West Indies cricketers stance disappointing

Considering the current enthusiasm that is returning to cricket in the Caribbean, the possibility of a strike affecting the final one day between West Indies and England is extremely disheartening. It seems that for every small step forward, West Indian cricket ends up taking two giant steps backward.

In the immediate aftermath of their first significant series victory in a long time, there was considerable talk of a realistic, albeit slow revival in the fortunes of this once great team. The test series display by the West Indians included one truly memorable innings victory in Kingston, coupled with two determined last day batting efforts that led to draws in the face of intense pressure by England. Although one might argue that the quality of pitches and the subsequent quality of cricket wasn't of the highest order, the West Indies were nonetheless deserving victors.

Following the test series the West Indies easily outplayed England in the only Twenty 20 game. Furthermore, were it not for Duckworth Lewis, it would be fair to say that the home side would have already wrapped up the ODI series as well. However, with the series tied, every cricket fan in the Caribbean, especially in St. Lucia was looking forward to the series deciding one-dayer.

Sadly, in the backdrop of what should be an exciting on-field climax, the WICB and WIPA have decided to take attention once away with their off-field shenanigans. For fans of West Indian cricket, such politics is nothing new. For the past few years, it had started to become a laughing matter, as it coincided with one of the worst standards of performance by the team on the field.

That the WICB have become a bi-word for organizational incompetence in cricket is nothing new, what with the pitiful hosting of the 2007 World Cup, and the recent Sir Vivian Richards stadium farce in Antigua. However, in the current scenario one has to ask some serious questions of the players. A fact made more galling, that some of the individuals who are the leading voices of dissent are supposed to be the bedrock of this team.

One would think that after a momentous test series win, the West Indian players would love nothing more than doing the double over England, a feat they haven't managed against significant opposition in a while. Of course, I do believe that players should receive the right amount of remuneration, and they have principles that should be adhered to, and demands that should be met. However, its only reasonable to expect them to put the pride of the team first above everything else, especially since there is only one deciding game left in the series.

Its easy enough to say both organizations are to blame for this incompetence, however it really is sad to see that instead of riding on the crest of a cricketing wave, the players themselves are willing to let down the thousands of fans in the region who only just started to enjoy the feeling of victory again.

Throughout this series many pundits have claimed that there is a genuine camaraderie and resilience in this West Indian team that hasn't been seen for a while. Through some difficult and at times humiliating experiences, certain players have fostered a mental toughness. Sadly, they don't seem to have realized that to have a complete winning mentality, the foundation stone has to be pride for team.