Quote:Caribbean cricket fans have witnessed a steady decline in the quality of players wearing the maroon over the last two decades. The old stalwarts demitted office; the new recruits could not match their level of expertise; and West Indies cricket has, for an extended period, taken up residence at the bottom of the Test and One Day International (ODI) rankings. Captains, coaches, selectors have been changed regularly all to little avail, and so we should all appreciate by now that we have not scratched the surface of the real cause of Caribbean's cricket's demise.

Promising performances every now and then has served to stoke stirrings of hope in the hearts of long-suffering fans and well-wishers, only to have them dashed again when forced to grapple with the latest disappointing defeat. The recent stunning victory against England in Barbados, for example, brought a smile to face of fans that was emphatically wiped clean by the marauding Australians who administered two humiliating beatings to a team that seemed out of its depth. At no time were the Australians in danger of surrendering the Frank Worrell Trophy, and the gulf between the teams was as gaping as that between a first grader and a PHD graduate.

The equation is simple: the Caribbean has to start producing more proficient players if they are to compete with the better teams. Now, one assertion often made and heard in the West Indies is that there resides in the Islands as much cricketing talent as there is anywhere else. Well, if that is so then that abundant talent is certainly not being uncovered, and one only has to follow the regional first-class competition to appreciate this.