Will the West Indies ever rise again?

[andruid]

Well, yes and no. NZ were virtual Bangladesh equivalents for 30 years - they shouldn't have been playing Test-cricket in the 1930s or 1950s. From the 1960s to the current day they've mostly (with the exception of the period from the late-1970s to late-1980s when the likes of Coney, Wright, Hadlee, Crowe, Jones etc. etc. were around) been a side who haven't played as much as they might and not often performed extraordinarily well, but unquestionably been capable of beating most teams at most times.

Oh well To be honest I feel with the current crop of West Indians is with more discipline and efficiency in the way they their test cricket then they should be right in the mix with most other Test nations, beating most at home and giving a good match when on tour, Bangladesh on the other hand I think are still one or two generations of players away from producing a truly test class team.

 

[Richard]

West Indies' "basic" disciplines in South Africa was a World better than I've seen it for a good decade at least. 'Twas encouraging. Wonder if it's Dyson-inspired, or something else?

Whatever it is, long may it continue. It won't sort the WICB's foibles, of course not, but it will keep things propped-up better until that day should come, should it indeed continue.

 

[chalky]

Anyone know what is happening to the money Allan Stanford is putting into West Indies cricket is it purely prize money for 20/20s or is he putting something into the grass roots?

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

As far as I'm concerned, the money invested by Stanford in Twenty20 is helping at a grass roots level. It's getting people interested in cricket again - watching it and playing it. And ideally the prize money (there's a lot of it too) should be invested in the game by the individual boards. It's good to see that someone powerful still has passion for West Indies cricket.

 

[Richard]

Glad to hear that. I was worrying that the money was being used bizarrely for purposes that didn't actually seem to be terribly helpful.

 

[roseboy64]

Prize money's split between the players and the territorial boards. For the first, teams got moeny for entering. Apparently none this time as Stanford didn't feel the cricket associations in the islands didn't invest it right.

 

[Lillian Thomson]

It will be interesting to see if anyone thinks the West Indies are on the up if they win the current series.

 

[roseboy64]

Have been on the up since the win over South Africa in late 2007. Just a few holes left to be filled to be be truly competitive.

 

[Manee]

I think the key lies with the amount of people playing cricket - the athletes appear to be turning to other sports whereas West Indian fast bowling needs them.

 

[shivfan]

Yeah, the WI are on the up, IMHO....

But let's not get carried away with our memories of the great teams of Clive Lloyd and Viv Richards. I don't think we're ready to scale those dizzy heights right now.

I'm just content to see this team make it to mid-table, and compete at that level for now, instead of being rooted to eighth place....

 

[Uppercut]

I think the key lies with the amount of people playing cricket - the athletes appear to be turning to other sports whereas West Indian fast bowling needs them.

Not quite sure about this. Everyone I've spoken to from the West Indies (admittedly only from Barbados or Jamaica) says it's a myth and pretty much everyone still plays cricket at some point in their lives.

I guess there's people on here who have a pretty good idea about whether it's the case or not.

 

[Manee]

Not quite sure about this. Everyone I've spoken to from the West Indies (admittedly only from Barbados or Jamaica) says it's a myth and pretty much everyone still plays cricket at some point in their lives.

I guess there's people on here who have a pretty good idea about whether it's the case or not.

I'd be shocked if the decline has not led to some sort of decline in numbers taking up cricket seriously. It was certainly an assumption and we all know what happens when one does that...

It seems worrying, Boycott once remarked that you'd shake a tree and a Caribbean fast bowler would fall out of it but these days, you cannot find half a dozen quick bowlers with a good domestic record.

 

[Debris]

Windies are certainly on the improve. Ceiling with currently players is probably 4th or 5th best though.

 

[roseboy64]

Not quite sure about this. Everyone I've spoken to from the West Indies (admittedly only from Barbados or Jamaica) says it's a myth and pretty much everyone still plays cricket at some point in their lives.

I guess there's people on here who have a pretty good idea about whether it's the case or not.

Not true really. Know loads of people who don't like cricket or are not interested.

 

[Jigga988]

Not true really. Know loads of people who don't like cricket or are not interested.

This is only re. Trinidad, because that's all I really know, think Asians, are getting in to the game more and more... my cousin goes St Marys (the best secondary school in Trinidad where you'll find a lot of Trini cricket players go - most notably Bish and Lara) and he was telling me how 10 of the 11 players in the side come from an Asian background. Think you'll find there being more and more of a trend there. Btw, he was interested in cricket but now is more interested in football.

As alot of the black guys and generally more natural athletes move to football, you'll see a lot more Asians coming in to cricket...

 

[Uppercut]

Not true really. Know loads of people who don't like cricket or are not interested.

An exaggeration, maybe- really the impression was more that as many people play it as ever did.

 

[Manee]

As alot of the black guys and generally more natural athletes move to football, you'll see a lot more Asians coming in to cricket...

Interesting.

 

[roseboy64]

An exaggeration, maybe- really the impression was more that as many people play it as ever did.

From what I've heard from some older folk that's not necessarily true. Lots of people still play but football and athletics have taken over.

 

[shivfan]

I totally agree with roseboy's observation about the sport in Jamaica....

For example, when you go to the schoolboy football final, it's sold out and packed to the rafters. The Boys and Girls Atheltics champs regularly pull thousands every day. Go to the schoolboy cricket final, and there's three men and a dog!

trinidad is interesting. The population has a roughly 50-50 split Asian and black, and yet when you look at the country's football team, it's vast majority black. Look at the cricket team, and while there's more of a balance, I believe the majority tend to be Asian....

 

[Richard]

Of course they will rise again. England are

I think it's now safe to say that England are exceedingly unlikely to ever "rise again".

After all, we've been waiting for it to happen since 1918.