One of the saddest elements about the West Indies’ steep decline over the past 20 years is a whole generation of fans have never seen them as the force they once were.
As they get ready for a second two-Test tour of Australia in as many years due to pandemic-related rescheduling, they are in danger of falling to minnow status alongside Bangladesh, Ireland and Afghanistan in the five-day format.
With Cricket Australia pushing to play Test series as a three-match minimum in the next Futures Program when it gets planned for 2028 and beyond that is good news for some nations but not all of them.
With India and England taking up two of the four-year cycle of home summers with lucrative five-Test contests, that means Australia need four other nations to provide competitive opposition over three-match showdowns.
New Zealand are guaranteed to be one, Pakistan are certain to be another, particularly after their promising effort recently where they could have jagged a win or even two if their fielding had been up to Test standard.
That leaves the Windies, Sri Lanka and South Africa in contention for the remaining two marquee slots.
Even though South Africa are running dead in their upcoming series in New Zealand, they have shown they can still put a decent team on the field, as evidenced by thumping India by an innings in their home Boxing Day Test win.
Cricket South Africa claims the second-string squad that will devalue Test cricket and the honour of representing the Proteas is a one-off occurrence due to the scheduling clash with their T20 league.
The West Indies during their 1980s glory days. (Photo by PA Images via Getty Images)
Sri Lanka have made a decent fist of Test cricket over the past few years and deserve to leapfrog the Windies on the pecking order unless the Caribbean tourists can somehow defy expectations to give the Aussies a run for their money in Adelaide and Brisbane over the next fortnight.
And that could mean the once mighty Windies could be relegated to one or two Tests outside of the summer months at a venue like Darwin, Cairns or Townsville.
Kerry Packer used to insist on getting the Windies to Australia more often than not from the start of his World Series Cricket revolution in the late 1970s through to the early 1990s.
The old Australian Cricket Board would oblige but such was the all-round strength of the powerhouse line-ups under Clive Lloyd and Viv Richards that baggy green careers were cut short by the relentless onslaught.
Kim Hughes resigned the Australian captaincy midway through the hammering at the end of 1984 which came after they had copped a similar hiding months earlier in the Caribbean.
Kim Hughes. (Photo by Murrell/Allsport/Getty Images)
How times have changed – now the Australian cricketing public is bemused by the Windies touring two years in a row for totally different reasons.
And that’s to be expected because there are now adult cricket fans in Australia who have never seen the West Indies dominate apart from the highlights that the current broadcasters show to remind fans of their glory days.
It’s been more than 25 years since their last Test win in Australia and with seven uncapped players in this squad while star all-rounder Jason Holder elects for T20 franchise cricket instead, these two matches have the potential to be embarrassingly lopsided mismatches.
Even if the ICC can come up with a solution to provide a long-awaited financial boost to the poorer countries to make Test cricket more viable, like Steve Waugh’s idea of a guaranteed “premium match fee” for players who take part in the format, the boards of those nations still face a fight to convince them it’s worth it.
Particularly for fast bowlers and all-rounders, the physical toll of playing Test cricket is immense compared to jetsetting around the global T20 circuit.
Windies legend Joel Garner. (Mark Leech/Getty Images)
Why reduce the limited time in which your earning capacity is at its highest just so you can travel to Australia, India or England for a drawn-out hiding over five days when you spend a large portion in the field chasing leather?
T20 specialists like Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Dan Christian have been able to pick up pay cheques at franchises well into their late 30s or past their 40th birthday due mainly to their top-quality skills but also because they don’t need to be in their physical prime to shine in the shortest format.
It has been disappointing to say the least that there has been little said in protest by the frontline South African players who have been told they will be sitting out Tests to suit up for the IPL-contrived Durban Super Giants, Joburg Super Kings, MI Cape Town, Paarl Royals, Pretoria Capitals and Sunrisers Eastern Cape.
Pakistan fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi also toed the company line when he sat out the SCG Test to rest up for the T20 tour of New Zealand.
Players know where their bread is buttered but the more this becomes the accepted norm, the worse it is for Test cricket’s future.
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
Know what you mean. Holding and Garner were the cornerstones. The max of any 4 together was Roberts, Holding, Garner and Croft with 11.
Ouch
Roar Rookie
really? it seemed like they played together a lot more
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Written when he was 15.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
I've seen him 3x Scorpio Sun and Aquarius Moon= Twisted Genius
Lance Boil
Roar Rookie
When it came out Tonight's the Night had me in it's grip but not so much these days it must have been all the weed I was smoking back then. A line from that has stuck "what do ya mean he had bullet holes in his mirror" Neil was and is a different cat.
Vamsi K
Roar Rookie
To this comment and the one above this one about the popularity of T20/short forms of cricket and the possibility that along with popularity for short forms of cricket there is a fan base for Tests as well, I will add (slightly lengthy answer) the following as someone who is from India and saw the nation and cricket grow from the 80's just as I was. 1. There was an opinion (not by you) that India probably didn't have may short form sports before the advent of T20 and hence the popularity, which isn't the case. In fact, it is other way around. test cricket was the only long form sport and in a way was more bang for buck for someone who valued every rupee as they got whole day of entertainment. Hockey, Kabaddi and Kho-Kho are popular sports at school level as the equipment or lack thereof for these sports made it easy for them to be played. Cricket was more of an urban sport, especially at a professional level. But it became a favourite sport in all areas because it just required a slightly flat 22 yards and everything else was manageable. 2. The reason short forms are so popular is because that is what is played by almost everyone bar professionals. Tests are something which only professionals can play and is recognised as such and players who succeed there are still held in high respect. But it is the shorter formats that everyone can relate to because that is what they play. A kid will not be able to appreciate the nuances of a tight defensive block on a 5th day pitch, at least not when they are just getting to know the game. But they understand hitting the ball out of park. Give a kid a bat and throw a ball and their response is to hack it as hard as they can. So, they relate to shorter formats, especially T20. Slowly they then get understand the game and appreciate the nuances. The prime example is my 8 years son who is growing up in T20 era. He started his journey by watching IPL, now keeps a track of Indian tests as well and over a period of time, I am sure he will just appreciate any cricket played by any team, though not with the same passion as when he is watching India play. 3. While everyone talks about free to air broadcast etc, one needs to understand that for many Indians most of the cricket isn't free to air, except some important matches which are broadcast by the national broadcaster and no one watches it there. More importantly kids need to play the game. No amount of watching it on TV will help them love the game unless they play it. They will get to know the emotions and appreciate the techniques only when they play and then compare it with their heroes on TV. In India, kids still play cricket wherever they can, even in small bylanes. And IPL has helped in creating the belief that even if they cannot make it to the national team they can still make a living off cricket. One can see the impact of this in the constitution of national team. Earlier only 4 or 5 cities provided the players, now we can see players from remote places as well. So, naturally there is lot more interest in T20. 4. We were decent in ODI's and nowhere as good in tests, so naturally people did find it easy to follow the team in that format. The 1983 WC win helped explode the game in no small measure. But with the era of Sachin, Dravid, Ganguly, Kumble etc, people believed we can be a force in tests as well and follow it closely as well. Being a developing nation as well as a tropical country, it is difficult for people to leave their jobs for a whole day and also sit in the harsh sun. Earlier there was no option but to either watch it on TV or go to the stadium, which had one of the worst facilities for spectators and still don't match to the facilities in Australia or England even though they improved a lot in the last 2 decades. People track the game through apps and cricinfo for most part, whereas with T20 it's completely different. 5. With regard to revenue sharing I believe that while logically it may be right for BCCI, which brings in majority of income to stake a claim to 37% of revenue, it may not be appropriate morally, especially in the light of the fact that we do make good revenues from elsewhere. I think the earlier structure of around 20% share is fine. The reason why I believe the earlier share of around 20% is fine is because India has a huge domestic structure which needs to be maintained with lots of teams and facilities. Players are willing to take up cricket because they can secure their careers even if they are able to reach Ranji Teams (County/Shield team equivalent) as the pay now is good enough for them to have a career without making it to the national team. In spite of the huge improvement the BCCI has done at grassroots level in the last 2 decades there is still a lot of investment that needs to be done and requires huge amounts of money. 6. Lastly, no matter how much we may try, I don't see test cricket moving beyond the Big 3 along with Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, SA and New Zealand. No amount of investment from ICC can revive the game unless the local population itself wants to play and like the game. And if at all test are to revive it can be done through shorter formats alone. Apart from England, New Zealand and Australia all cricket playing nations are either poor or developing nations only. And no amount of investments from outside can sustain cricket for long. There has to be a way the game can survive below the national team level domestically and I see T20 as the way the game survives and then players move on to the tests. I enjoy all formats but I cannot force my son to watch and like test cricket saying that is the purest form or whatever. It has to be organic and luckily he started from T20 and now watches tests as well. Ultimately the only purpose of any sport for a spectator is to be entertained. There is no ulterior purpose. So, saying T20 is just entertainment is not an insult but rather endorsing the very fact for any sport is played. None of us would watch tests if they weren't entertaining. It is completely a different argument what entertainment is. But suggesting those who love T20 as not cricket fans or even going as far as saying T20 isn't cricket doesn't help grow tests for shorter format, probably even less than 20 overs, is the format that is played by everyone everywhere across the world apart from professionals. I strongly believe T20's will help test cricket survive, though it will be limited to few countries I mentioned above. (Sorry for the long rant)
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
Sunil Narine could have been the best spinner they had for the last 50 years plus useful tailender with the bat. Andre Russell another allrounder but he has averaged almost 30 in the IPL at a strike rate of 170. I cant see how he wouldn't perform in test cricket. Mitchell Marsh IPL average is 20 at 120.
JohnB
Roar Rookie
Doc, I have a solid stockpile of shirts from when I was heavily involved in a rugby club in Laos, of all places, and we sold them to raise money for tours - which generated more shirts. The shirts gradually move from the "good" category to the "work around the yard" and then to the "use as rags" (although the latter 2 can be pretty hard to distinguish from each other). As things stand, I may well need to buy some more shirts in 15 or 20 years.
Lazza
Roar Rookie
Such a great watch that Australian Cricket fans have absolutely no interest in watching it? Just like they aren't interested in watching the IPL.
Peter
Roar Rookie
We had a two tiered scone as our wedding cake.
The Bush
Roar Guru
I'm sure many of them were born in the USA, but I don't think that fully negates my point. Someone else on this thread explains how it works; these sports are investing in the islands, they just come in and recruit talent, much like rugby clubs going to the Pacific Islands.
Ballymore Brumby
Roar Pro
The European Cricket League is unironically, a great watch.
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
Indeed, although those four bowlers only played together in 6 matches, 2 in 1980 and 4 in 1983. It was mainly Croft before 1983 and Walsh instead of Roberts from 1984.
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
Interesting. But I recall when I looked up Caribbean soccer players who played in pro soccer, most were a bit like the Jamaican rugby league team - just had Caribbean heritage but grew up in the UK.
Pope Paul VII
Roar Rookie
ha ha that will do!
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
How many times have we heard this tripe about the British Carribean and USA sports who have no presence in the region. In terms of US colleges yes the British Carribean had many go to US colleges for athletics. There are a lot baseball players in the US from other parts of the Carribean where baseball is the main sport. Can you list these players of US sports from the British Carribean.
Lazza
Roar Rookie
Australians are only interested in watching England and India. The world's '2nd biggest sport' just can't find any decent countries to play against. I'm still waiting for a country from outside the old British Empire to take up Cricket.
ColinT
Roar Rookie
Yes a significant minority of Scots do feel that way. However, in the 2014 independence referendum 55.3% of voters voted against independence. The independence vote was strongest in Glasgow and Dundee amongst poorer working class Scots.
BigGordon
Roar Rookie
People are not saying Australia does not tour overseas, many like me are saying we either don't tour enough or we don't tour to enough countries. How many Tests do we play overseas against teams other than India or England versus the 5 or 6 Tests we have scheduled every summer in Australia, for at least the past 5 decades? For example, in the past 20 years, we've managed to fly all the way to New Zealand for exactly 6 Tests, which is simply wrong.
The Bush
Roar Guru
The reason is because of the Big 3, we do seem to do the least touring to smaller nations. Since our tour of the Windies in 2015, the English have had at least two test tours, as have India. We've been to Bangladesh twice for tests ever, England has been three times and India has been about 5 or more. This tour of New Zealand by us is the first one in eight years. In that time England have been three times for test tours. It's true India hasn't been too much, but that's because they're busy looking after their neighbours touring Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. India have played a four test series in West Indies in the last decade, we haven't played that much test cricket in the West Indies this millennium. We should be honest, Australia does seem to be the most selfish of the Big Three in terms of who we invite to tour and where we tour, doing the absolute bare minimum.