West Indies Cricket Fans

IT makes no sense that Ernest Hilaire would want to embarrass the West Indies Under-19 squad which admirably placed third at the Youth World Cup in New Zealand back in January.

I met Hilaire shortly after he was appointed CEO of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB). Based on that meeting I feel sure that shaming the youngsters was the last thing on his mind when he told an audience in Barbados "that almost half of the Under-19 team could barely read or write".

Part of Hilaire's problem is that he has gotten caught up in the long-running propaganda war between the WICB and the West Indies Players Association (WIPA).

Hilaire is correct when he says there are more embarrassments ahead for West Indies cricket. It is important that he and others know that the academy is only a small part of the solution. We live in hope that it won't collapse as the short-lived Shell-sponsored version did in mid-decade.

Crucially, the WICB must find a way to get started with a professional league in West Indies cricket. It makes no sense that a cricketer can only make a sustainable living from his game when he makes the West Indies team. Hilaire and the WICB need to stop talking foolishness and get to work.