How bad are the Windies

[Rant0r]

they seem to be starting to pick blokes pretty much just out of the under 19's comp, it's almost like they have given up on the domestic competition and are trying to unearth a tendulkar or something

 

[roseboy64]

Not really.

 

[Beamer]

they seem to be starting to pick blokes pretty much just out of the under 19's comp, it's almost like they have given up on the domestic competition and are trying to unearth a tendulkar or something

Believe me we would be in a better situation if they just picked the best performers from Under 19 cricket, as instead they pick people who have performed ordinarily in our domestic cricket and are therefore used to failure.

 

[Woodster]

I dont buy any of this that WI have groups of quality players and are full of potential.

Id take NZ over them easily.

Out of interest, Chanderpaul, Sarwan and Gayle have played 40 Tests together and WI have won 5.

WI are terrible at he moment and will be for a long time.

I think that's a pretty harsh outlook on WI at the moment. Don't get me wrong I'm not suggesting for one minute they're up there with the best, but having closely followed their last three series (one in SA, where they won the first, lost the second where they unfortunately lost Edwards for a large portion of the game, and Gayle to injury, while admittedly outclassed in the third, and then competitive in a drawn series at home to Sri Lanka, and also competitive against the Aussies), the improvement is evident and certainly a decent nucleus from which to push on from.

The real test is taking what they have now, to the next level. To learn from mistakes they have made and improve. A series victory in NZ will be a decent way to start, and certainly not beyond them.

 

[Richard]

West Indies have made such small, short-term improvements before now though - several times in fact, in the last 7-8 years. And always it's been followed by swift regression to the former. The challenge, as it was on all those occasions, is to not allow this to happen this time. Hopefully there will come a time when they manage this.

 

[Flem274*]

But hopefully not next series.

 

[Richard]

I'm really not sure who I'll be supporting there.

Normally I support NZ at home when they're not playing England or South Africa. But I do hope West Indies can start getting somewhere sometime.

I guess I'd not be unhappy with a draw.

 

[aussie]

The problem with WI is simply that their domestic structure has been so off the standard of international cricket this decade that since Gayle, Sarwan & Hinds debuted in 2000 pretty much every WI player has been picked on potential & has had learn their trade @ the highest level.

You would think with all that money Stanford has given them over the past few season they could have built a regional academy somewhere.

But apparantley they haven't (except for Trinidad who has used their 20/20 success to build an academy & are the most professional team in the WI ATM i.e the reasons Omar Khan & Dave Williams have gone into the national setup) which is bad.

 

[Uppercut]

I'm really not sure who I'll be supporting there.

Normally I support NZ at home when they're not playing England or South Africa. But I do hope West Indies can start getting somewhere sometime.

I guess I'd not be unhappy with a draw.

Yeah, i'm not sure either. I'll probably not know until the middle of the first day when i find myself wanting a particular side to win.

 

[Woodster]

With such sound selection policies in place, as described in this article, there is no need to worry about the future of WI cricket ???

http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/westindies/content/story/378577.html

 

[Woodster]

The problem with WI is simply that their domestic structure has been so off the standard of international cricket this decade that since Gayle, Sarwan & Hinds debuted in 2000 pretty much every WI player has been picked on potential & has had learn their trade @ the highest level.

You would think with all that money Stanford has given them over the past few season they could have built a regional academy somewhere.

But apparantley they haven't (except for Trinidad who has used their 20/20 success to build an academy & are the most professional team in the WI ATM i.e the reasons Omar Khan & Dave Williams have gone into the national setup) which is bad.

Yes the domestic game is surely a problem, as it is in a few countries, but structurally not quite as bad as in the WI.

 

[zaremba]

With such sound selection policies in place, as described in this article, there is no need to worry about the future of WI cricket ???

http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/westindies/content/story/378577.html

Clowns!

 

[Rant0r]

funny how the west indies used to be so passionate about their national game, and just used to play, and play well, now no one seems to care much, and they are hopeless, suddenly they need a structure... having legends like viv hovering around won't help, not everyone can 'just play' it's just a sign of the times, maybe they just won't be that good again, but they can be better.

 

[Rant0r]

just read that article as well, what a bunch of ****ing clowns

 

[haroon510]

i have been thinking about this.. what is wrong with w. Indies..

they have afew quality players but some how r still considered one of the worst teams.. they are quite easily better than New Zealand and even pakistan without Yousuf.. i mean take a look at these talents

Chris Gayle
Raminarish Sarwan
chanderpaul
Dwayne Bravo
Jerome Taylor
fidal Edward

and afew others.

it is pitty to see them lose despite all these great talents..

 

[analyst]

funny how the west indies used to be so passionate about their national game, and just used to play, and play well, now no one seems to care much, and they are hopeless, suddenly they need a structure... having legends like viv hovering around won't help, not everyone can 'just play' it's just a sign of the times, maybe they just won't be that good again, but they can be better.

Well players were atleast coming to England to play club or county cricket back in those days to establish their places in the game. These days, not many have the sense to understand the value of a stint overseas and not all are so fortunate to afford travel. I get the feeling the West Indian cricketers who make it are often the ones who are playing more for financial benefits than actual pride, this should be looked after by the WICB and then surely West Indians would not worry so much. It appears like the middle class and the underclass of West Indian society are just like in England, the majority of them tend to be looking for jobs and are unlikely to look to sport as a career. Its perhaps a harsh generalisation but it can't be further from the truth looking at the bleak situation.

 

[Jigga988]

funny how the west indies used to be so passionate about their national game, and just used to play, and play well, now no one seems to care much, and they are hopeless, suddenly they need a structure... having legends like viv hovering around won't help, not everyone can 'just play' it's just a sign of the times, maybe they just won't be that good again, but they can be better.

i dont think it's a question of just saying why arn't the Windies passionate, it is partly to do with the money pumped in to those who play island cricket. The money is pretty pathetic compared to other places and you'd need a second job to live comfertably. When there is a lot more money pumped in to sports like football, (especially now T&T made the last World cup) then natural athletes in the Caribbean will be more swayed to that rather than cricket.

 

[Jigga988]

i have been thinking about this.. what is wrong with w. Indies..

they have afew quality players but some how r still considered one of the worst teams.. they are quite easily better than New Zealand and even pakistan without Yousuf.. i mean take a look at these talents

Chris Gayle
Raminarish Sarwan
chanderpaul
Dwayne Bravo
Jerome Taylor
fidal Edward

and afew others.

it is pitty to see them lose despite all these great talents..

I agree with that, there is some potential talent out there, we just need that winning mentality back and a temprement that is expected of a test batsman/bowler, i.e. not having a swish at one outside off stump just coos you havn't scored a run in a while. Or averting to a bouncer every time you get hit for a four, or everytime you need a wicket.

 

[Richard]

i dont think it's a question of just saying why arn't the Windies passionate, it is partly to do with the money pumped in to those who play island cricket. The money is pretty pathetic compared to other places and you'd need a second job to live comfertably. When there is a lot more money pumped in to sports like football, (especially now T&T made the last World cup) then natural athletes in the Caribbean will be more swayed to that rather than cricket.

Yeah, and the shame is that there's precious little anyone can do to reverse this.

Allen Stanford might be able to help, if he actually thought about the matter a bit more carefully rather than just throwing money about randomly.

 

[Manee]

Indeed, it is a massive problem of commitment to the sport of cricket. Various circumstances mean that domestic cricket is not taken seriously and I believe the key is for the WICB to subsidise the development of a fair deal of cricketers - such as the U19 stars. West Indies strength is in the natural physical talent (fast bowlers to be specific) and the availability of many cricketers who bore witness to the 1980s domination of the West Indies. Therefore, the focus must be moved, imo, toward academies in each island where cricketers can be developed.

I'd say the system in West Indies is one 'level' below the Indian system and whereas India must move the focus towards the domestic system, West Indies must look to shift focus toward academies and away from the currently weak domestic system.