THE EDITOR: We are back to the norm in West Indies cricket, getting beaten in less than three days.
Did anyone expect anything different? I did not, but I support the players even if I heard about them for the first time during the first Test against England last week.
WI cricket, as I have said on numerous occasions, is being run into the ground by an elite group of underachievers now being advised by a group of politicians whose head is another underachiever in terms of running a country.
About 13 dismissals were catches by the wicket-keeper or fielders around the bat. Leaden-footed players. Are there no bowling machines which can vary speed and swing? Are there no bowlers who can swing the ball when practising? Our cricket is being run by very shallow individuals who are miles away from knowing what to do to improve our cricket.
WI cricket has turned the corner so many times, just like the TT economy. CWI has some of the best artists in the world since they are forever going back to the drawing board!
The powers that be need to understand WI are the masters at T20 cricket and this is where we should funnel all our energies. As I said before, teach the under 20s how to play the game the right way by having them play long-version cricket. After that they will more than likely gravitate to the T20 version, make some money and make a life for themselves.
The T20 game is being commercialised and CWI needs to get on the bandwagon or we will not be able to cope with the other nations playing in any format.
We need people who can promote cricket, develop programmes and run the business so that we can succeed. The entire TTCB contingent on CWI has outlived their usefulness. I cannot say that about the rest of the region but we know of the Trinbagonians.
Sad to say that politics has infiltrated cricket hence the reason we are where we are today in TT.
Can we get one honest cricket-loving, educated, knowledgeable person with foresight from each of the countries comprising the CWI to take our cricket to another level? Change the inept board, change the constitution by which we now operate to ensure we can again build a world-beating team.
Bring in people from the outside and let us start over since insularity seems to be our biggest problem. Anyone thinking this idea is wrong, should look at government which is bringing in people from all parts of the world to run some businesses that were allowed to be run down. Take a hint.
LARRY SOOKLALSINGH
WI supporter
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