THE West Indies Cricket Board's decision to add international teams to the regional Busta Cup tournament followed the tabling of a proposal on September 23 and a lengthy discussion on the pros and cons by the WICB secretariat, the Executive Committee of the WICB and the full board.
Apart from an obligation to host the England A team between January and May next year and the cut in cost if the team participated in the regional tournament, the decision was taken in a bid to improve the performances of the West Indies team.
In an analysis of the present standard of the West lndies team, it was agreed the team is performing inconsistently, that one of the reasons was the lack of quality competition for its young, talented players, and that with the ultimate objective of the regional tournaments being to provide the conduit for the identification and development of Caribbean cricketers the Busta Cup should be widened to include A teams from other countries.
According to the proposal, the reasons for the inconsistent performance of the West Indies team include the fact that with England's County Champion-ship limited to one overseas player per team, West Indies cricketers no longer have the opportunity of playing quality professional cricket overseas.
The proposal also noted that because of the time of the year in which cricket is played in Australia and South Africa, and because of the WICB's eligibility rule, West Indies cricketers cannot play in Australia or South Africa as that would jeopardise their chances of representing the West Indies.
Under the heading "Situation Analysis", the proposal stated: "It is generally felt that there are young players in the Caribbean (23 years and under) who have the athletic ability but lack the technical proficiency, professionalism or quality first-class experience to perform consistently at the highest level. It has been identified that coaching and remedial programmes can help to address technical deficiencies and these have been implemented by the WICB and are ongoing."
According to the proposal, the benefits of A teams playing in the Busta Cup tournament are as follows:
1. It will increase the number of matches in domestic seasons without reducing the quality.
2. It will increase overall level of quality and competitiveness of domestic tournaments without reducing the number of Caribbean players gaining experience.
3. It will add greater variety of opposition Caribbean players will face in a competitive environment prior to international assignments.
4. It will provide an annual 'yard stick' to gauge the level of improvement in West Indies domestic cricket.
5. It will mean more regular, effective cost efficient hosting of A team tours.
6. It will increase general interest and stimulate better attendance. This will enhance value of the tournament to players, sponsors and audiences.
In looking at the weaknesses, one which was identified was that of a visiting team winning the tournament. The proposal stated, however, that which team wins the Busta Cup is of limited importance compared to the priority of creating a stronger West Indies team.
"The parochial need to have a West Indian team win the domestic competition for symbolic purposes should be of comparatively limited importance."
Under a sub-heading titled "Opportunities", the proposal also stated: "The WICB could be seen as leaders with this innovative approach to domestic cricket development, consistent with the global approach employed by other industries worldwide."
