I’m not one to play devil’s advocate, but I just try to always keep things real about my expectations in all things, especially the beloved Caribbean “WI” cricket.
An objective analysis of the performance of WI T20 International cricket over the last few years says that the Caribbean team has topped the world for the longest time in the history of this format of the gentlemen’s game and nobody stays there forever.
I have also enjoyed much more than anyone else the slice of the big pie in T20 cricket as the birthplace of what may be the fastest growing and most profitable of all sporting events in the world today, which is loved by many people like the biggest party in sports.
Many of our boys have earned a very high standard of living through T20I cricket and their names dominate the pantheon of T20 cricket legends, such as Dwayne “DJ” Bravo, Kieron “Polly” Pollard, Andre “Dre Russ” Russel and Chris Gayle . No one can take our place from us in history as we have provided the first T20 icons to the sport.
My fellow cricket lovers of the Caribbean, please remember how long our T20 greats have made us the envy of the entire cricketing world by giving us the world’s most famous T20 brand to date. WI has even delivered cricket’s first T20I World Cup dynasty, having lifted the winners’ trophy twice and reached several semi-finals.
As much as WI may hate to do this, WI have to face the fact that our sad 4-1 defeat at home recently by an Indian T20I cricket team made up of quite a few players who may not represent the Blues in the W/Cup . later this year, as we fielded what the Caribbean selectors seem to consider our best team, it was a bitter pill for our Caribbean pride.
Nobody in Cricket West Indies can expect us regional fans of the game not to be too alarmed by the facile, almost comical nature of our capitulation to India’s would-be Test team, because WI apparently showed no fight.
One thing can be certain: if WI doesn’t dial the changes now and get rid of those who can be considered happily under-performing from the regional T20I W Cup squad, this tournament will do us a collective disservice as people of the Caribbean that WI you won’t soon forget.
Fitzroy Othello
City of Princes
