What was once a West Indian cricket team that performed with gale-force strength now appears spent, with the wind gone from its forward momentum further evidenced in its dismal performances in the two Test matches against India so far.
In the First Test, the West Indies succumbed to what had been described as its second largest margin of defeat ever in a Test match, losing earlier this month to India by an innings and 272 runs at Rajkot. It was a third straight three-day loss in Tests in India.
It is notable that victory remains an inaccessible boundary, with the West Indies not winning a Test match in India since 1994. From its present stagnation in the doldrums, it is looking that a win in India may be a receding target on a distant horizon, with the West Indians burdened down with lacklustre performances, and by consistent, productive output from India.
And yet again, poor performances on the field and with the bat were evident when the West Indians succumbed last Sunday with a Second Test defeat in Hyderabad. Yet again, it was another three-day loss for the West Indies, with India easily chasing a mere 72 runs in the second innings for an easy victory, a target that was met with ten wickets still on hand. West Indies captain Jason Holder rightly cited flawed batting in the second innings, the effort to drive the team’s forward momentum floundering with poor performances at the wicket.
There is no need to re-state the obvious: as loyal fans of the West Indies, our disgruntlement is not only with the consistent and poor field performances, but also with the hierarchical rot evident in the governing structure above the level of the players. Following the First Test loss, Trinidad and Tobago’s Daren Ganga, former West Indies captain and now cricket commentator, noted in an interview with The Indian Express how this hierarchy impacts quality of play on the field.
Said Ganga: “There are many other deficiencies that have a correlation to the quality of cricket we produce at the highest level. Our coaching education program and the coaching certification program have not been in existence for many number of years. When you think about how that has not been consistently addressed over the years, you realise there has been over a generation of cricketers who have been coming out of the grass-root levels, who have not interfaced with quality coaches, not learnt the proper technique or approaches, who are currently going through a process of unlearning and therefore developing into substandard cricketers. The coaching education should ideally be in alignment with the player development pathway. That is a fundamental issue. It is a hit-or-miss situation.”
Additionally, “The administrative arm and the vehicles that administer the game – I speak directly about the territorial boards, the constitution, and framework – are archaic and outdated. And they are charged with the responsibility to support a modern, dynamic game. There are lot of things being done to change, but there is an old guard that continues to hold on to power, like the incumbent group of executives in Trinidad and Tobago who continue to inherit power. Those in control are not willing to relieve them because their self-interest comes in between with the greater good of the game. That is a direct negative in the quality of play that we showcase to the world.”
While Ganga’s disgruntlement appears to be sourced through his intimate and insider knowledge of the power relations operating within these hierarchies, his frustration and loyalty to the West Indies are similar to what we all feel as a Caribbean people who would dearly love our team to succeed. As the Indian tour continues and West Indian losses pile up, we note with growing dismay how these complexities underlying our troubled Test cricket culture continue to ripple across international borders and other boundaries.