- NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 17/Jul 09:06

Strip WI of Test status

THE EDITOR: As a young man, I never gave any thought to mental health. Back in my days of youth, I was primarily interested in food and girls, and when there was a dearth of either, I didn't take it on, but went along with my merry self confident that with my winning smile, both would eventually come my way. Life in the 1950s was far different from life today. Now, as a septuagenarian heading all too rapidly into octogenarian status, I am fully appreciative of all the emphasis being placed on mental health and mental well-being. With this in mind, I write to formally and publicly plead with the International Cricket Council (ICC) to strip the West Indies of Test cricket status. The mental health and well-being of thousands of WI cricket fans hinges on this request. For having been an unwilling witness to the carnage meted out by messrs Starc and Boland on the woeful, hapless, wasteful and inept West Indies team which was shut out for a ridiculous 27 runs at Sabina Park, there is only so much a body and soul can take. The writing on the wall is clear and no matter what is done, no matter who is fired, no matter who is dropped and who is selected, there is no coming back. The facts are painfully clear – the West Indies are no longer worthy of having the status of a Test playing nation. Fans must be honest with themselves. We are living on the fast-fading memories of WI teams of the 70s and 80s. We still harbour deep hopes that this witless bunch of players including Campbell and Chase can somehow magically replicate the batting feats of Sir Viv, Lara, Walcott, Weekes, Haynes and the other Windies greats of yesteryear. It is not going to happen! I have witnessed the decline of West Indies cricket from the 1990s to the present. On the face of it, I will certainly return to mother earth long, long, long before the West Indies returns to consistent winning ways in Test cricket. So for the sake of the dignity and mental well-being of West Indies fans, myself included, I am begging the ICC to put the West Indies out of its misery and remove us from Test status. Let us play ODIs and T20s. Leave Test cricket for the pros. Cricket, like every and all sports, is about competition. You would never dream of putting a featherweight boxer in the ring against the Heavyweight champion of the world. It's not a competition if a marathon runner is in the starting line-up of a 100-metre finals. It is nonsensical to put a swimmer in the ring and ask them to fight a grappler. So why does the ICC continue to put the hopeless and hapless WI up against Test-playing nations of the world? It is no secret that Test playing nations use these two and three-match series against the WI as tune-ups for the real Test series against real Test playing nations. To gently introduce new players to Test cricket or allow retiring legends one last hurrah. Remember the hastily arranged series against India, in order for Sachin Tendulkar to bow out on top? I think India batted once in Tendulkar's final Test match and beat the WI very convincingly. Tendulkar bowed out with 70-plus runs. Most Test nations no longer even send their best teams to play against the WI, in order to shield key players from injuries. This is the shameful depths to which the WI have reached. It is time to pull up stumps and call it quits for Test cricket for the West Indies. Over to you ICC. LEE MERRICK San Fernando The post Strip WI of Test status appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.