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Let's get on with some cricket

Published:Tuesday | January 7, 2014 | 12:00 AM
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A street vendor carries kitchen utensils during a 48-hour nationwide strike called by the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party against Sunday's general election in Dhaka, Bangladesh, yesterday. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's ruling Awami League party won one of the most violent elections in the country's history, marred by street fighting, low turnout, and a boycott by the Opposition that made the results a foregone conclusion. - ap
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Wayne Cadogan, Contributor

The West Indies cricket team is currently embarking on another overseas tour of New Zealand. The team has been going through a major crisis for the past 20 years. As usual, the selectors continue to make the same mistakes tour after tour. One has to wonder if the West Indies Board has come to the realisation that cricket is a business and has to be operated in that manner. West Indies cricket's slide started from 1991 when Richie Richardson was appointed Test captain over Desmond Haynes. A number of other factors have contributed to the downfall besides the board. It appears that the International Cricket Board and umpires set out to destroy West Indies cricket through rule changes over the years. First, it was the fast bowlers and now our spinners.

suspected throwing action

Whenever the West Indies have a bowler who looks as though they can be a threat; they are called for a suspected throwing action. If it was possible for them to find a rule that could affect batsmen, I believe that they would have also done the same against Gayle and Chanderpaul. West Indies cricket has gone through an era in which they were invincible and, now that they are down. Every effort is being made by other Test teams and those in control of world cricket to make sure that West Indies cricket does not rise from the ashes to the heights it once experienced. The biggest problem in West Indies cricket is the structure of the board. Cricket is more than just a sport, it is a business and should be structured in the same manner and operated like a company.

Since it is not owned by an individual, but by the Caribbean territories, there is no need for a CEO but instead there should be a general manager. The role of the general manager should be to oversee the overall management of the team and to manage the day-to-day operations of the various departments, hire managers, and coaching staff, have total control of players' transactions, and negotiate with players and agents regarding contracts. In order for West Indies cricket to survive and recover from its present path to a slow death, it has to be restructured. We need a qualified, experienced sports manager with a proven track record. The selectors keep chopping and changing players every tour, yet we go with the same selectors. How is it that they do not change the selectors similar to how the players are constantly changed? The chief selector has been a there for more than 10 years.

Why is it that the board cannot be made up of experienced selectors like the great Sir Everton Weekes, Tony King, Sir Vivian Richards, Clive Lloyd, Mike Findlay, Seymour Nurse, Charlie Griffith, Michael Holding, and Curtly Ambrose? These are all very knowledgeable former cricketers with proven no-nonsense personalities. One must not lose sight of the fact that West Indies cricket is in the business of making money like any other business and, therefore, cannot afford to be carrying around extra baggage just to put money in other people's pockets and all the perks that come with all the current positions.

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