By Akeem Greene
The bottom is getting lower for West Indies cricket as the two-time world champions failed to qualify for the upcoming Cricket World Cup after losses to Zimbabwe, Netherlands, and Scotland in the ongoing qualifier in Zimbabwe.
West Indies had to go the route of qualifiers, as they did in 2019, due to not finishing among the top eight sides at the end of the International Cricket Council’s Super League.
Last year, the two-time World T20 champions, failed to qualify for the Super 12s at the World T20 in Australia, and that prompted an independent review chaired by Justice Patrick Thompson Jr., a High Court Judge of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, and included Brian Lara, and South African international cricket coach, Mickey Arthur.
As mentioned by numerous learned pundits on the matter, the decline of the most dominated and feared team, started decades ago.
However, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) sees a light at the end of the dark tunnel for West Indies cricket and is optimistic change could happen.
Roosevelt Skerrit, Prime Minister of Dominica and current chair of CARICOM, spoke Wednesday evening at the closing press conference of the Heads of Government meeting in Trinidad and Tobago.
“I still believe that we have to rally around the West Indies…Our comments about West Indies cricket come out of passion and commitment to the game; we do not want to lose, and we do not like to lose. We need there to appear to be a fighting spirit,” Skerrit expressed.
He highlighted the recent comments of Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister, Dr. Keith Rowley, who labeled West Indies’ defeat to the Netherlands as the “worst cricket he has seen.”
West Indies lost via Super Over, leaking 30 runs and then losing their two wickets for eight runs. Earlier, West Indies posted 374 runs.
Moreover, Rowley was appointed as the new chair of the Prime Ministerial cricket sub-committee, and Skerrit said they would meet in the new week to discuss a new course for West Indies cricket.
“…how we can work together, how we can better position West Indies cricket in the Caribbean so that we can return to the glorious days….We will come back to those days,” he confidently expressed.
CARICOM has always played key roles in West Indies cricket, especially in advisory to its governance.
Previous chair of the cricket subcommittee, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves, had stated after a meeting with former Cricket West Indies President Ricky Skerritt, “West Indies Cricket success and growth are crucial to our regional psychological well-being. A regional good cannot be operated like a private club.”
