Only WI to blame
Ex-selector Findlay laments likely Champions Trophy exclusion
Published on Jul 30, 2015, 9:00 pm AST
By Mark Pouchet
Former West Indies selector Michael Findlay says the Caribbean team has only themselves to blame if they do not qualify for the ICC 2017 Champions Trophy.
The top eight ranked International Cricket Council (ICC) teams qualify for the ODI competition in two year’s time. But with the tri-nations tournament between Zimbabwe, West Indies and Pakistan now officially off, the West Indies are now ranked ninth and outside the qualification criteria and will have no other opportunity to improve their ranking before the September 30 cut-off date.
“Like most West Indians, I am disappointed that the West Indies won’t be going to that tournament. But we have only ourselves to blame because we haven’t been playing good cricket,†Findlay told the Express.
Findlay said that the West Indies being in ninth position in the ICC rankings emphasises the poor state of WI cricket.
“We have moved from virtually world champions when we almost played unbeaten for 15 years to the other end of the spectrum. And even though we have won the Champions trophy once (2004) and been runners-up on two occasions, now we can’t even qualify,†Findlay added
Findlay said the problem lies in the amount of technical faults and flaws with which Wets Indies cricketers enter international cricket.
Findlay believed that One-day and Twenty20 cricket have helped to improve not only the West Indies performance in fielding, but fielding across all countries. But the former West Indies wicketkeeper said the region has not systematically addressed the bowling and batting flaws.
“The core of the problem is we are not doing the fundamentals stuff correctly. When you analyse it, why are our batsmen begin caught behind the wicket so many times? It is because they are playing away from their bodies, they don’t know where their off stump is and so on, “ Findlay related.
While commending the WICB’s Scotiabank Kiddies Cricket initiative, Findlay said the technical issues needed to be targeted at the primary school level more than the secondary school level, way before players reach the under-15 and under-19 stages. He said Caricom, which has signalled it wants to become more involved in West Indies cricket, should concentrate its efforts on implementing good coaching and programmes at the primary school level.
“We should not at the stage of first-class and international level be looking at cricketers who have so many technical flaws,†Findlay said, adding that the Australians made the West Indies look like fools in their 2-0 win in the Caribbean earlier this year.
Findlay added that the WICB and the national cricket associations also needed to find a system to properly identify talent and monitor the progression from primary school and to every subsequent level .
Saying the region contained several talented players, Findlay said the cricketers also needed to apply themselves better by thinking through situations on the field of play.
Asked when he expected the West Indies to get back to the near dominance of their glory years, Findlay said; “I am going to be 72 and I don’t think I will live to see us getting back close to that until and unless we start seriously addressing these issues.â€
Ex-selector Findlay laments likely Champions Trophy exclusion
Published on Jul 30, 2015, 9:00 pm AST
By Mark Pouchet
Former West Indies selector Michael Findlay says the Caribbean team has only themselves to blame if they do not qualify for the ICC 2017 Champions Trophy.
The top eight ranked International Cricket Council (ICC) teams qualify for the ODI competition in two year’s time. But with the tri-nations tournament between Zimbabwe, West Indies and Pakistan now officially off, the West Indies are now ranked ninth and outside the qualification criteria and will have no other opportunity to improve their ranking before the September 30 cut-off date.
“Like most West Indians, I am disappointed that the West Indies won’t be going to that tournament. But we have only ourselves to blame because we haven’t been playing good cricket,†Findlay told the Express.
Findlay said that the West Indies being in ninth position in the ICC rankings emphasises the poor state of WI cricket.
“We have moved from virtually world champions when we almost played unbeaten for 15 years to the other end of the spectrum. And even though we have won the Champions trophy once (2004) and been runners-up on two occasions, now we can’t even qualify,†Findlay added
Findlay said the problem lies in the amount of technical faults and flaws with which Wets Indies cricketers enter international cricket.
Findlay believed that One-day and Twenty20 cricket have helped to improve not only the West Indies performance in fielding, but fielding across all countries. But the former West Indies wicketkeeper said the region has not systematically addressed the bowling and batting flaws.
“The core of the problem is we are not doing the fundamentals stuff correctly. When you analyse it, why are our batsmen begin caught behind the wicket so many times? It is because they are playing away from their bodies, they don’t know where their off stump is and so on, “ Findlay related.
While commending the WICB’s Scotiabank Kiddies Cricket initiative, Findlay said the technical issues needed to be targeted at the primary school level more than the secondary school level, way before players reach the under-15 and under-19 stages. He said Caricom, which has signalled it wants to become more involved in West Indies cricket, should concentrate its efforts on implementing good coaching and programmes at the primary school level.
“We should not at the stage of first-class and international level be looking at cricketers who have so many technical flaws,†Findlay said, adding that the Australians made the West Indies look like fools in their 2-0 win in the Caribbean earlier this year.
Findlay added that the WICB and the national cricket associations also needed to find a system to properly identify talent and monitor the progression from primary school and to every subsequent level .
Saying the region contained several talented players, Findlay said the cricketers also needed to apply themselves better by thinking through situations on the field of play.
Asked when he expected the West Indies to get back to the near dominance of their glory years, Findlay said; “I am going to be 72 and I don’t think I will live to see us getting back close to that until and unless we start seriously addressing these issues.â€
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