Do West Indian cricket people watch international cricket?

Dear Editor,

(STABROEKNEWS)Mr Findlay’s comments on WI not making the cut for the Champion`s Trophy, “We have only ourselves to blame because we haven’t been playing good cricket,” represent one of those statements that is true but not helpful. Sometimes when I read or hear comments by West Indian cricket people I wonder whether they watch international cricket when the West Indies is not involved. I just finished watching Australian batsmen perform in the third Ashes test as ineptly as one can imagine, after a game about 10 days ago when they so dominated England that the latter’s fans wondered whether they should even be playing the Australians. In the first game of the recent series against the Australians, it was the Australian tail that saved them in the first match, and in the second, the WI bowler and batsman who had done best in the first match did not play, and a bunch of inexperienced players represented the WI. Bangladesh recently beat both India and South Africa in one day series in Bangladesh.

What is clear to anyone who would just pay attention is that there is not much to choose between international teams today. The main reason that WI teams do not do as well as other teams is that West Indian cricket is the worst organized cricket anywhere, mainly due to the attitude of the leadership.

There is the belief that since the cricketers were so good for so long that their record of modern losses is merely a function of the bad character of the players. They are literally not provided even with coaches as I have documented over and over again. There is never proper preparation for international encounters; it is never important to even select the best team or to help players resolve technical or mental issues. Every senior player is regarded as an enemy of the establishment, and can never be given the respect that senior players in other countries receive. In addition, young promising players are just devoured or discarded, for example both Adrian Barath and Kieron Powell are record holders who have already been apparently written off with virtually no help. The West Indies should be in England for the Champions Trophy. The ball is in the administrator`s court.

Yours faithfully,
Romain Pitt