… says GCB’s Cricket Development Officer
CRICKET Development Officer (CDO) of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Reon King yesterday told Chronicle Sport Guyana’s cricket is in the stone ages and definitely in need of a ‘pick me up’ stage as soon as possible.
“Honestly, I cannot say what our cricketers need as a motivation to go out there and give of their best. When asked, they said the preparation was great and some even commended the GCB for organising such sessions, but at the end of the day, they are the ones crossing the ropes.
They are the bowlers who have to bowl to the opposition and also the batsmen who have to face the opposition deliveries and I must say that from a GCB standpoint, we have done our part in giving them the best preparations possible for this tournament,” the 34-year-old King stated.
The man who took 53 wickets from 19 Tests and only 10 months ago replaced another former West Indies fast bowler Colin Stuart as the CDO, believes that the GCB needs to tackle the problem that is facing our cricket head on from the bottom.
“When I say that our cricket is in the stone ages, I was referring to the advent of technology that is being used by our opponents, while we linger behind. Teams have been travelling with video analysis and other technical staff for a long time, while we were and still are stuck with the old regime of just a manager and coach.
With all due respect to those two gentlemen, we are having two pairs of hands and eyes, with one pair of each having represented Guyana at the highest level, while not much can be said of the other when it relates to cricket, hence the possibility of handling 13 different situations two days before a game can be a tedious task to them.”
He continued, “Teams have been visiting these shores with a manager and coach, along with a technical committee which assists the abovementioned two in more ways than one, and with the advent of technology, it is time we get up and start moving apace if we are looking to catch up with the rest of the region, hence we will be left behind at the starting line, waiting on a gun that has already being sounded.”
When asked what remedial process he would implement as CDO, King was not hesitant to say and also gave his reasons why he chose that way – tackle school cricket head on, as that is a critical area in the game here in Guyana.
“Back in the days, you would recognise a future star in the game from school cricket. A player would come through the ranks on his way to the national team and probably the West Indies, starting with school cricket.
“Now, it is from the club level, then probably inter-association and then inter-county and if his performance is creditable, the national team, and we need to see this sort of behaviour amended, hence the return of competitions among the school, which means that the Ministry of Education and the Regional Democratic Councils must get involved.
“I would like to see coaches being attached to every school throughout Guyana as part of our development programme and this alone would be a massive programme in terms of acquiring the coaches who should be level one candidates, as well as finance for this programme and immediately, corporate Guyana comes into the picture, as their financial help would be needed.
“The clubs also have an integral role to play when it comes to this subject as the re-introduction of some principles that can help the cricketers understand what they are representing, speaks volumes, for then the players would know they have to work to earn their place on a team,” King stated.
Using the world renowned Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) as an example, King recalled the days when a player would have to run a number of laps before he is required to either bat or bowl, depending on the day of the week.
Now you have players turning up at practice sessions, putting on their pads and batting and when they are through, they pick up a ball and bowl whatever they feel like bowling to the remaining batsman, caring little or less for that individual’s development as a player.
He called for a national fitness standard to be set and adhered to, with the selectors and the clubs being on board with same, with a permanent fitness regime being put in place not only for national teams but also clubs within the next five years.
Clubs must take the onus upon themselves to once again introduce a strict fitness standard with regards to their team, with the national fitness standard which will be introduced, in mind. This means that when a player is called for national duties, the workload of the fitness trainer would be decreased instead of increased,” said King.
When asked about his latest appointment with the Guyana national team, the CDO stated that even though he is being selected as part of the management team, he has no idea with regard to his portfolio on the team, even though he acted as bowling coach a few years ago.
“If one is to ask me now who am I with regard to the Guyana team, I can fairly say I don’t know. I am neither the bowling coach nor even the assistant coach and as far as I know, Guyana does not have an assistant coach on their team.
“What I do know for sure is that I will be with the team in Berbice along with Robin Singh, working along with the coach, while the GCB will be putting things in place for us to travel with the team for their final two matches in this year’s tournament,” King stated.
Both King and Singh will be joining the team in Berbice today, in time for tomorrow’s fifth round clash against Barbados.