Will the flames eventually consume the Caribbean boy’s passion for cricket?

“The boy stood on the burning deck
Whence all but he had fled;
The flame that lit the battle's wreck
Shone round him o'er the dead...”

Parallels can be drawn between the famous Casabianca ballad and the Caribbean boy whose ebullience prefaces the deeply enchanting game of beach cricket. While the former sees a boy bravely refusing to leave a burning ship, the latter’s bond with his object of importance is being pushed to the brink.

On the same sands that a young Richards began to smash the ball in order to negate the ‘one bounce’ dismissal rule and a fledgeling Ambrose learnt how to master the variable bounce, the euphoria of experiencing cricket is diminishing in favour of pursuing more fruitful endeavours.

Even as youngsters in the most beautiful place on earth are starting to prefer the rush of sprinting as well as the highs of basketball, the boy firmly holding the cricket bat in his hand gazes towards his surroundings. Amidst the inevitable apprehension, the grip loosens. What does he know of the factors impacting cricket in the region? Ranging from WICB’s inept governance to the lures of overseas franchise leagues, the essence of the game is lost somewhere in between.

With West Indies continuing to push the bottomless of depths and the cricket community not seeming to give a damn, the Caribbean boy’s attention to the game is slowly rescinding. If the passion for cricket inside him is to avoid a similar fate as in Casabianca, those calling the shots have to remove their heads from the sand and look backwards. After all, how long can he keep playing the fiddle while Rome burns?

Yah, muhn... Mickie Jordan and  UB killin' Rasta cricket.  Only when iland kids can
dream of playing for real $$$ in Big Time stadia in 'Merica will they return to the game.   

WICB is an independent body. They account to no one. They don't any of the grounds nor do they maintain them. They are users. They are takers. They take away players futures as they like. Yes, WICB is the god of West Indies cricket. Whycliffe is the boss. Whatever he says or does can never be question without adverse consequences to those who are brave enough to do so. Ask Darren Sammy or Dwayne Bravo.