Will West Indies Cricket Rise From The Ashes ?

[mapoui]

but you see what I mean I hope! Bryan Davis, Tony White, David Allan, Willie Rodriguez, Charlie Griffith, Jackie Hendriks, Joe Solomon did not play any english cricket at all. and by 1965 I dont think Hall was playing there either but he had had his stint.

and westindies had only then began a permanent annual tournament so the exposure for the homebased players was very skimpy indeed. but what we had at that time was producing players we all knew were top class...like Lloyd for example, by 1966.

there is not a single westindian batsman at this time, young and comng who we can say is comparable to Lloyd in 1966...not even lil Bravo although he promises much. there is no Kalliecharan or Rowe types we could say the same of..or Bernard Julien or Jeff Dujon etc, all of whom we knew of by the late sixties. westindies have no comparable potentials at the moment.

of course you have a point Point for today ois ot the sixties. we have a diffefrent day and diferent requirments for success and more cricket as you rightly point out is one of them. but it naver made sense for us to build our house on another mans sand. he wet the sand and our house fell down as you argue.

I am all for more creicket, and if proffessional the better. if we could build a regional league that can attarct top palyers from arpound thr world for example all the better for our young players. that cannot hurt the westindies, only help us to improve, provide all the benefits you list.

but it would be even better if we the more cricket was lucrative enough to provide a home-grown alternative to the enticements of athletics, soccer and basketball scholarships and contractsetc abroad

[mapoui]

I see your argument and I agree with it. but I dont see it as decisive. we must have the talent and we do not have world class talent at this time..certainly not like we used to have.

we used to defeat the world on a basis far, far less than what we have now. we must fnd ways to bring forward such talent again. and we must do it at home, not depend on others for opportubity to hone our skills.

the nations who can provide such oportunity do not like to be defeated by blac and brown men and women at anything at all. and they can be counted on to do whatever they can to remove all possiblity of this happening if they can.

[mapoui]

Again , allow me to inform you and others that it is not a question of not having Talent , WE do have talent , Stanford & his Board proved that by his Team beating all the opponents they played against .

Obviously this was facilitated by the fact that HE HAD A 6 WEEKS CAMP . THIS TELLS ME THAT THE MAIN PROBLEM IS THAT OUR PLAYERS DONT PLAY ENOUGH CRICKET . Now that is the responsibility of the WICB . But it has become crystal clear , that the WICB has learnt nothing from Stanford & his Cricket Board .

The solution in my opinion therefore is to have more Regional Tournaments . Rather than invite
Teams from other Countries , whose Players play more Cricket than our Players , and of a higher calibre too . Especially since our Players are Part Time Cricketers .

I am at a loss why the WICB invites teams from outside the Region when , extending the Regional Tournaments will reap better dividends . Doing that will raise the competitiveness of our Players by sharpening , their Physical & Mental Skills

well we do have talent..but not THE talent.

preparation always helps, and the better and more extensive and accurate such preparation is, the results are likely to be very successful.

I am not arguing against any such thing but like you want more of it. but I wont argue against inviting outside teams to the regionals. they will extend the tournament, make more games, the very thing you want, while at this time introducing a tougher element into the play which cannot hurt us, but force us to improve our game.

we can kill all birds by inviting outside teams into the regionals. extent the rournaments, increase competitives, lay the basis for future expansion into more lucrative and extensive tournaments

[POINT]

Let me begin by saying that in those eras you have stated , you have failed to state that Cricket in the Region was of a much higher standard than what we currently have . You failed to also state that in those Days , many matches were played before and between Test Matches ,Obviously they had enough time to get acclimatized to the prevailing conditions .
Note that our current Players dont have tour matches between the Tests , ODI & Twenty /20 matches . Obviously this impinges greatly on our Part Time Players .

STILL NO MENTION OF STANFORD I SEE , LIKE A BOXER , YOU CAN RUN BUT YOU CANNOT HIDE .
I still am awaiting your take on Stanford's Team performance ., Specifically , WHY DID THEY HUMBLE THE MIGHTY ENGLAND ??? . This is tangible proof that WE have talent , let me remind you and others P6 = PROPER PREPARATION PREVENTS PISS POOR PERFORMANCES . Stanford & his Cricket Board realized that , but evidently you and others havent , however you are in good company , because neither do the Emperors in the WICB , or their Serfs in the Media .

[mapoui]

STILL NO MENTION OF STANFORD I SEE , LIKE A BOXER , YOU CAN RUN BUT YOU CANNOT HIDE .
I still am awaiting your take on Stanford's Team performance ., Specifically , WHY DID THEY HUMBLE THE MIGHTY ENGLAND ??? . This is tangible proof that WE have talent , let me remind you and others P6 = PROPER PREPARATION PREVENTS PISS POOR PERFORMANCES . Stanford & his Cricket Board realized that , but evidently you and others havent , however you are in good company , because neither do the Emperors in the WICB , or their Serfs in the Media .

I ent running nor trying to hide. I am not in a fight stance with you in here point. we both want he same result...westindian renewal.

many teams have trained extensively and failed just as that standfrod team did and did no fail. the extensive trainng could have ben only one, even if very important factor in that win.

those players should have benefitted permanently from that experiednce to the extent that even if the wicb provided no opportunity for such extensive training again, so train themselves that they would have risen individually since then and stayed up. they have not in in so many cases.

but we have the same point..westindian cricketers of the moment are not as good as we were back then...

[mapoui]

we do have a level of talent at the moment that is not sufficient to the task. extensive training and leadershp that could mine the level to the max, to bring out all that is available, to play as a unit to maiximise it all are the factors if harnessed can produce better results.

but I dont see westindies have really good players capableof defeating the world in our team.

gayle is capable of doing damage, Sarwan is good, Shive may be in decline. thats it in the batting apart from the the promise of the 2 kids Barath and Bravo

Sknash is determination so give him dat factor. he is also 34 years old!

Is Big Bravo as good as Eldine Baptiste, Roger Harper...even Hamish Anthony?

westindies have 1...possibly 2..half decent bowlers in Roach and Benn.

[mapoui]

and the factors you site as what extensive training back in the day are beighter here nor there. no mater what current players have FAR! FAR! FAR! FAR MORE training and exposure than the players even into the eighties.

I mean they have literally state of the art physical and medical attention, they have physios and sports psychologists available on the spur. they have nedications and equipment players in the sixties could only dream about.

they have videos amd expertise to break-down the play of the opposition and strategise for them. and most of them play year -round, train at least individualy year -round, live year-round according to diet and trainign regimens that ensure they are always ready to play.

that is what modern professionalism requires...a professionalism that has invaded all and every region of the world and in all and every sport. cricket is no exception.

I dont really know what else you want point. the only diff between weswtindies and the oz is that they prolly have in Oz more extensive and modern facilities than westindies, because they have more money than we do.

but Titty is catching up in that regard, Barbados too I imagine, building up state of the art grounds and overall cricket facilities.

[POINT]

Mapoui ,

Your argument is still very weak , simply because you have yet to factor into the equation the fact that THE SCHEDULING FORMAT IN THOSE DAYS ALLOWED FOR MANY MATCHES BEFORE AND BETWEEN TEST MATCHES .

THIS MEANT THAT PLAYERS GOT ACCLIMATIZED , TO BOTH THE WEATHER AND THE PITCHES .
OBVIOUSLY THIS BOOSTED THEIR PERFORMANCES INDIVIDUALLY AND COLLECTIVELY . PLEASE NOTE THAT THE CURRENT ICC SCHEDULING FORMAT DOES NOT ALLOW FOR MANY MATCHES BETWEEN THE INTERNATIONAL MATCHES .

ANY FAIR MINDED PERSONS WOULD UNDERSTAND THEREFORE THOSE FACTORS . You still havent yet come to grips with my point regarding Stanford's 6 weeks camp that blew the wind out of the sails of those who claim that there aint Talent in the Region .

The essential point I am making is that until our Players are properly prepared , One cannot make a blanket statement saying that there isnt Talent in the Region . You also avoided saying anything that regarding the fact that until the 1980's , most of our Players were playing Cricket in England .

[mapoui]

The essential point I am making is that until our Players are properly prepared , One cannot make a blanket statement saying that there isnt Talent in the Region . You also avoided saying anything that regarding the fact that until the 1980's , most of our Players were playing Cricket in England .

I am kinda lost here Point! I was on top of the post but I fell completely away. time of year I think!

I have no probelm with preparation and dont see that you are wrong! but who made a blanket statement that there is no talent in the region?

who would be so foolish? we do not know the extend of talent that may be available in the westindies in a factual and complete sense! who can? but I assume to a large extent talent is talent and may find expression according to available opportuity.

at the moment in the westindies there are many opportunities for the talented , who may fnd their way into the vicinity of those oportunities! are there enough opportunities to match or equal to all westindians who need work chance?

I dont know! thats a complex situation that would need full study for accurate answer! but I do know that in the current situation the wicb needs to make itself attractive and available to draw talent in the region to cricket..otherwise they wont play cricket but alternatives that appear to be more attractive and rewadring at this time

[mapoui]

so it follows: I mean that though there are soem reasonably talented cricket in the westindies team, and others available to it at this time, the talent level is not what it used to be, and that for a many reasons a cause of this is that there are many opportunites for the standard of youth who used to be attracted to cricket in the past.

now westindies society is of such a nature that only college bwoys had a chance to play cricket and be selected up to the westindies side. yu had to go to St marys, QRC, Presentation, Fatima etc, to be in line for Trinidad and the westindies.

few others than those got a chance. and as far as I knew it was the same throughout the region. well! how are those schools doing these days when it comes to producing test class cricketers?

has selection expanded to include ordinary bwoys from regular high chools or no high schools at all? can the bwoys from no high schools even afford to play cricket which is an expensive game to play anywhere in the worll?

soccer just requires a ball and some open space, any space at all ,even the concrete streets, to develop skills up to the highest levels. and soccer is interested in skills not college diplomas from this or that school