Triumphs in oxymorons, paradoxes and ironies

Euphoria struck the Caribbean last Sunday, when the West Indies won both the women’s and men’s International Cricket Council (ICC) World Twenty/20 titles in India.

Winning seems to have become infectious for our cricketers, as in February, the West Indies won the ICC Under-19 tournament.{{more}}

All three brought with them a piece of history, as it was the first such titles for the Under-19 and the women, while for the men, they became the first team to get a second hold of the title, having done so before in 2012.

The men’s title came against being called players without brains by commentator Mark Nicholas.

This was just one of the many negatives which in the end would have worked in favour of the West Indies steeling themselves.

Unexpectedly, captain Darren Sammy, amidst the excitement and the drama of the last over win last Sunday, in his post match interview exploded with unbridled criticism of the regional administrators of cricket – the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB).

Getting to a pre-tournament camp in Dubai without uniforms and playing throughout the tournament without caps are some of the inexcusable faux pas by the WICB.

Sammy’s revelations about the WICB were nothing new, but his outburst in front of a global media audience was what struck the chord. The jury is still out as to whether the normal diplomatic and statesmanlike Sammy was correct, or if his actions were out of time and place.

Contextually, it was a case of enough was enough, with several such issues having been swept under the carpet in the past.

Also, Sammy and others in the team are at a stage of their professional cricket career where the WICB is almost meaningless to them, as they are twenty/20 first choices for the many lucrative professional leagues across the world.

In the same breath, Sammy, who spoke on behalf of his fellow players, should remember as well that it was some of the same players he revered, who when he was test and One-Day captain, wanted him out.

Days after Sammy gutted his feelings, former West Indies One-Day International captain all-rounder Dwayne Bravo referenced the board as the “most unprofessional” and its president Dave Cameron an “immature”, “small-minded”, “arrogant” person, who he believes is at “personal war” with his own players.

Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar of India also lent his support for better treatment of the West Indies players.

As it is said, a million Frenchmen cannot be wrong, as unfortunately Cameron has fallen victim to getting into some uncalled for involvements.

Not for the first time, Cameron has found himself giving traction to some of his opposition.

The latest example of this was a tweet he posted hours after Sammy’s pronouncements stating: “When is the last time a critic paid one of your bills? Always remember that when you start to give them your energy.”

Likewise, Cameron, in his congratulatory messages, seemed to have given more credence to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the International Cricket Council’s staging of the tournament than the West Indies’ double titles.

Ironically, the triumphs came at a time when West Indies cricket is at lowest, when the WICB has fallen to its worst level of acceptance.

Therefore, the innings of the current structure of the WICB should be coming to an end, as suggested by chair of Caricom’s sub-committee on cricket Grenada’s Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell.

From the players, commentators, social analysts, Caricom officials, the Caribbean public – cricket and otherwise, the WICB is seen as the major stumbling block to cricket’s progress in the region.

Noted commentator Tony Cozier even proffered a take-over by the ICC.

But even as the West Indies was able to establish the treble of global cricket tiles in the space of two months, they came at the abridged versions of the sport.

This does not correctly translate into a reversal in the fortunes of West Indies cricket, as it takes more than winning titles to do so.

It, however, can be reasoned that our cricketers are more adept at the shorter forms and with the successes inclusive of the financial rewards, can only push the budding players to gravitate to those formats.

Therefore, the harboured thoughts that the West Indies can return to the pinnacle of test cricket anytime in the foreseeable future are merely pipe dreams.

What, however, is priority at this juncture is for a fixing of the structure and administration of cricket in the region; then we can see the light of day, instead of the sporadic titles, only to be beset by prolonged periods of agony.