WHAT OUR own Sport page headline labelled the 'Sabina stunner' has evoked an unprecedented apology to the West Indies public. Never before has sport reached so low that the players have felt it necessary to say "we are sorry".
The reaction from across the region points to the stunning effect on cricket fans of that humiliating defeat by England in the first Test of the current series. There have been expressions of shock, disbelief, sadness and even anger when the side was routed for a measly second-innings 47 runs, the lowest in West Indies cricket history; and at a time when we celebrate the 75th anniversary of Test cricket in the region.
The reaction underlines once again what cricket, more than any other sport, means to the West Indian sense of regional community. It is a feeling more sensitive for the reason that the former years of cricket dominance have raised hopes for a revival. With each Test series seen as a new beginning, the embarrassing humiliation at Sabina is hard to swallow.
It is even moreso with the revelation in the public apology that four members of the team had taken part in "inappropriate conduct", partying on the entertainment 'mound' at Sabina after the defeat.
This, of course, would have devalued the sincerity of the apology on the part of those four cricketers, raising doubts about their commitment and approach to the game.
What is more, team manager Ricky Sherrit has expressed shock at allegations reported in our Sport section that players were seen partying up to 4:00 a.m. on Sunday, just hours before the Test match. That would be in breach of curfews imposed during a match.
The fact that the team felt obliged to issue a public apology for their performance on Sunday is a good thing somewhat in the category of "confession being good for the soul".
Cricket fans may not feel satisfied, however, if the team does not rebound from this abyss of Test match humiliation. Winning the next Test would help; winning the series would erase the pain the kind of pain so feelingly expressed in our Letter of the Day on the page opposite...
THE OPINIONS ON THIS PAGE, EXCEPT FOR THE ABOVE, DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE GLEANER.
