It is often said that it is the hope that kills you. For Caribbean cricket fans, this hope has come in the form of a nearly three-decade-long desire for the West Indies Men’s Senior team to return to the heights once soared by squads of the past.
The frustration over the years has largely stemmed from the fact that the potential for excellence is clear to any observer, fan or otherwise. However, somehow, the Men in Maroon always seem to find a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Whenever the team appears to have reached rock bottom, the players manage to dig even deeper, revealing that there is, indeed, a new low that can be reached.
It seems that as soon as progress is made in one area, several other challenges arise. Like a perpetual game of whacka-mole, regime after regime comes up with innovative plans to try to solve the problems, with limited success.
Never before have these challenges been more apparent than in the recently concluded Test series against Australia.The three-match campaign, which marked the return of the Aussies to the islands for the first time in a decade, ended in a whitewash for the visitors and sheer misery for Windies fans.
With a squad allegedly built on data and extensive research, Daren Sammy’s men went into the series hoping at least to be competitive. This was particularly the case coming off a drawn Test series against Pakistan in January, the first time the Men in Maroon had achieved a positive result in Asia in over two decades.
And, if one were to focus only on the team’s exploits with the ball against the Australians, there would be some room for hope going forward. The trio of Shamar Joseph, Alzarri Joseph, and Jayden Seales all gave valiant accounts of themselves during the three matches, delivering fiery, targeted spells. Engaging in the backbreaking exercise that is fast bowling, the three-man pace attack bagged 48 wickets between them throughout the series, with all-rounder Justin Greaves chipping in with nine wickets. Shamar Joseph led all bowlers in the series, ending with a tally of 22 wickets.
But cricket is not a game of a single aspect. With the bat in hand, the Men in Maroon have been nothing short of woeful. Following their impressive displays with the ball, the bowlers had little to no time for rest, as they quickly found themselves padded up to face similar hostilities from the Australian bowling attack after repeated batting collapses from the top and middle order. Data and analytics aside, the only number on everyone’s mind was 27 in the final innings of the series, the lowest total in West Indies Test history and the second-lowest Test total ever scored by any team. It highlighted what had been a horrid series with the willow. Even the “glass half full” character of Ian Bishop seemed shell-shocked at how the players went about their batting duties, going as far as referring to the effort as a “submission”.
This is not even to mention the off-field issues plaguing Cricket West Indies. The struggle to get fans into stadiums for the longest format of the game had recently seen some respite, with notable improvements in atmosphere at all three venues, despite being far from packed as in years past. However, this was significantly marred by the reality that the home team was simply miles below the elites of the game.
Additionally, with talented players including the likes of Nicholas Pooran choosing T20 leagues as opposed to representing in Maroon, for whatever reason, selectors may soon struggle to even make up a squad for tours and tournaments.
Then there are the rumblings of mismanagement from legendary voices. From claims by former wicketkeeper Jeff Dujon that decisions being made at the senior level are “nothing short of nepotism”, to former captain Carl Hooper calling for Sammy to be “held accountable” and questioning whether a wholesale regime change away from the Andre Coley-led regime has any hope of bearing fruit, strong opinions have dominated the discourse in recent weeks.
Following the series defeat, Cricket West Indies president Dr Kishore Shallow convened an emergency meeting to review the series. “To strengthen the discussions, I have extended invitations to three of our greatest batsmen ever: Sir Clive Lloyd, Sir Vivian Richards and Brian Lara,” Shallow said in a statement released on Tuesday morning.
And so, here we are again—at what seems to be yet another low of lows. Once again, the question that has echoed throughout the past two decades is on everyone’s mind: Where does West Indies cricket go from here? Only up, or toward an incomprehensible new low? Only time and effort will tell.
