Tue Nov 19, 2013

Editor: There is absolutely no doubt that West Indies cricket has deteriorated and instead of getting better, it is getting worse. The reasons are numerous, but international commentators have attributed the decline to failure of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) to move the game from amateur part-time to a professional sport, coupled with the general economic decline in the Caribbean.{{more}}

I will add to that by blaming the authorities for not selecting the best team, and in order to do so there must be competent and impartial selectors. I strongly feel that the selection panel should be past experienced players like Sir Viv Richards, Clive Lloyd, Curtley Ambrose etc. Frankly speaking, I do not think that Clyde Butts is the right person to head the selection panel, although he was a successful regional spin bowler.

It saddens me about the state of affairs in our cricket. Windies won the first two World Cup tournaments in 1975 and 1979 and was the runner-up in 1983. We also won the ICC competition in 2004 and the World Twenty/20 in 2012, and there are 17 West Indians in the Hall of Fame, including Sobers, Gibbs, Headley, Lara, Lloyd, Marshal, Roberts, Kanhai, Kalicharran, Weekes, Worrell, Walcott, Ambrose, Holding, Walsh, Garner and Richards, and soon or later, Chanderpaul and Gayle would be included in the prestigious group.

Oscar Ramjeet