THE EDITOR, Sir:
TO MANY of us in the West Indies, cricket is central to our being. For myself, it is critical to my mental health. When the West Indies team does well, I am fine and when it does badly, I am a man most miserable.
The performance of the team at the World Cup in South Africa is disappointing and in my opinion belies its talent. When an athlete or athletic team under-performs in the absence of physical injury, it is time to ask the sports psychologist for an explanation. This has become an urgent need in respect of the present West Indies team.
But psychological weakness is not the only explanation for under-performance. There may be many other explanations and I would like to focus on one of these, the issue of team selection. The exclusion of Jermaine Lawson from the team in South Africa requires an explanation from the chairman of team selection and maybe the manager. The Marlon Samuels issue requires no further ventilation, but likewise remains to be explained. It is on the chairman of team selection that I wish to focus at this time.
I detect, in the media and among colleagues, a reluctance to criticise Sir Vivian Richards, chairman of selectors of the West Indies cricket team. Despite the many 'column-inches' written in criticism of team selection, the name Vivian Richards is conspicuous by its absence, yet he is the chairman of selectors.
I have opposed the appointment of Sir Vivian ever since it was announced. It is my view that Sir Vivian does not possess the intellectual capacity for this job, which requires insight and perception beyond the skills of playing the game. Not all good players can make the transition from playing the game at the highest level to analysing, managing and developing the game also at the highest level. Not everyone can be a Michael Holding.
It is my view that Sir Vivian Richards has been promoted beyond his level of competence. His best role in West Indies cricket is as a specialist batting coach, not even as head coach, a job, which requires management skills and strategic understanding, which he does not possess.
We have done Sir Vivian and West Indies cricket a disservice by appointing him to a job for which he is not competent. The sooner we recognise this and correct it, the better.
I am, etc.,
RAINFORD WILKS
20 West Strathmore
Kingston 8
