- NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 13/Aug 04:31

All in CWI’s hands to fix WI cricket

The deficiency of West Indies cricket teams made me ponder on what is the role and responsibilities of Cricket West Indies (CWI), on what criteria are they judged, and to whom are they accountable. I would think that the entire existence of a ruling cricket board is for the continued growth of the game which enhancement is perceived to be done for the enjoyment of the participants and to ensure peak performances on the field of play. The board therefore should take full responsibility if the team is performing badly and conversely, they should be praised when the team is winning. The officials of CWI are responsible for the development and performance of the players, consequently, they have certain vital matters to put in place. A president and an executive are elected to make the functions less cumbersome and decisions more swift and meaningful. The bottom line is the success of the team. Hence, not only the president and his executive are answerable, but the entire board which elects them. Who is liable for Daren Sammy to be chosen as head coach for all three formats of the international game? Especially after he informed the executive (I assume they chose him) that he was not a qualified coach. One would have thought that anyone with a smidgen of cricket knowledge would be aware of the benefit of a coaching course for any professional sport. Sammy, nor the executive, saw any problem. To think that the CWI president Dr Kishore Shallow and his head coach, Sammy, plus the director of cricket, Miles Bascombe, are not responsible for the players’ performances, is to miss the point entirely. They are fully accountable. That is where the buck stops. The president of the USA is liable for any war in which his country participates, not the soldiers. When one loses a battle it’s not the foot-soldiers who are blamed, but the officers, the generals etcetera. In a business situation, if a firm is losing money over a number of years, the shareholders do not call for the heads of the salesmen or sales managers. They want the president or the CEO of the company to be replaced, for he is the one that cannot cope. When the good ship Titanic sank, the captain had to accept the full blame, not his assistants and certainly not the men in the engine room. This is what leadership means, taking full responsibility for one’s decisions and the end product, the team’s achievements. If through all the various political shenanigans, CWI keeps re-inventing itself, electing the same personnel repeatedly and these failures shamelessly keep running the affairs of CWI, regardless of the lack of productivity of their teams, then so be it. If they feel they have a divine right to serve and nobody else can do the job, then so be it. [caption id="attachment_1171836" align="alignnone" width="1024"] -[/caption] However, at some time when they lie awake in their beds at night, they must address their accountability and honestly face up to the man in the mirror and ask him what am I really in it for? Is it to improve West Indies cricket? And if so, are we improving? Are the right structures in place? Has the soil been properly treated so that the resulting crops will be healthy and strong? Are we knowledgeable enough? I believe an examination of conscience is required by every board official of CWI. Honesty of purpose should be the theme. The president of CWI must take full blame for not having a smooth and efficient running ship. The vessel is listing and no one seems to know how to recover an even keel. The answer is in choosing competent and well-informed personnel and not just agreeable sorts who are in it for the position and not cricket. The game is the focus, not the office. The achievements of the players and their enjoyment of the game should be the purpose, not power and position. It must be remembered that CWI is obligated to all West Indians to have a winning team. A team of which we can be proud and allow us to hold our heads up high. Individuals who have chosen to be accountable for cricket in the Caribbean, should have the commitment to churn out winning teams. And we have the right to demand the same. WI have been losing far too regularly and recovery is in CWI’s hands. What we’re witnessing is a once proud cricket region tumbling downhill fast. Beware, West Indies cricket!   The post All in CWI’s hands to fix WI cricket appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.