No one cares anymore
ICOULD use this and the other platforms afforded to me in media to make the platitudinous, clichéd, almost ceremonial calls to the West Indies cricket selectors to explain many of the selections, and indeed the omissions from the 13-man squad selected for the upcoming three-Test home series against Sri Lanka.
Another option would be to shout from the mountain top or from the middle of St William Grant or Mandela Park in Kingston, or from Sam Sharpe Square in Montego Bay for that matter, ‘Why on earth did they all go back for 36-year-old Devon Smith, a tried-and-proven failure at the international level?’ Smith is a player who averages 24.50 in 38 Test matches over a 15year period. In the middle of my rant, I could even change my position and argue that Smith did kick down the selector’s doors with his performances in the Regional Four-Day tournament, amassing over a thousand runs at an average close to 85, while scoring six centuries, thus his recall is justified.
When I’m done with the Devon Smith sermon, I could take on the cause of young fastbowling all-rounder Keemo Paul, whose 42 wickets at under 19 runs a piece should have earned him a place in the squad. I could then shift my focus to Veerasammy Permaul, whose 50wicket feat was the most in the first-class season, thus the little Guyanese should have been the specialist spinner in the squad. I could tag on the cause of Nikita Miller, whose consistent wickettaking exploits and continued omission remain befuddling.
MAIN TORMENTOR
I could then take up the case of Rahkeem Cornwall, the burly Antiguan, who, despite his weight and size, was one of the main tormentors with both bat and ball for the Windies A in their 3-0 sweep of their England counterparts earlier this year. Why is Cornwall not in the 13 to face Sri Lanka?
‘Who is Jahmar Hamilton, and has he done enough consistently as a wicketkeeperbatsman to get into a Windies Test squad?, could be another valid shouting point. The cases of Sunil Ambris and Jermaine Blackwood could also come up for mention. Ambris has not been given a long enough run; and Blackwood, the Jamaican, averages a contextually reasonable 33.50 in 24 Tests and should be given another chance.
What about the head coach, Stuart Law? The Windies have certainly not improved. Indeed, they have gotten worse in all three formats of the game since the arrival of Mr Law and his coaching team. Why not ask for the head of coach Law? While we are at it, I could sing along with the Eastern Caribbean choir, chanting for the immediate removal of Cricket West Indies Board President Dave Cameron, under whose leadership the fortunes of West Indies cricket continue to plunge deeper and deeper into a dark abyss.
I could definitely write more about these and other issues of West Indies cricket in my weekly
Gleaner column, and speak about them more frequently on my nightly television commentary; I could rant more about them on my morning radio discussion show, but I don’t. I choose not to.
As a child of the Caribbean who grew up seeing winning champion teams with Clive Lloyd, Vivian Richards, Gordon Greenidge, Jeffery Dujon, Michael Holding, Joel Garner, Andy Roberts, Malcolm Marshall,
et al, these were my warriors and my heroes. It is excruciatingly painful and increasingly difficult to bring myself to appreciate the atrocious standard of the cricket being played currently in the region and internationally by the Windies. Add to that the pathetic attitude of the players, and the commensurate ineptitude of the leadership of the cricket, the team itself is characterised by the shameless failure of being ranked ninth, only above Zimbabwe in Tests. It is also ninth in the one-day international format, only above Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, and Ireland, even in the Twenty20 format, where they are still World Champions, the Windies have slipped down to number seven, now ranked only above the minnows. I have personally fallen out of love with West Indies cricket, thus I choose not to be engaged, not just as a covert act of protest, but because, quite frankly, I don’t think anyone cares anymore. I CERTAINLY DON’T!
‘What about the head coach Stewart Law? The Windies have certainly not improved. Indeed, they have gotten worse in all three formats of the game since the arrival of Mr Law and his coaching team.’