By Akash Persaud

Amidst the Doom and Gloom of the “1100 Grit Yellow” ball tampering fiasco, Afghanistan emerged the top team in the Cricket World Cup 2019 Qualifiers. When the teams that were going to be playing in the CWCQ were announced, it was a fore-gone conclusion in my mind and maybe that of other followers of cricket as to who were going to be the 2 teams to qualify; West Indies and Afghanistan of course. This is not because I’m West Indian and a fan of West Indies cricket, but by the mere fact that West Indies should qualify easily being who they are, or perhaps in hindsight, who they were – WEST INDIES and Afghanistan, because they are the best of the rest.

As the tournament began and concluded, it seemed every team deserved a place, except the West Indies. They were on the brink of losing to these so called “minnows” on so many occasions. West Indies, with such a long and distinguished tag of “world beaters”, were reduced to rags in a tournament they deserve to be in. By no means were teams “blown away” in the super sixes by this Test playing team that possesses the like of Chris Gayle, Marlon Samuels, Kemar Roach, Carlos Braithwaite (remember the name), but rather, close finishes and at-least one win that should have been a loss. It seems that in a month of Sundays, this Afghan team will beat this very West Indies side, every day, lopsidedly at that too. In the final, West Indies played as if they were just happy to be in CWC’19. There was no sense of urgency that suggests that they should be embarrassed of how they got to this point and should try their best to win this so called “final”.

These sentiments that Im sharing is not because I hate this team, my very blood bleeds the crimson of the West Indies flag, in every sense. I have stayed up late, listening to radio – Courtney Walsh bowling in Christchurch, 3 am Guyana time; I sat in the Rohan Kanhai stand as Shiv Chanderpaul debuted. I remember the “bottle chorus” of the Busta regional tournament at Bouda. There were some great moments.

I have publicly denounced this team on many occasions, saying “bannas I done wid them” only to be drawn, like an insect, to the light of the television screen whenever West Indies plays, with the hope that “they will win today”. Then they will lose, but I will still go back with that hope and thought; “y’all could beat these people budday”.

Being born in Wakenaam to a family of traditional cricket followers, I became a fan of the game very late. I looked in awe, men holding small transistor radios to their ears; they seemed to be listening to the Gods with such intent. Though I did not have a sense of why mostly Indo-Guyanese spoke of the glories of India and Afro- Guyanese that of West Indies, I immediately felt a sort of “birth-right” to be a fan of my “own team”, that has not changed. What has changed is the joy that I experience in the early 90’s (when I started to follow the game) to what has now been replaced by pain, anger and grief. How is it that the once mighty West Indies needed rain and messers Duckworth/Lewis and Stern to get into a tournament that they WON twice and were losing finalist once; how?

From the perspective of a fan, it seems that this conundrum lies at the very top; the WICB. For over a decade and a half, we have been told to be patient, the team is rebuilding. Coach after coach have been tried. Well that rebuilding seems to be in the hands of, in Guyanese parlance “over-night contractors” who know absolutely nothing about building the project at hand, but will get paid anyway. Where are the West Indian greats: Viv Richards, BC Lara, Ambrose, Walsh, that deadly fast bowling quartet of the 80’s, Roger Harper… where are they? Why isn’t this rebuilding process given to people who know what it is like to build a team; Clive Lloyd comes to mind, but instead, to people who just clamber for the fame and fortune that comes with these leadership roles. Why are some players dictating why, when and how they will play for West Indies? Sunil Narine, Kieran Pollard, Andre Russle and Dwayne Bravo decided that they will not be available, but rather, they will play for the PSL. Some would argue that it’s a matter of “food on the table” and the WICB has not done its bit to take care of these players. But where is the pride and loyalty to your team; it is the very West Indies team that made most of these players come to prominence. Is it that no one cares about the fans and lacks the decency of at least giving them something to cheer about? Or is it the players revolting against a tyrant WICB ? But then perhaps it can also be the lure of the “big bucks”. Whatever it is though, West Indies cricket needs intervention, perhaps a revolution of some sort. The bull has to be taken by the horn. The time is now!

West Indies being out of CWC’19, which they deserve to be, in my opinion, could have done West Indies cricket more good than harm. Perhaps it would have sparked that REVOLUTION needed in the sport–a sport which is a part of the Caribbean’s culture and folklore. But maybe if we the fans let our voices be heard, to those at Caricom, the ICC and lovers of West Indian cricket – Worldwide, maybe, just maybe things will change. I have HOPE in West Indies Cricket, even if it comes in brothers Kyle and Shai, I have Hope. Youngsters in the team–Jason, the Hopes, Keemo, Chase, Shimron etc. should be used as the blocks to really rebuild this team, but it can only be done with a “fit and proppa contractor”. Long live West Indies Cricket.