CRICKET WEST INDIES (CWI) held a two-day meeting in Trinidad aimed at reviving the team’s dominance in international cricket. The discussions brought together legendary figures such as Viv Richards, Brian Lara, Clive Lloyd, Desmond Haynes, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, and current head coach Daren Sammy.
Attendees acknowledged that the West Indies are currently not on the same level playing field as other cricketing nations before formulating a roadmap to revitalise cricket in the region.
Following the meeting, CWI stated that it had identified around 100 areas for improvement. These include instilling a deeper sense of pride among young players, raising the standard of domestic competitions, and securing greater financial resources.
The gathering came shortly after the West Indies suffered a collapse, being bowled out for just 27 runs — the second-lowest innings total in Test history and the lowest since 1955 — against Australia at Sabina Park in Kingston.
CWI chief executive Chris Dehring said, “We have identified a list of about a hundred things that we have to improve, but probably among the top five: facilities at every level for our cricketers; practice pitches across the region; the quality of our domestic tournaments, there’s definitely a skills deficiency at various levels that don’t get highlighted till they reach international levels and then you see the glaring deficiencies vis-a-vis our international counterparts, which again is systemic.”
Lara said, “It’s been that case for years, where we are not in the same level-playing field as other playing countries. Back in the days when skill was the prominent factor, we excelled, we were the best team in the world. But the game has evolved, and technology and analytics, and we now have to see a new way of finding ourselves back to being very competitive. I said not a level-playing field because a lot of the countries are far ahead in these sorts of areas. The skill factor of the game is still there, but not as prominent as it was in the past.”
Lara added, “What motivates youngsters today? It might not be just representing West Indies 365 days of the year. It might be playing in an IPL or a BBL or something else. We have to find out those interests and see where West Indies cricket can still benefit from the youngsters.”
