Hilaire gets backing from Mansingh, Cummings and Roberts

Jermaine Lannaman, Gleaner Writer

At least two noted cricket advocates, Dr Christine Cummings and Dr Akshai Mansingh, and one former player, Andy Roberts, are agreeing with the scathing remarks of West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) CEO, Dr Ernest Hilaire, on the state of West Indies cricket.

Cummings, who is a lecturer in the Department of Government at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona campus, and specialises in sports, society and politics relations, said Hilaire is not saying anything that knowledgeable cricket observers have not been saying over the years.

Hilaire made the remarks during a panel discussion on the theme 'Nationalism and Future of West Indies Cricket' at UWI's Cave Hill campus in Barbados.

Hilaire, who was appointed to the post last October and has been credited with easing the tense relations between the WICB and the West Indies Players' Association (WIPA), said West Indies cricketers are the products of the failure of our Caribbean society, where money and instant gratification are paramount, and that players need to be resocialised on the significance and importance of West Indies.

He also said that the team at the moment is incapable of being world-beaters as they are simply depending on talent, and in the modern-day sport talent alone is not enough, and until the results of the newly established WICB-Sagicor High Performance Centre kicks in, fans will continue to suffer embarrassment for at least another three years.

Blame game

"Hilaire has not said anything that has not been said for the past 25 years. I have been saying this. Brian Lara, Jimmy Adams, Jeffery Dujon, Courtney Walsh and others have been saying this over and over again," said Cummings.

"Everyone in the past has been looking to attack a personality and find someone to blame, as was the case with Lara, or is the growing case with Chris Gayle.

"But it is in fact the model of sports development that has been pursued by administrators over the past 20 years that is now bearing fruits," she added, addressing reasons for what many believe to be the players' focus on money and not performance.

"I agree with everything he said. Cricket itself has moved to a highly scientific, professional and technical sport and we have fallen behind in just about every aspect," said Mansingh, who is a member of the WICB's medical panel and a lecturer in sports medicine at UWI, Mona.

"This is partially due to the extremely archaic management, board structure and poor emphasis on development," he declared.

The same sentiments were echoed by Roberts, who also called for a "clean sweep" of the WICB Board of Directors.

"I totally agree with Hilaire. They are committed to money and not developing their art. They all believe that players of the past had an abundance of talent and don't realise the amount of hard work and commitment we had to put in," said Roberts, a fearsome fast bowler who represented the West Indies in the 1970s and '80s.

"We also need administrators who love West Indies cricket, as there are a lot of West Indies administrators who are in it for personal gains.

"I think we need a clean sweep of our administrators. We can't only blame the players. Administrators must share the blame too. We have people who are on the board for over 20 years and are part of the reasons why we are in the position where we are at," he noted.

Controversial statements

There have been widespread discussions in the wake of Hilaire's statements about the literacy levels of the team's players with WIPA president, Dinanath Ramnarine, calling on him to apologise.

Said Ramnarine in a media release: "Dr Ernest Hilaire's statements made during the panel discussion and reported in the press thereafter are outrageous, disrespectful and revealing.

"Dr Hilaire's comment that the Windies team is the least educated of all the Test-playing teams reveals a misunderstanding of the concept of education and of what it takes to be a successful cricketer.

"Dr Hilaire's words put West Indian players at risk of disrespect, both at home and abroad. The world has been told that some West Indian players are uneducated, unable to compete on the world stage effectively, mercenary and incapable of improvement.

"Obviously, all players need the support of their board, but this CEO has certainly given the impression that the WICB may have written off some of the region's players."