and attitude, but having shown he could, he quickly went back to his laissez-faire style . . . a shame really

Maybe Darren Sammy could be that sort of captain? He certainly seems to give 100% every time.

A couple of things they need to address:

Pitches - More fast bouncy wickets, for international and domestic grounds to encourage fast bowling.

Some scheme where young West Indian cricketers are encouraged to play club / county cricket in England to develop their skills.


Organisation has always been a problem in the Windies - even when the team was untouchable in the 80s I think a lot of the Administration was still shambolic, so I don't expect the politics and wrangling going on behind the scenes to end any time soon.

Bravo brothers, Pollard, Gayle, Sarwan, Taylor, Castro, Roach...

thats a lot of talent there...

The best captain in the WI is D Ganga but unfortunately he is not too good of a batsman

More leg spinners.

Most of the current generation of batsman (outside of Shiv, Gayle, Sarwan and Nash) are a write off tbh. I'm looking to the next generation players like Barath, Bravo brothers, Pollard, Braithwaite, Dowrich, Creary etc.

Fugg all this crap about intelligence etc, the first thing we need to address is physical fitness. It is about 3 years since we were able to field a full strength team and that is not bad luck but poor personal fitness levels. Whats the use of having all that talent PP mentioned if they are never fit at the same time? I really struggle watching Bernard Jr take the new ball for the West Indies!

We've got a new full time academy in place and the A tours have resumed so we are getting there behind the scenes, now we just have to wait patiently for the new generation of cricketers to pick up the slack.

Kieron Pollard has recently rejected a spot in the West Indies A team in favour of the cash on offer for playing a couple of weeks of T20 at Somerset. Oh dear.

Not defending Pollard for this move though this is what WIPA has to say about his non availability for WI 'A'.

Pollard is not among the 35 players contracted by the WICB and the players association, WIPA, has defended his move saying it would be unfair to deny him the chance to take up his county deal.

"He signed his contract with Somerset a long time before the squad was announced and he isn't contracted with the West Indies board," Dinanth Ramnarine, the WIPA president, told Cricinfo. "If he was he probably wouldn't have had a choice, but it would almost be restraint of trade to stop him going to Somerset."

So, Pollard is basically a soft target in current scenario.

Pollard could have cancelled the Somerset deal if he really wanted to. It doesn't hide the fact that he chose T20 over the chance to push his case for test selection.

I reckon this is a sign of things to come with World Cricket in general unless the T20 madness is checked.

Pollard could have cancelled the Somerset deal if he really wanted to.

I'm not really aware about his deal with Somerset. So can't comment on it. But if the terms and conditions of the contract allowed him to do so, he should've played for WI 'A'.

Anyways, don't all domestic leagues allow you to represent your country first?

Yes. Numerous times players have been signed by counties only to change their plans when called up for national duty.

And wasn't Dwayne Bravo quoted as saying that The West Indies was third on his list of priorities after Trinidad and Tobago and the Mumbai Indians?

That probably explains WI's dire record during last decade or so.

Henry wrote:Pollard could have cancelled the Somerset deal if he really wanted to. It doesn't hide the fact that he chose T20 over the chance to push his case for test selection.

He doesn't look test material, at least at this juncture. You can see why he's cashing in on his attractiveness to T20 franchises.

Give Sarwan the captaincy - and hide Crystal's ganja.

PS Nice juncture jugs Red.