West Indies Cricket has been evolving from a position off-late. They were at their lowest in the early 2010s but have improved in the mid-2010s. Currently, West Indies Cricket is doing average. The team is highly ranked by the ICC at number 9 but that doesn’t overshadow the fact that the team was once an unbeatable force to reckon with. So, what happened to the West Indies Cricket Team that sent chills down the spine of the opposition just by mere presence? Where are those dynamic and dominant players? Here is an in-depth look:
West Indies Cricket Performance Declined in the 1990s:
The first and foremost reason was that the quality of their game declined. Big names like Sir Viv Richards, Gordon Greenidge, and Desmond Haynes, who were the backbone of the Caribbean batting left the squad due to retirement. Inspirational figures like Clive Llyod, who had elite leadership qualities also retired. The quartet that sent chills down the spine of the opposition also was on the verge of their decline. So, the quality of cricket that the team played all-in-all declined.
West Indies Government Shifted the Finances to Basketball:
The West Indies Cricket Team is a combination of players from all over the Caribbean Islands. So, Jamaica doesn’t have a cricket team at the national level. Barbados doesn’t have a team at the national level. But the players from all these islands are playing for Caribbean Islands in the name of the West Indies.
So, for the West Indies cricket board to get finances, they have to approve it from all the national associations. These government flaws delayed the process of financing. Also, the finances were shifted from cricket to basketball. Caribbean players like Patrick Ewing, Tim Duncan, and Carl Herrera played in the NBA. The government felt NBA in the future but that wasn’t the case.
So, when finances dry up, no one wants to play the sport. Imagine if you are a worker and don’t get paid well, will you work with all your heart? The same was the case with West Indian players. They were always in turmoil with the association to get a higher pay scale.
West Indies Cricket Players Lacked Nationalism:
Aakash Chopra pointed out a fact very precisely in one of his YT channel videos. He said that the West Indies team does not have a national anthem as the players come from a group of nations. They have a cricket anthem that plays before every game. How many players know and sing along with the cricket anthem? Of the 11 only a few, countable on fingers do! This was pointed out by Chopra. Now, this doesn’t have anything to do with the game that the boys play as they do play it very well. But are the players committed?
The Indians have a feeling of nationalism while playing for India. South Africans have that for South Africa, Australians for Australia, and so on. But is that the case with the West Indian players? That is the point to ponder upon!
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To know more go to the official website of the West Indies Cricket Board.