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WICB continues to attract surplus negative attention
By Rawle Welch
The sensational abandonment of the first day’s play of the second Test Match between the West Indies and England, after only 10 balls were delivered at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium was another grave embarrassment for our cricket which could have been avoided.
For someone who had the privilege of learning about the issue of the ground even before the tour had commenced, it came as no surprise to me when ICC Match Referee Alan Hurst decided to halt play for the day.
At a recent West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) organised interactive session that was held with the media at Buddy’s International Hotel in Georgetown, Guyana, the subject of the worrisome state of the ground was brought to the attention of the Board by at least two members of the Press from the Eastern Caribbean, but their concerns were met with assurance by the WICB’s hierarchy who defended their decision to play the game there.
They (WICB) stated that they had forwarded their own concerns to the Antigua Cricket Board and was told that the matters were being addressed and that preparation for the Test match was progressing and were guaranteed that the ground would be completed in time.
Well, what we’ve seen since is contrary to what was told to the WICB and it has caused great inconvenience to the Board, players, spectators, TV crews, press corps etc.
The question that must therefore be asked is what kind of report the WICB received prior to the handing over of the ground for the match and did it meet with approval?
With the current global economic crisis causing previous sponsors of West Indies cricket to turn their backs for whatever reason(s), this present situation, hopefully, does not do irreparable harm for the future of sponsorship of the one sport that means so much to the people of the Caribbean.
The WICB through some ill-advised pronouncements by a few of its members seems inept at times with serious questions being asked about its ability to run the affairs of the region’s cricket.
It must be pointed out that the current position could have been averted had the WICB Executive treated with more regard the anxieties of the two gentlemen who had rightly expressed fears of such a scenario occurring.
It was the right forum for such observations to be ventilated, but once again, the WICB failed to listen to one of the most important stakeholders of the sport.
After the victory in the First Test which created such euphoric celebrations and the confidence level among the team and supporters at a high, the WICB not surprisingly, if you’re to judge from past performances, found another ingenious way to attract surplus negative attention.
No team, especially one that has been ridiculed for lack of passion, purpose and positive results for so long, would have desired such a start after producing a magnificent performance to grab the opening Test.
As I’ve reported in previous articles, many of the problems West Indies cricket face has a lot to do with the decisions its ‘Think Tank’ make.
I’ve tried tenaciously to refrain from writing, off-putting articles during this season, decidedly intent on providing a more positive outlook for this tour which to my mind means so much to us, but of all the things that could happen to stimulate negative sentiments, unless you had the privilege I had, no one could truthfully say that such an unfortunate image was anticipated.
The WICB cannot absolve itself from this recent humiliation; they have to take all the blame, because they are the custodian of West Indies cricket and should anything go wrong, they will have to accept full responsibility.
Just imagine what the foreign media corps must be saying about our ability to manage things that are classified as simple tasks, they must have now shifted the focus from a team that appeared already subjugated by their opponents to a situation that most likely is unhelpful to both the WI Board and its players.
The only positive development that could possibly relegate the first day’s highlight is if West Indies go on to win the next match.
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