Dear Editor,
TODAY, I am elated to join all the peoples of the Caribbean in extending heartfelt thanks and congratulations to our regional team captains Shimron Hetmyer at the Under-19 level, Stafanie Taylor at the women’s level and Darren Sammy at the male level, along with their supporting staff for their championship victories in each of the World T20 finals. I was fortunate to witness at least the last three matches of each tournament and on each occasion that we won, I felt like jumping over the moon with joy. Along the way I learnt the victorious chest-roll dance of our Under 19 team and when our women won this morning, I started learning the Champions Dance. By the time Carlos Braithwaite had struck the fourth six in a row off the first four balls of the final over to give us victory and the third World Champions in a row in 2016, and the second in a day after the Women’s win, I had perfected the Champions dance. ‘What a day!’
Regrettably, Captain Sammy had to publicly complain during his acceptance interview, about the lack of support from the WICB. He specially mentioned problems in acquiring uniforms for his players and the fact that the team had received communication from Prime Minister Mitchell, the Chairman of CARICOM on Sunday morning, but up to the time when he was speaking, nothing had been received from the WICB. Obviously, this organisation needs to do a much better job in building and maintaining confidence and much better relationships with our cricketers.
This situation reminds me of how the current West Indies Under-19 captain Shimron Hetmyer was treated by the GCB in July 2015. In a media publication about six weeks ago, it was mentioned that he had been selected by the national selectors to captain the Guyana Under-19 team in the regional Under-19 tournament, but the GCB refused to approve his appointment. This talented Under-19 cricketer had represented both Berbice and Guyana at the Under-15, Under-17 and Under-19 levels, Guyana at the senior regional level and the West Indies in the 2014 Under-19 World Cup tournament with success. Only the GCB would know what criteria they used to appoint someone else. Our team was third in that tournament, although Hetmyer averaged 55.17 runs per inning from seven innings, had the most runs-331- and the highest score of 135 not out. Luckily, Clive Lloyd and the West Indies selectors did not make the same mistake.
Now that our teams have proven that we are definitely the best at the T20 level, the WICB and regional boards will need to take bold steps by investing in our players to allow them to improve our rankings at the 50-over but more especially, at the Test match level.
One would be forced to ask, ‘Where are our Cricket Academies?’, May 2015 was the last time a President’s XI game was played- against Australia- and we have had no West Indies ‘A’ or ‘B’ team in years. The promise to improve our lifeless pitches has not been kept.
In Guyana, the three-day first-division competition was discontinued since 2010 and the four-day Inter- County competitions discontinued in 2015, both by Guyana Cricket Board, must be reinstated. Indeed, these formats should be played in all Caribbean territories.
Our cricketers can best develop fitness, skill and talent, gain form, confidence and readiness by playing much more of these formats under the right conditions.
Yours faithfully,
Mortimer George
Former Secretary BCB, Life member BCB