Where is West Indies cricket going at the moment?

Day 1 of the second Test at Sabina Park in Kingston epitomized everything that is going wrong with the West Indies cricket at the moment. Things looked bad from the first over itself when Kraigg Brathwaite nicked one that fell short of the keeper Wriddhiman Saha behind him. Although they could not show it at the time, it is almost certain that Sir Viv Richards and Jeff Dujon were ducking and weaving in the commentary box. How could you blame them? What they had built for the better part of the 1980s was being destroyed and taken apart right in front of them. Of course, the era previous to Viv Richards and Clive Lloyd’s was trying times for the Windies. However, this time, they are facing a different problem.

In the Caribbean, it is common knowledge that cricket is more than just a sport. It was and still remains to be a way of life. For those who have not seen ‘Fire in Babylon’, cricket is perhaps the one thing that creates a virtual bridge between the islands of the Caribbean. They may have their conflicts in a more diplomatic sense, but, when it comes to the game of cricket, it is one leader, one man, and more importantly – one team.

As well documented, cricket in the West Indies was something everybody was a part of. The attitude and the atmosphere of the West Indian people is also unbelievably conducive to the sport as well. If one drives along the roads of the any of the Caribbean islands, it is almost guaranteed that a bust or a statue of one of the West Indies players from yesteryear. The bars, the pubs, and the nightclubs are filled with posters and cricket memorabilia of certain players ranging from Sir Wes Hall all the way to Richie Richardson or perhaps even Carl Hooper or Jimmy Adams for that matter.

The rich history and the culture of West Indies cricket can be found on the beaches. Although it does not display any factual or archaeological evidence of the sport being played, the wonderful sight of kids playing on the beaches paints a picture of freedom and more importantly – ‘the immortality of cricket’ in the Caribbean. However, in recent years, the world has seen a steady decline in West Indies cricket. Of course, there remain a few elements that are highly invested in the survival of West Indies cricket. However, it is a question that needs to be answered right now before any evidence of the so-called ‘Best team in the world’ is wiped out completely.

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The vast expanse of Sabina Park boasted of only a handful of fans, a majority of whom were Indian supporters. When Darren Bravo got out first ball to Ishant Sharma, that handful of Jamaicans in the crowd may well have packed their Saturday cooler of beer cans and driven off on their way to either the beach or a slightly more appropriate and less depressing place to consume their chilled alcoholic beverages.

Back in the day, when a West Indies team performed poorly, they would be heavily castigated. Not just by the powerful WICB at the time, but the fans, who demanded as many stated ‘Calypso Cricket’ and a sense of professionalism on the green grass of the cricket ground. Once again, you could not blame them. These were the people who had used cricket as a tool to gain independence from their previous masters. These were the people who formed the very crux of West Indies cricket although they had nothing more to do with it apart from playing their short roles of cheerleaders to super-fans around the world.

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Jermaine Blackwood’s innings of a run-a-ball 62 had a mixture of what exactly the problem points to. According to some, the problem lies with the so-called ‘Wash-bag Culture’ that many cricketers today are guilty of. In a nutshell, the Washbag culture rather bluntly points to players who want to be famous even before they are successful. Of course, there are those players who still remain to contribute heavily towards the success as well as the ‘Bigger Picture’ of West Indies cricket. However, the fact that some of them expect to be rewarded for achieving something in sport is ludicrous, to say the least.

An example can be found in the previous Test match at Antigua where West Indies custodian Shane Dowrich let a regulation catch from Ravi Ashwin slip right through his grasp. Ashwin would make them pay for this howler by blasting yet another century against them. However, what I failed to understand was the expression of Jason Holder. As Sir Viv pointed out, Dowrich was ready to celebrate before he even completed the catch. No one caught hold of Dowrich by the scruff of the neck or was in his face. It was only the angry expression of Shannon Gabriel and the somewhat puzzled look of Jason Holder positioned at mid-off. How has this been allowed to happen? Once again, we will never know if this question remains answered or not.

Another aspect of Blackwood’s innings showcased a slight upside as far as West Indies cricket is concerned. The ability to stand tall amid the ruins of the batting order. Taking nothing away from the Indian bowlers, they bowled their hearts out with renewed confidence that they can perform well in difficult and overseas conditions. Blackwood brought back one of the oldest and unwritten laws of Test cricket.

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Being actively aggressive sometimes helps. It is not something the coach advises and neither is it something that works all the time. However, Blackwood performed at such an unprecedented level that one could almost see some West Indian ‘swagger’ in the way he dispatched the bowlers to different parts to Sabina Park. Although the Test match isn’t over just yet, the fact that this is what West Indies cricket has been reduced to is certainly a worrying sign and something that has to be addressed before it becomes too late.