The recent heavy defeat of the West Indies cricket team in Australia has left many fans and pundits alike wondering how the team can bounce back and regain its former glory. While it may not be easy, there are steps that the West Indies cricket authorities can take to help the team come back stronger and be more competitive in future matches.
First and foremost, the West Indies cricket authorities need to take a long, hard look at the team’s performance in Australia and identify the areas where they fell short. This will require a thorough analysis of the team’s tactics, strategies and individual player performances as well as an examination of how the Australian team was able to exploit their weaknesses.
And it shouldn’t be solely up to the West Indies to do this. Where is the Australian help? How many times has Cricket Australia sent someone in the mould of Justin Langer or Dennis Lillee over there to give a hand?
Where is the funding? Where is one bit of assistance?
(Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images)
What is now Cricket Australia made a fortune off West Indian touring sides in the 1980s. Their side inspired the great Australian sides of the 2000s. This nation’s cricket owes a huge debt to their players and teams.
I’ve had a think about it and I’ve come up with a plan to help West Indies cricket.
The first step is to borrow from the strategy of the Moroccan football team who made the semi-finals of the World Cup. Fourteen of their 26-man squad were born overseas. They send talent scouts to European nations and get talented players of Moroccan heritage to turn out for the Atlas Lions.
Why can’t the West Indies do the same? There are millions of people of Caribbean heritage in the United States and the UK. Surely some cricket coaches can put on clinics and see if anyone has some cricketing talent. If England can snare Jofra Archer, surely the same can be done in reverse.
The second step is pace. To win in Australia you need pace. Not one bowler looked threatening in Australian conditions. To bowl pace you need athletes. Find those athletes.
The third step is youth – constant youth tours to Australia funded by Cricket Australia. Get their players to Australia in youth tours in our facilities with the top-level coaching they need.
The fourth step is mental strength. A key area where the West Indies cricket authorities need to focus their efforts is on improving the team’s mental strength and resilience. Cricket is a mentally demanding game, and the ability to stay focused and composed under pressure is essential for success. Cricket West Indies can help the team develop this mental toughness by providing them with the support and resources they need to stay mentally sharp and focused, even in the face of adversity. Steve Waugh would be a great former player to get in contact with.
Ultimately, the key to the West Indies cricket team’s success will be its ability to learn from its mistakes and to continuously improve. This will require a commitment from the team’s players, coaches and support staff to work together and push themselves to be the best they can be.
With the right approach and mindset, there’s no reason the West Indies cricket team cannot come back from their recent defeat in Australia and reclaim their place among the world’s elite cricketing nations.
Keep in mind when England were here on their last tour they went down 4-0. We all know it was the weakest touring side from England in living memory. The West Indies went down 2-0. They showed some positives yet are a long way from looking like winning a Test in Australia, which they haven’t done since February 1997. This is an action plan I would like to see implemented.
They produce great players but could use a helping hand. That help is something I want to see happen.
Bob
Guest
It's on Youtube. You can even watch it on Australian screens. Problem is far deeper than that.
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
Some of these things might improve them marginally. But at bottom it’s about fundamental factors that can’t be changed easily- money and grassroots participation. No one has adequately explained the latter. They won’t do Jofra Archer in reverse because county cricket gives incentive for counties to have players registered as English and not taking up their overseas quota. And there isn’t enough money in Windies cricket to beat offers from England. And Archer is a bit of a rarity these days. The days of substantial Caribbean migration to Britain are over and there are few players born in the Windies going around now, or not as many second generation players.
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
Not true. Back in the day, Windies first class teams had a lot of great players that they simply don’t have today. Some of them improved by playing in county cricket, but the base was the problem. If the grassroots were producing the players, more of them would be getting gigs in county cricket.
Rob Peters
Guest
The West Indian decline also has a lot to do with the fact that a lot of West Indian players now do not play in the first class competitions either in England or Australia, which were regarded as the nurseries for their players. It has exposed the first class system in the Caribbean for what is. Also, WI cricket is not shown free to air, (you can watch other international cricket on cable, but to watch WI, you have to have a specific sports channel) all of it is behind a paywall. It is easier to watch any US sport than to watch cricket. You cannot be interested in, or play what you do not see!
Brett Allen
Roar Rookie
Yeah, history has shown that the Windies were at their greatest under inspirational leadership, ie Worrell & Lloyd
The Late News
Roar Rookie
Interesting. I guess one of the monumental issues is the diversity of the nations. For example Guyana is totally different to say Barbados. And I don't mean the weather! All of the countries in the West Indies have two speed economies. Sure Australia does too, but to be truly poor in Antigua or Jamaica is a whole different gig to being poor in Australia. The first thing that is truly required in the West Indies is desire. The second is leadership. Think back to the 1960/61 series. It was all about talent matching attitude. In many ways Kholi in India has done the same thing. No tugging the forelock for him that's for sure!
Brian
Guest
Lack of money & equality to test cricket plus T20 domestic leagues mean there is no coming back. Even their current team if they had Archer bowling and Pooran, Andre Russell & Hetmyer dedicating themselves to test cricket they would be a lot better.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
I got to thinking about Thatcher. She was a very parsimonious leader. She took tennis courts away as well and milk from little kids. For some of them that was the best thing they had in the morning. I wished we still did it.
Brett Allen
Roar Rookie
The individual island’s are far too small to compete on their own. Jamaica has 2.7m, T&T has 1.4m, none of the rest have more than 750k. Montserrat only has 5,000 people.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Clive Lloyd is a giant of the game. One of my very favourite cricketer for so many reasons. I'm not sure who l discovered first; Bob Marley or Clive Lloyd.
ABLive
Guest
I honestly believe and have done so for the last 25 years, WI needs to be broken up into respective countries to bring nationalism into the fray. Look at the CPL and the passion. If T&T can qualify for the World Cup football (earlier) then surely they can have their own cricket team. WI got very luck with Clive Lloyd who got everyone on the same page and of course a whole bunch of super talented, once in a generation of cricketers. Have the Islands play as separate countries, that will be good for international cricket and for the respective countries in the WI
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Well argued.
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
As far as Australian help you have to be kidding, Australia has paid off West Indian players to play in the Big Bash and avoid test cricket, the athletes will be going into T20 , pace bowling is taxing far better to be concentrate on being an allrounder and hitting it for six. Do they need Australian coaching, they have their own great fast bowlers to get advice from, it used to be cricketers used to working while playing for Australia, now because of Australia cricket dominance in the era just before T20 cricket they are all on endless coaching junkets particularly in T20. The growing subcontinent cricket economy offers lets benefits for the West Indies being the opposite time zone. In the Carribean itself Michael Holding mentioned the cricket facilities of his youth a lot have dissapeared into housing estates, and you look at this real estate show, every island in the Carribean they are coming buying everything on the beach front etc. I noticed for the world cup they built new grounds far away so the old ground in a prime location I assume is being sold off. Looking overseas the US they dont play cricket there, thats where they get their basketball team from, England well Thatcher sold off all the schools cricket grounds so thats why you dont see England producing black cricketers any more their areas have no more grounds. Then of course you have England taking the one fast bowler they did produce for their own in Joffrey Archer. Even if you found someone the million dollar question is why would they forego millions to play for England for next to nothing to play for the West Indies. In football the clubs pay them a fortune and they only need a few weeks off per year to play for the national team.
Brett Allen
Roar Rookie
To be a consistently strong Test match playing nation you need a quality first class structure. The Windies first class system has been criminally disregarded for 25 years now, or longer. It doesn’t help that the IPL overlaps their domestic season. Until they reinvigorate their domestic first class game, they’ll continue to regress. It would also help if they got some pace and bounce back into their pitches.