The advice of Weekes and Akram should be followed

Dear Editor, Over the last several years I have been making a few suggestions that I believe could help in improving the performance of the West Indies team. Since I have had no involvement of any kind in first class cricket, it has been difficult to attract attention to my ideas which I continue to believe could be very helpful.

I was very heartened to learn recently that two cricketing greats have expressed similar ideas in two areas that I have addressed in my writings. Sir Everton Weekes, one of the greatest batsmen, who played most of his Test cricket from the late forties to the late fifties, was reported in April 2015 to have been advocating the return of Rudy Webster, the great West Indian sports psychologist, to the fold. What greater recommendation can one ask for the reintroduction of this discipline to West Indies cricket? Wasim Akram, Pakistan’s magisterial left hand quick bowler and solid middle order batsman, was quoted as having said during the current Test between his country and Australia the following: “A coach is able to see more than a captain; in between overs a message as a suggestion should be sent to the captain. It is up to him to make the necessary changes”.

Retaining a sports psychologist, and giving the responsibility to the coach during the game that has been denied him only on the basis of tradition, are now being advocated by the best practitioners of the game. Their advice should be followed. Akram’s should be expanded. Yours faithfully, Romain Pitt