Competitive value

[mikesiva]

Between 2009 and 2015, we can see a significant decline in Caribbean cricket....

Here is what happened when St Kitts-Nevis last played a touring England team:

http://www.espncricinfo.com/wiveng2009/ ... 52670.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

SKN made 251 in the first innings, and 221 in the second.

And let's look at the first match involving SKN this season (simply because the second was bolstered by four England players to strengthen it):

http://www.espncricinfo.com/west-indies ... 66925.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

59 all out and 76-7....

This is not just the demise of SKN cricket, but the decline of West Indies cricket generally. So, with all the chest-beating by Afro over the launch of thee PCL, we haven't seen the results yet, at least, certainly not in the Leewards. It remains to be seen if the PCL will lift us up from the doldrums of eighth in the Test rankings, but Holding is right - the WICB are trying a top-down approach. They need to approach the revival of cricket the way the JAAA revived the fortunes of track and field athletics between the 1970s and the 1990s. They took the sport back into the schools, especially the primary and secondary schools, and worked hard at the grass-roots level. The WICB is not doing that....

The WICB just give lip-service to taking cricket back to grass-roots. The reality is that most top high schools in Jamaica still struggle to find an XI to play one-day or two-day cricket. The only interest is in T20 cricket.

[Gils]

Mike, Jamaica won 7 titles in 8 years, the 1st year they don't win it's down to the structure

As I see it, cricket in Jamaica is not structured the same as the other Islands, in fact all the Islands basically arrange schedules and formats suited to their individual requirements, separate and apart from any centralised WICBC dictate.

For that reason I say it's simplistic to blanket all the boards as simply good and bad structures, or just agenda driven.

Andre Russell being a case in point, Jamaica's athletics and football programs dominate both youth interests and activities so it's generally not until they reach late teens and those youthful dreams are met with reality do they begin to seek out other opportunities.

Jamaica simply need to keep targeting this group of physically prepared and professionally minded youngsters, aged between 16 - 20, and make sure a clear pathway into cricket remains open to them.
Which is a totally different scenario from, say, Guyana where youth cricket is much more of a staple.

My ultimate position on a weak Jamaican structure is this, ( everything is relative ) so get back to me when Champions Guyana, and a resurgent Barbados make up the majority of the WI team.

[mikesiva]

Quite right, Gils...when Guyana and Barbados win seven titles in next eight years, only then can we talk about them replacing Jamaica at the top of the regional tree.

And as you point out, Russell was a track athlete first, before switching to cricket.

Here are some of Tamar Lambert's suggestions for the future of Jamaican cricket:

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/sport/Lo ... t_18725276" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[mikesiva]

It is interesting to see how English and WI talent is developed. Here's an U19 match between England and West Indies five years ago:

http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Score ... 60224.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

For England, Dent, Javid, Azeem, Ball, Payne and Buck seem to have disappeared, while Vince and Briggs are doing well in county cricket. Stokes, Root and Buttler have made the transition to the England Test team.

For the West Indies, Bolan and Gordon have disappeared, Griffith, Jon-Ross Campbell, Creary and Dewar can't hold on to a FC place, while Cariah seems to be a fixture in the Trinidad side. Dowrich has done well in the PCL, while Kraigg, Blackwood and Holder have made the transition to the WI Test team.

Two mediocre Test teams playing each other, and we can see why....

[bossman19TT]

It can be very difficult for young talent to make it to de top level, I would say 3/11 is not so bad at all...look at it dis way, if we had 2/3 players from every U19 WC squad make it to de senior team, we would be doing extremely well indeed. Dat would mean de senior squad would get completely refreshed every 8-10 years (3 players over 4/5 WCs = 12-15 players in senior team) which just does not happen in international cricket

Of course we should look to limit de amount of wasted talent, but it will always happen at every level. What is more worryin (as you allude to) is not dat young players do not make it to de senior WI team, but dat deh doh even make it as proper FC cricketers. If we had young boys like Griffith, Creary, and Dewar pushin hard for a WI place wit strong FC performances, WI would certainly benefit be better off

Hopefully wit all de changes to domestic cricket, young players will be better integrated into proper senior cricket

[AFRO]

It is interesting to see how English and WI talent is developed. Here's an U19 match between England and West Indies five years ago:

http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Score ... 60224.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

For England, Dent, Javid, Azeem, Ball, Payne and Buck seem to have disappeared, while Vince and Briggs are doing well in county cricket. Stokes, Root and Buttler have made the transition to the England Test team.

For the West Indies, Bolan and Gordon have disappeared, Griffith, Jon-Ross Campbell, Creary and Dewar can't hold on to a FC place, while Cariah seems to be a fixture in the Trinidad side. Dowrich has done well in the PCL, while Kraigg, Blackwood and Holder have made the transition to the WI Test team.

Two mediocre Test teams playing each other, and we can see why....

Well half the damn cricket nations must be "mediocre" then because your country are ranked THIRD and your fathers county ranked SEVENTH!!

[Gils]

All 18 directors of the WICB including President Whycliffe “Dave” Cameron and Vice President Emmanuel Nanthan, along with Chief Executive Officer Michael Muirhead and Corporate Secretary Verlyn Faustin will meet with the CARICOM Committee at the Silver Sands Beach Resort.

This meeting must be of very high importance for all 18 directors to devote a whole 8 hour day out of their busy schedules to it, at Silver Sands beach resort as opposed to their rented offices.

Topics for discussion :

(1) reform and governance of West Indies Cricket; (2) matters with the Board of Control for Cricket in India over the aborted West Indies Tour of India last year; and (3) the relationship between the CARICOM Committee on Cricket Governance and the WICB.

http://www.windiesfans.com/index.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Gils]

Quite right, Gils...when Guyana and Barbados win seven titles in next eight years, only then can we talk about them replacing Jamaica at the top of the regional tree.

And as you point out, Russell was a track athlete first, before switching to cricket.

Here are some of Tamar Lambert's suggestions for the future of Jamaican cricket:

I think his comments would have carried more weight if he made them while winning titles.

I agree that finance is the major issue in regional cricket but if money only comes in via ICC through WICBC and then on to the 6 boards who is to blame.

I also agree that any team consistently scoring > 250 will struggle so not to mention Gayle or Samuel's absence was also very big of him

[mikesiva]

Here's the problem....

http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/ ... 73595.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Darren Sammy is earning US$500,000 a month, compared to US$120,000 a year in all formats for the West Indies.

[Gils]

I presented the numbers for players in the region actively involved in fc cricket a couple of years ago, when CCC had a team in R4D. It was roughly 130 players.

Pybus 19 historical changes ensured a large number of those players became professionally contracted all year round but did nothing to expand the number.

The maths alone says the absence of not just Sammy but also Gayle, Pollard. Bravo, Narine, Cooper, Smith, Simmons, Russell etc is too heavy a loss for WI to bear, no matter how much posters might try to mix that primary truth into each of those individuals perceived suitability to a particular format.

It also shows player marketability is still subject to the primary force of highest bidder calling the tune, which is no different to 40 years ago with Packer

I'm not sure if West Indies have been hit hardest by the impact of T20 league's or if they just make the most noise about the loses