THE GOVERNMENT AND THE WEST INDIES CRICKET BOARD

Apr 27, 2011 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

It has been close to nineteen years since the PPP regained office. It has had an unbroken spell during that period, long enough for them to know by now that they should avoid getting into public exchanges, however, civil, with subsidiary bodies within the region.
The government should not be having any exchanges with the West Indies Cricket Board. It should simply state its position, which it has done, ill-advisedly so, and should not have anything more to say. It is not for the government to be responding to a response to its original statement. This is not what governments do when dealing with bodies such as the West Indies Cricket Board.
The Guyana government has no legal standing within the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB). The WICB is comprised of country-associations, not country-governments.
Politically also, no government should be seen as being involved in exchanges with a cricketing board over matters which the government has no interest in. Who the WICB selects in their regional teams is a matter for the associations that make up the WICB, not for governments.
There is simply no place for political meddling in such matters, and while the Guyana government is not meddling, but merely requesting a satisfactory explanation as to why two of its nationals have not been included in the West Indies squads for the present tour by Pakistan, the answer to that question is obvious.
The government may not agree with the answer, but it is obvious. The West Indies Cricket Board is looking towards the future and therefore has to invest in players for the long term. It cannot be expected to continue to pick players who have over twelve to sixteen years under their belt. For if they do this, the West Indies team will never be competitive.
Four years from now, another 50-over World Cup will be held. Under two years from now, the 20/20 World Cup will be hosted. The West Indies cricket team cannot be expected to continue to field some of their senior players who are on their way out, for it means by the time these tournaments come around the younger players will not have the necessary exposure.
In any event, following the just-concluded Cricket World Cup, it is obvious that certain players would have had to be axed. This has become a norm in international cricket, more so when your team is on the losing side.
After the West Indies lost the 1983 World Cup Final in England, its then captain, the great Clive Lloyd resigned but was later urged by the WICB to continue on. After Richie Richardson failed to get past the semi-finals in a subsequent tournament, he too faced the axe.
The 2007 World Cup was held in the West Indies and amongst the players who were on show for the West Indies was one who was undoubtedly among the greatest players ever, Brian Charles Lara. He knew that once West Indies exited the tournament, that he would have to step down. He still had many years of cricket before him and could have easily commanded a place in any of the teams of the world, but West Indies’ exit from the World Cup confined him to retirement.
Sri Lanka made it to this year’s final, yet two of their biggest names, the captain and their former captain were forced to make decisions about their future in the national team. The captain stepped down as leader and their former captain (and their best batsman and presently one of the best in the world), stepped down from the team. It has now become a norm for players’ future to be decided by the performance of the teams they represent in the World Cup. One of the greatest batsmen of all time, Ricky Ponting, lost the captaincy after the World Cup and may perhaps not have too long as player in that country’s side.
So why all the fuss about Sarwan and Chanderpaul? They have served West Indies well but they were below their best for a long time now and it is time for them to make way for the future.
The youngsters taking their place may not be good as these players are now, but they will never get better unless they are groomed, and the time for grooming them is now.
It is likely that both Sarwan and Chanderpaul will find it difficult to command One Day International places, and if the selectors are serious about the Test team as well, may not be permanent fixtures in that either.
The Guyana government has to accept that. If it cannot accept that then it has to find a better way of pressing its case, rather than engaging in an exchange of words and letters with the WICB.

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