Presently I am deeply engaged in reading the
revised edition of A History of West Indies Cricket, written by Michael Manley;
which has a scintillating foreword by the legendary former West Indian captain
Clive Lloyd. The deep revelations that this book produces, tracing the simple
introduction of cricket to the Caribbean natives and the disreputable
embarrassment that spurred the unrivaled determination to develop the sport in
the region, is astounding as it is sobering.
Apart from the early historical perspectives on
the introduction of cricket to West Indians, a large portion of this West
Indian cricketing scripture focuses on the meticulous conceptualization,
nurturing and dominance of a team that ruled the cricketing world for 15 years.
The special memories of those glory days of our
cricket that I was lucky to experience while growing up, rushed back to me on
Tuesday last when Curtley Ambrose became the 16th West Indian player
to be inducted into the International Cricket Council (ICC) Hall of Fame. It is
heartening to see that the world governing body for cricket has taken time to
recognize another West Indies cricketing legend.
Ambrose with his 98 test matches and 405 test
wickets along with 176 ODI matches and 225 wickets was never taken lightly by
any international team against which he played. Of the 3,683 test overs he
bowled 1,001 were maidens. He was one of the stingiest bowlers the West Indies
ever produced, who made batsmen toil for every run they scored off of his
deliveries.
Speaking to the BBC after his induction,
Ambrose was very candid in his remarks on the current state of West Indies
cricket. He said, “I believe that the cricket board in the West Indies made
some mistakes…I believe that when we were the best team in the world nothing
was ever done; nothing was ever put in place to nurture the talent we have
coming up.” He continued, “Cricket has changed and the rest of the world has
caught up with us back then and have gone ahead of us. That’s the reason why
we’re playing so poorly these days.”
What I believe Ambrose was getting at was that
while the rest of the cricketing world have emulated the professionalism and
dedication of the West indies team of old, the current Team and administration
have somewhat embraced the vices of unprofessionalism, lack of strategic vision
and a reluctance to learn and apply the technical competences that modern
cricket requires.
Ambrose further posited in his conversation
with the BBC that it will take years for West Indies to rise again, gain
respect, and dominate world cricket. It is almost two decades since the West
Indies have been reinventing themselves as ‘calypso cricketers’. Is it true
that it will still take more years for a formidable West Indies team to
develop? I believe I speak for many cricketing fans when I say that the West
Indies administration has had more than enough time to field a very competitive
team.
I believe that some modification must be
urgently made to the diet of first class cricket in the Caribbean. Perhaps the
level of first class cricket must be elevated to a comparable competitive
international standard that can most likely cultivate the mental fortitude,
discipline and technical application that is so badly lacking in the current
and emerging West Indies cricketers.
I salute and congratulate Mr. Curtly Ambrose on
his hall of fame induction. I sincerely hope that this accomplishment inspires
young West Indians cricketers to strive for excellence and dedicate their
energies towards the resurgence of our cricket to its former glory.
