By Tony Becca - From The Boundary 
Becca
BASED ON their recent performances and the reactions of the fans, the West Indies team is running out of friends. It is when one is down that he needs his friends, however, and it is good to see that there are still a few who have not abandoned the team.
According to a report coming out of India where the West Indies have lost the first and second Test matches of the three-match series - one by an innings and 112 runs and one by eight wickets, the small band of supporters on hand have not, like so many at home, abandoned the team, and that is great.
"West Indies cricket is in the pits," says Dr. Trevor McCartney who has chalked up thousands of miles watching the West Indies team, "but that does not stop us from dreaming about the return to good times."
"We owe it to West Indies cricket," said Ravi Rambarran. "Our cricket team has given us immense pleasure in the past."
Both men are right. The West Indies team is playing poor cricket, but the fans should not desert it, they should still dream of better days, and despite their disappointment and as difficult as it is to swallow, they should remember the great times and the pleasure - the times when the team made them proud as West Indians when it was, for a long time, the best in the world.
That kind of support, that kind of confidence is good for West Indies cricket, and it is wonderful to know that there are people around who have not given up on West Indies cricket.
It is, however, going to take more than the loyalty of a few fans to turn around the fortunes of the West Indies team. It is going to take a full and proper assessment of what is wrong, then what to do about it, and a commitment to do what is necessary to improve things.
According to McCartney, although he feels that it will take a while, he has no doubt that the West Indies will be back where they belong, he has no doubt about it because of the rebuilding programmes being put in place, and when one looks at the programmes for young players around the region, at how the clubs in some territories are now encouraging young players and forming youth teams, and at the number of specialised coaching sessions being held by the Board, there are some good programmes in place.
On top of that, there are the regional Under-15 and Under-19 tournaments, there is the participation of a West Indies "B" team in the regional tournament, and by keeping the "A" team active the Board is doing most of the things necessary to develop the skills of the players with the talent to become West Indies players.
There is one area that needs to be looked at, however, that area is club cricket, no one seems to realise it or is prepared to do anything about it, and until something is done about it, West Indies cricket may never get back to the top or even near to the top.
The club system is the base of West Indies cricket, it is the link between youth cricket and first-class cricket, it is where skills are honed, it is where, if the competition is strong, players develop the ability to perform in different conditions and under pressure, it is where good discipline is nurtured, it is, in a nutshell, where good players are produced - where talent is developed into skill, and unless the clubs are strong they cannot fulfil their responsibility to West Indies cricket.
Cricket in the clubs is weak, it is weak because the clubs are weak, the clubs are weak because there is no money to provide proper facilities, and it is time the Board shows some interest in the clubs.
One way to do that is to spend a little of its money in the clubs, another way is to help them to raise funds, and still another way is to reward them each time they produce a West Indies player.
Captain Carl Hooper hit the nail on the head when he said, after the second Test, that "we are not playing cricket at all".
The reason is simply that the middle of the system is weak and because of that, the players are not prepared - technically, physically and mentally - for the challenges in the big arena.
