Tony Becca
RAWLE BRANCKER and Chris Dehring, the chairman and managing director respectively of Cricket World Cup 2007 Inc., have promised the world that the next World Cup will be the best ever.
According to the two gentlemen, they are going to put on a show that will be so grand that no one who experiences it will ever forget it - a show which, among other things, will showcase the West Indies as a tourist destination and which will lead to increase revenue for the region for many, many years.
To cricket fans, however, the success of the World Cup will depend, not only on money earned by the region during and after the event, but also on the performance of the West Indies.
After winning the inaugural tournament in 1975, after winning it again in 1979, and after losing the final in 1983, the West Indies have failed to get to the final.
FAILED
On a number of occasions they have even failed to the make it through to the semi-finals and, as far as the fans are concerned, it would be embarrassing, not if they fail to win, but if, as the hosts, they are not around in the final stages.
That is why the fans have been calling, for a long time, for a squad of players to be selected and prepared for the World Cup and why they should be happy at the recent move by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) - a move that suggests the board also appreciates the importance of the West Indies performance and therefore the need for a strong West Indies team.
In its bid, not only to break the drought but also to become the first home team to win the Cup, the West Indies board has put together a committee whose mandate is simply to produce a winning team, and as difficult as that may be, it is a wonderful move.
The Win World Cup committee is headed by coach Bennett King, with Clive Lloyd - who was invited to be the chairman, and Michael Holding unavailable, the other members are former players Sir Gary Sobers, Courtney Walsh, Desmond Haynes and Michael Findlay, current player Brian Lara, and with Lara having said he will be around to represent the West Indies during the World Cup, with the great batsman expected to be in the team, the only question is why is he on the committee?
SOMETHING TO OFFER
With his vast experience, Lara obviously has something to offer. As a player, however, as one who is not the captain of the team, and certainly in a West Indian context, the advantages may, however, outweigh the advantages - unless the plan is to reappoint him as captain if and when the conflict between the board and the WI Players Association is solved.
The real question, however, is this: How will the board, through Win World Cup, prepare a team to win the World Cup?
Remembering that there will be regional tournaments and international assignments leading up to the World Cup, and that players can stake a claim at any time, it will be difficult to put together a squad of players and even if that is done it will not be easy to prepare the players - not with the islands so many miles apart, and not with the board strapped for cash.
TALENT
Looking at the players around the islands, however, the lack of talent, probably even the lack of good technique may not be the West Indies' problem.
The reason for the poor performance of the West Indies in recent years may well be a combination of too little experience is some cases, poor physical conditioning in most cases, the general lack of commitment - the failure, for example, to buckle down and fight for runs before opening up, and based on its mandate to the committee, the board seems to appreciate that.
In announcing the formation of the committee, the board said that it is expected, among other things, "to develop the physical and mental toughness which will deliver a consistent standard of excellence on and off the field", and if King, Sobers and company can do that, the fans have nothing to fear.
POTENTIAL
With batsmen like Lara, Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Devon Smith, Wavell Hinds, Marlon Samuels and Xavier Marshall - who has the potential to be ready by then, with all-rounders like Dwayne Smith and Omari Banks, with wicketkeepers like Denesh Ramdin and Carlton Baugh Jnr., and with pace bowlers like Corey Collymore, Fidel Edwards, Pedro Collins, Ian Bradshaw and Tino Best, Daren Powell, Jerome Taylor, Deighton Butler and, all things being equal, Jermaine Lawson, the West Indies have the players from which they can put out a team strong enough to win the World Cup.
A squad in regular training would be good. What is more important, however, what will make the difference between winning and losing, between competing and not competing, is the attitude of the players, and from now on that is what King and his selectors, King and his Win World Cup committee members should be looking at.
In preparing for the World Cup, the West Indies need to look for players who are committed, players who are prepared to train and practice in and out of organised sessions - players who, like the young, inexperienced players in Sri Lanka recently, are focused and willing, with the bat, with ball, and in the field, to give everything in the interest of West Indies cricket.
