ST JOHN’S, Antigua: West Indies cricket may “cease to exist” unless the issue of its players prioritising global Twenty20 leagues ahead of international duties is resolved, a comprehensive review of matters related to the pathetic state of the game in the Caribbean, has warned.
In the wake of its disastrous campaign at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia last year, where the team finished at the bottom of its group behind Zimbabwe, Ireland and Scotland, Cricket West Indies (CWI) had appointed an independent three-member group to prepare a report, which has now been submitted to board president Ricky Skerritt.
“It is essential that some middle ground is arrived at. Otherwise, West Indies cricket may cease to exist as an entity,” the report starkly states.
“This group does not indulge in doomsday predictions but no entity, sporting or otherwise, has a viable future if its talent is not harnessed and effectively managed,” the report added.
“It is not in the best interests of West Indies cricket that our best players play in every global league and play for the WI Team on an optional basis,” the report said.
“Cricket West Indies must develop and create clear pathways for the identification, development and management of talent. Otherwise, WI cricket runs the risk of being strip-mined by other professional leagues that can afford to harvest and develop our players for their benefit.”
The report urged a “frank and honest discussion” about the issue in order to find a solution to what it called an “impasse”. One of the issues blocking better agreement about player schedules and availability is the long-standing conflicts between players and CWI, the report said.
“In this group’s view, there is significant distrust between the players and administration and this distrust is inimical to ensuring that the best 11 players turn out for the WI Team in every match,” the report said.
The report said the team were “underprepared” at the T20 World Cup and pointed the finger at the short time between the Caribbean Premier League tournament and the T20 World Cup.
As per the report, “They (the team) were underprepared in view of the short time between the end of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and the
start of the World Cup. CPL conditions bore little meaningful similarity to the conditions in Australia.
“In the absence of a camp in Australia, the CPL had little meaningful impact on the team’s preparation.”
The report said that unless change was made, the talent pool of Caribbean players risked being used by others.
“Cricket West Indies (CWI) must develop and create clear pathways for the identification, development and management of talent. Otherwise, WI cricket runs the risk of being strip-mined by other professional leagues that can afford to harvest and develop our players for their benefit.”
The report also called for a “wholesale review of its contracts with its players”.
The report states: CWI should embark on a wholesale review of its contracts with its players. In this Group’s view, the current ICC Future Tours Programme clearly sets out the number of international matches likely to be played by the players between 2023 and 2027. CWI should assess whether its contracts with the players ought to reflect the realities of the Future Tours Programme as opposed to annual contracts. A review of their contracts must, of necessity, involve the input of the players and WIPA but an emphasis on flexibility is critical to ensuring value for money. The contractual review should also assess the scope for individual and team incentives for performance and penalties for failing to meet, attain and surpass agreed upon strength and conditioning and performance standards.
The report further stated: “The current world cricket calendar is driven by commercial realities. The proliferation of professional leagues means that playing for the West Indies is not commercially viable for our best players. The average sporting career is short in relative terms when compared to
the average human lifespan. The desire of our players to maximize their earnings is entirely understandable. On the other hand, our talent pool is shallow in comparison with other sporting nations and as such the current WI Team cannot afford to have its best players playing in global professional leagues to the detriment of West Indies Cricket.”
Report Executive Summary can be accessed and downloaded HERE…
