The West Indies have slumped to a 3-0 defeat to England away. Whilst all the attention has been on England’s great performance at home, notably the role played by England quicks: Mark Wood, James Anderson in the first test, and the rising star Gus Atkinson. However, the performance of the West Indian side in the three tests must be given some scrutiny.
First things first, this was a bad loss for the West Indies side. Whilst England has played well throughout the tournament, it is fair to say that not once during the three games did the Caribbean side truly threaten the English team. Whilst there were glimpses of brilliance and some brave performances by the West Indian side, overall this team looked like a rudderless ship. And that is a criticism that applies more broadly to West Indian cricket. A subject that we shall be getting into.
West Indies – A Team that is Suited to the Shortest Format of Cricket
If the recent history of West Indies cricket is anything to go by, the Caribbean side has blown hot and cold. You don’t know what you are going to get with the men in maroon, especially when it comes to the longer format of the sport. The bad loss in the recently concluded test series against England comes on the back of the failure of the team to qualify for the ODI World Cup last year in India. Falling behind minnows like the Netherlands, the team’s ability to perform consistently at the highest level of the game is a now pressing problem.
The games against England exemplified the problems plaguing West Indies cricket in the longer formats. The team finds itself unable to get into a rhythm where batsmen and bowlers go out and do the job on the given day. Instead what you find are on-off performances like Kavem Hodge’s century in the second test, but then little support from other batsmen. Incidentally, Hodge’s century was the only one by a Windies player in the three-match test series. Whilst the West Indies have become a potent force in T20 cricket, there is a lack of application and frankly, ability when it comes to the test match arena.
West Indies’ Failure to Plan for the Long Game
Cricket is a different sport today from the one that was played less than a decade ago. Cricketers have to balance competing interests: from playing for their country or playing (more) franchise cricket; to choosing to invest more time in one or two formats of the game. Given the increasingly hectic schedules with more games in between major ICC tournaments, top sides in the world plan well ahead. Building out the roster of players who can play across formats, with those who specialize in a chosen version of the game.
India, Australia, and England are standouts in this regard. With the recently retired James Anderson having played his last ODI game back in 2015! With West Indies cricket there seems to be a lack of foresight and by extension investment in this regard. Admittedly, the West Indies is not the richest cricketing nation and faces challenges maintaining top-quality talent, who are drawn to franchise cricket abroad. So the real problem for West Indies is not just poor performances on the field, but a lack long long-term planning and investment to take on the modern game.
Lessons Learned from the 3 – 0 Defeat to England
It is fair to say that West Indies are in a similar situation to a team like Sri Lanka. A country with a rich cricketing pedigree, a lot of talented young players, and great interest in the game but it lacks something at a structural level. The current West Indies side is filled with new, unknown players with only a handful showcasing any kind of Test experience. On top of that West Indies lack the class players who can perform consistently on the big stage.
A young player like Mikyle Louis coming in and smashing an exciting 50 is fine, but what is going to happen to him 18 months down the line? Does West Indies Cricket have a plan to develop young players into world-class athletes? Can it produce another Brian Lara or Curtly Ambrose? Can it retain its best talent from leaving in search of club prospects? Answering these questions would be the first step in mending the break in West Indies cricket.
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