–blames ‘future Tours program’ for financial for situation
BARBADIAN Roland Butcher became the first Black man to play Test Cricket for England when he made his debut against West Indies in Barbados in March 1980 in Barbados.
Now 72, Butcher, who played three Tests and three ODIs for England, is now batting to save West Indies cricket, which seems to be heading for a terminal decline.
“It’s an interesting time in West Indies cricket; it’s an interesting time for World Cricket,” he said.
Cricket West Indies (CWI) has now made this announcement about the cancelation of the Super50, the continuation of the three-match First-Class season into next and the 25 per cent reduction in the players’ contracts.
“It’s a cry to the rest of the world for help. It also alerts the world to what can happen to other countries if they are not careful,” lamented Butcher, who migrated to the UK at 14.
The flamboyant right-hander, who scored 17 tons and 65 fifties from 277 First-Class games, mostly for English County, Middlesex, from 1974, warned that a lot of things have happened in the West Indies before, and the West Indies is the first place it has happened, but sometime down the line it will affect others.
“This cry for help; it’s a serious cry. If you look at the origin of this situation, I don’t think you can put all the blame squarely on the shoulders on the West Indies. I think they are probably to be blamed for the way they managed cricket over the years; the management has not been the best, but several things that have happened have caused the West Indies to be in this problem,” reasoned Butcher, who was appointed in November 2024 as Director of Sports at UWI in Barbados.
“The future tours program allows the home team to keep all the revenue, that’s the biggest problem because England can fill out their Stadiums, India will do that, Australia will do that. But in the Caribbean, with their small Stadiums maximum, maybe 15, 000 and tickets cost US$10. That’s not a lot of money.”
The biggest problem for the West Indies has been the future tours program. This is not a problem for the West Indies alone but for all the smaller nations. Only the big three will benefit…India, England and Australia.”
Those three benefit significantly. The likes of the West Indies, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh- they can only charge a minimal amount for tickets. Tests, ODIs and T20s, plus they have small Stadia.
But it a cry to world Cricket, West Indies is just the first, there will be others” posited Butcher.
Butcher said he did not think it had hit ‘rock bottom as yet but added that it will at some point.
“I think there are several things that Countries can do to assist. ICC can change the format of the future tours program…that’s one way of assisting.
I think England can help is the ECB can approach the Foreign Office to change the whole Managed Migration Policy that currently exists.
It is not an ECB policy; it’s a Governmental policy, and what that has done is stopped West Indians cricketers from coming to England even as amateurs.
In the past all of the West Indians who became great players came to England to played in the various English Leagues, Northen Leagues etcetera, etcetera, and that’s how they developed their game.
West Indies is a small cricketing nation and in the past cricketers made a living from playing all over the world, especially England, and that is no longer available,” continued Butcher.
“What’s happened recently is that CWI has reduced the First-Class season to three matches and that will continue next year.
That problem two-fold. One; the players are not getting enough cricket to develop their game to be able to compete at international level. But more importantly, it’s even worse now because of the Managed Migration Policy.
That policy states that in order to get work permit you have played five First-Class matches in a season, so there is no chance of even the established players to get a work permit.
The other crazy thing about this about that policy is that if you represented Barbados at U-15 level you also placed on something called ‘you are on the way to being a professional’.
If, between 15 and 22 you have not represented your Country at any level, you are still on that ‘patch to being a professional’ which prevents you from playing in England.
This reduction of First-Class matches will make it worse for the players across the Caribbean both on the field and off-the field” concluded Butcher who was good enough to play semi-professional football in England.
