My colleague students, marketing and health-care professionals breached institutional regulations to call each other on our mobile phones expressing our disgust of the horrific news of the Sabina Park debacle. It was a day of shame for all of us - the entire West Indian diaspora.
Forty-seven runs all out to England. The team we clobbered in 14 consecutive Test matches during the golden era of the '80s and '90s? No way. This has to be a nightmare. The legendary Malcolm Marshall must be turning in his grave.
Where is the pride of yesteryear? The pride of the unconquerable Vivian Richards (ironically the current chairman of selectors) and the Clive Lloyd era when all the players understood the nature and extent of our support and our expectations of the team.
We are die-hard supporters and lovers of our team, that's why it hurt so much. However, there is still hope and we know, especially those of us in the 'cooler' West Indian communities, that hope springs eternal.
We cry, we hurt, but West Indies we love you. 'Til death us do part.
Pay should be based on performanceTHE EDITOR, Sir:
AfTER THE debacle on Sunday at Sabina Park, all I can keep asking myself is how much longer are we going to sit back and accept this type of performance from the West Indies cricket team before we as patrons demand better from them.
I do not think that we the supporters realise that we actually have the power to demand more from the WICB and the team when it comes to performance and accountability.
We have seen both the level of performance and discipline falter and decline in recent years, yet we sit idly by and allow the team and management to get away with it. We are the ones who control the revenues made off the ticket sales. I believe that the current level of performance shown by the Windies deserve no more than empty stands. They need to understand that we will no longer take our hard earned money to come and support a team that has no discipline and no desire to win.
The comments from the patrons on Sunday showed the disgust and total disappointment in the Windies. These comments ranged from "I now know why they do not allow bottles into the park, I do believe that the team would have been pelted", to another which asked for the Under-19 team to play the rest of the series, to another person who wondered if we were going to pass the extras figure that we bowled in the first innings. That bet, I believe, I should have taken, as the final score was not even close.
It seems however that the comment that was stated by most, was that play now has to be performance based, and when days like Sunday occur the team should pay back funds to a charity for sub-standard performance. This one I have to concur with. We have supported this team for far too long to continue at this level. We have tried other methods to get the performance to improve and sadly to no avail. I believe that this must now be the next step. Let them now feel it in their pockets. Maybe this will encourage them to perform better.
I am, etc.,
JODI BARROW
Kingston, Jamaica
A state of shock
THE EDITOR, Sir:
LIKE THE majority of West Indians who attended the fourth day's play at Sabina Park on Sunday, I remain in a state of shock.
Our cricket team continues to find ways to reach unprecedented levels of non-performance in this noble game.
The apology proffered by the WICB was, I believe, calculated to deflect the harsh but well-deserved criticism that followed the abject, pathetic display by the team. I'm sure the apologists will begin the usual song and dance about the need to give more time to get this or that "right" with the state of our cricket.
One got the distinct impression that the 11 West Indian players on Sunday cared not that pride and self respect are virtues to cherish in all facets of life.
What is of concern too is that it was the so-called "senior players" who failed with the bat in both innings, with a combined aggregate of less than 100 over two innings. The fundamental problem is that our players lack both the mental fortitude to consistently play competitively at the highest level. All the king's horses and all the king's men cannot put our cricket back together again until we tackle the mental attitude of our players.
The WICB, hopefully, will have the guts to address this and other issues head on.
I am, etc.,
STUART REID
lsreid@yahoo.com
Via Go-Jamaica.com
Players should be punished
THE EDITOR, Sir:
IF THE allegations are true that West Indian cricket players had been out partying until 4:00 a.m. on Sunday morning prior to their appalling defeat to England then the players in question should be harshly punished.
West Indies cricketers partying during a Test match is disrespectful to the historical foundation laid by their predecessors; disrespectful to West Indian people and disrespectful to their opponents. I believe that such behaviour speaks to the egocentric nature of our current cadre of West Indian. Discipline is the most important trait of individuals in all worthwhile professions for no matter how talented an athlete, if he/she does not practise and maintain discipline, the probability of defeat will always remain high.
The West Indies cricket team is consistently having to find excuses as to why it lost a Test or one-day match. However, truth be told, I am convinced that our current set of players don't have the 'fire in their bellies' that was so distinct in their predecessors of bygone eras.
Cricket for the West Indian is not just a game nor should it be seen as such. It is an institution of excellence built on the sweat and tears of West Indian cricketers since 1928 despite enormous odds. In the new millennium, the current West Indies team is not living up to the great West Indian cricketing tradition and are in the process of writing a sour chapter in the history of West Indian cricket. These cricketers lack character!
I am, etc.,
PATRICK A. GALLIMORE
E-mail: pagalley@hotmail.com
Via Go-Jamaica.com
