Awesome Forces Against WI

In 2008 I predicted the continuous decline of the West Indies cricket if steps were not taken to deal with the blatant attempt to either keep our team at the bottom of the table or to completely destroy the game in the Caribbean. It is impossible for our players to battle with the combined forces that are unwittingly working against the West Indies team:
• ICC: This body is mainly responsible for arranging the schedule of games at all levels. Just look at what it has done to our team.

Home games have been arranged to be played during the wet season, ie, between April and July. Since I was a child it was a well established fact that cricket was played in the period January to April (dry season). ICC changed that. Tours to England used to be in the summer. Now our team plays in the cold period, ie, between May and June.

What is worse is the fact that one Test was carded for Durham. Now for people who may not be aware, that place is cold even in the summer but the ICC had no problem in asking the WI team to play a Test match there. No wonder most of the Test matches finished within three days in 2009.

If you have any doubts, this is what Tony Cozier said in his newspaper column (6/05/12): “The latest forecast is for temperatures rarely above 10 degrees over the next week and only slightly less bitter for the coming month or so.” Need I say any more?
• WICB: This body must take full blame for the state of the game in the region. Instead of fighting the ICC officials who have been working against our team, it is in a life-long battle with the players. The latest obscene behaviour was the snide remarks by an official aimed at Chris Gayle’s return to the team.
• Umpires: It is an established fact that the umpires usually give the benefit of the doubt to the teams opposed to the West Indies. The last series against Australia saw the umpires going out of their way to revive the visitors anytime it looked like they would go under.

The moment Michael Clarke survived the caught behind decision via the third umpire everybody knew that the WI would not win the first Test and the series. As it was in the beginning so it was in the end when Narsingh Deonarine suffered the same fate of a bad decision via the third umpire. Of course the WI lost the Test and the series. Time does not permit for me to review all the decisions that went against the WI team. 

• Media: The regional media have been unsympathetic towards the team. There is silence when the umpires and ICC do not act in the interest of the team. The regional scribes do not come to the defence of the team when it is under attack by the foreign press. The latest insult to our players was published in the newspapers under the heading “English press launch attack on Windies.” Can anyone tell me if our team can withstand the awesome forces against it?

Ashton Ford

Via e-mail