There is little doubt that India would be the overwhelming favourites, irrespective of the format, in their tour of the Caribbean, which begins on July 12 with the first Test in Dominica.
It is also debatable how much weight performances against the current West Indies team would carry.
That’s the sorry story of West Indies cricket, which has steadily been on a decline since their second T20 World Cup triumph back in 2016. They are a group of players who seem least interested in international cricket and just refuse to gel as a unit.
The ignominy of not being able to secure themselves a World Cup spot for the first time in their history of ODI cricket following the loss to Scotland in the qualifiers is obviously Windies cricket’s lowest point. But the rot had begun long before Saturday’s defeat in Harare.
They seldom win against top-tier teams. While in the ongoing World Cup qualifiers, their victories over minnows United States and Nepal were far from clinical. That was kind of a prelude to the embarrassment that lay ahead.
The Windies’ decline began in the 90s itself. That cricket is more of a secondary option for youngsters in the Caribbean, with football, athletics and other Olympic sports garnering greater interest has been known for quite some time now.
But legendary pacer Michael Holding holds a different opinion. According to Holding, the current Windies cricketers’ interest and liking is for T20 alone. “That (youngsters losing interest in cricket) has been said incorrectly for years. Look at the number of West Indies cricketers playing T20 in the various leagues around the world.
“That’s where the interest is because that’s where the money is. Playing for the West Indies alone, they get left behind,” Holding told The Telegraph on Saturday night.
So, are the Windies cricketers underpaid by their Board? “They’re paid what the Board can afford. If the T20 tournaments weren’t around, it would be a good salary. They earn more than what 95 per cent of the rest of the people in the Caribbean do. But compared to the T20 earnings, it’s meagre,” Holding replied.
In the franchise (T20) leagues, a Nicholas Pooran is a match-winner, Rovman Powell is an able finisher, while all-rounder Jason Holder is an expert death-overs bowler. But all these players appear a pale shadow of themselves when donning the Windies jersey.
Sunil Narine and Andre Russell, legends in the franchise world, aren’t even available for international cricket. “They are not the only ones. On one West Indies tour to Australia, there were more Windies players in the Big Bash League than for the West Indies,” Holding pointed out.
That sums up the story.
Way forward
Usually, when at rock bottom, the only thing one can do is gradually move up. But is that possible for Windies cricket?
“It’s about identifying talent and then developing that talent,” feels former Windies seamer all-rounder and T20I captain Carlos Brathwaite.
“There needs to be a situation where the guys are first identified and there’s a clear pathway for them from first-class and regional cricket to the ‘A’ team and to international cricket.
“Thereafter, it’s about how you consistently back it with your brand of cricket in place with the right structure to ensure not just periodic success, but sustained success,” Brathwaite said in a discussion with former pacer Ian Bishop for the ICC Instagram handle.
