Croft disses current Cricketers....
Posted: Sun May 01, 2011 7:27 am
and WICB...
You may think that I am crazy. Join the club. On principle, I agree with West Indies Cricket Board Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Ernest Hiliare, who suggested; “no man is bigger than the game.” Very true!
While many might still have tremendous acknowledgements in West Indies cricket folklore, George Headley, Brian Lara, Viv Richards, Malcolm Marshall, Frank Worrell, Wes Hall, Clyde Walcott, just a few of the more illustrious cricketers produced here, are no longer playing. Some are even dead!
Yet, that glorious game that West Indies entered back in 1928 still continues on. The man is correct!
One wonders, though, what will happen to cricket, especially pertaining to West Indies, even as players of much lesser ability, and no real grounding in the game, or its history, take positions. Good cricket is not dead, not after ICC CWC 2011, as it seems far out of reach of our futile efforts here in the Caribbean.
As the saying goes; “before you make plans to go forward, you must know where you have come from!” Given the utterances flying back and forth over the last few weeks, most seem not to know that at all!
The first time that I heard that comment from a WICB person was from Jeffrey Stollmeyer, former West Indies captain, and, from 1974, WICB President. He uttered those words, in 1977, when most of West Indies team had signed up for World Series Cricket – Kerry Packer’s cricket – and were promptly banned!
http://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2011/ ... %E2%80%9D/But, Aretha is known mostly for her 1967 mega No. 1 hit “R-E-S-P-E-C-T”. That is now a world anthem!
Another great hit, “Only the strong survive” was originally done, in 1968, by another soul singer, Jerry Butler, and was made even more popular, and forever prudent, by both Elvis Presley and Billy Paul.
Without real respect, both given and received, regardless of the entity, atmosphere, environment or industry, only the very strong will survive. That is why so much of what is revered in West Indies cricket is dying, or has already died. There is no respect for our game, not from authorities, or from players!