There is hardly ever the detailed study and review of videotapes of ALL the Test Cricketing teams to improve West Indies cricket. The objectives which should be immediately addressed through the use of technology to these excellent teams, which have addressed themselves in the Caribbean and of course, the TV coverage of the Ashes test played in England.
The Problem
My personal opinion is that the seriousness of the coaches within the region, all of whom may be spending some valuable time with as many of the WI players who have been part of these test matches. There is a naïve habit for the people in the region to let bygones be bygones as soon the test matches are completed. The most they will do regarding the series is to be critics who express themselves to media, the majority demonstrating their disappointment or satisfaction depending on the results.
It is clear that the crowd support for the West Indies playing at home is well short of what it once was during the “heydays” when the greatest team of cricketers in the world, were the WI. The players were treated like celebrities and there was a desire to see them in person both on and off the field. This no longer exists, and the disastrous results show in the cricket world, with West Indies down in the rankings in the five-day game.
The Solution
The CWI must now return to the drawing board where coaches, must come together to view ALL the videotapes of our own team and more importantly, our opponents. There must be a mandatory presence for the current players and also some of the young prospects, where every bit of observation, instruction and implementation should be addressed. There should really be a mixture of theoretical and practical data so that the lessons will be understood in a progressive way. This type of exercise in any sport must be thorough and the objective of progress must be recognized on a daily basis.
Coaches must be able to earn the respect of the players, by way of their communication and demonstrations to the benefit of the players. In the process of approximately one month of this productive venture, there is likely to be signs of improvement. During the period of the fifties, there was a process whereby, the West Indies Board conducted trials in order to select the national and regional teams. They were as important to the fans if they were viewing key matches and in those days, no player who failed to represent their own country will have been eligible to represent the West indies. Trial matches included numerous test players and their presence was not about having fun, but each player was committed to giving his best.
This is the time to revert to a formula which worked and the glory of our cricket was international in scope. It was difficult to call the greatest players in the world without George Headley, The Three “Ws”, Sir Garry Sobers, Learie Constantine through to the winning group of West Indian superstars of the seventies. Whose name can we genuinely find at the top?
Cricket today is much more of a business than it was in those days, past players were truly the professionals, whose commitment was to bring pride, joy, success and enjoyment to the people of the Caribbean. Please bring back those memories.
