Tony BeccaTHE ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 is less than a year away and, based on what is happening around the West Indies, it appears, as Chris Dehring has promised, that as far as facilities, security, entertainment and the experience of being there are concerned, it will be the best World Cup ever.
It should also be one that everyone, and more so the organising committee, hope will also, with a little luck, enrich the people of the region.
BEST ACTION EVER
The promise, based on what has been happening in the world of cricket since 2003 when the tournament was last staged in South Africa, based on the ICC's involvement in the preparation of the six associate members taking part, and based on the delightful, exciting and record-breaking batting in the fifth and final one-day international between Australia and South Africa in Johannesburg recently, is also that the action on the field will be the best ever.
So far, however, not much is being done about the preparation of the West Indies team and cricket fans, even those who recognise the financial benefits of hosting the tournament and the need to sell the region as a tourist destination, are concerned very concerned.
FAILED TO DISTINGUISH
THEMSELVES
Winners of the first two World Cup tournaments and runners-up in the third, the West Indies, but for their victory in the ICC Championships of 2004, have since failed to distinguish themselves in one-day tournaments. In fact, things have been so bad that in 1996 they were beaten by Kenya, and while they failed to get out of the first round last time out, Zimbabwe got out of the first round and into the Super Six and Kenya went as far as the semi-finals.
The fans, West Indians around the world, would certainly be embarrassed if, as the hosts, the West Indies, God forbid, failed to move out of the first round or to get beyond the second round.
While it would be a surprise if the West Indies, bracketed with Pakistan, Zimbabwe and Ireland, and with two teams moving on, failed to get out of the first round and into the Super Eight, based on their recent performances, it would not be surprising if they failed to get beyond that.
In the Super Eights, the West Indies are likely to be up against three from Australia, South Africa, India, New Zealand, England and Sri Lanka. All six are ranked above them and have been so for a long time and that is why, if they do not wish to be spectators from early in the tournament, they need to start preparing and the earlier the better.
NO BETTER TIME
The truth is that there is no better time than now, and although the West Indies are not strong enough to have two separate squads and the difference between a Test squad and a one-day squad may only be a few players, they should start looking at the World Cup from the arrival of Zimbabwe.
The West Indies should, for a start, select a squad of players from which the World Cup squad will be selected and, apart from putting them under the guidance of someone in their respective territories, apart from getting them together and under the team's coach on a regular basis, they should select players from that squad for the one-day matches against Zimbabwe. Also for the one-day matches against India and for every one-day tournament until next March including the qualifying matches against Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh for a place in the ICC Champions Trophy scheduled for October in India.
SQUAD TO MAKE WI PROUD
With batsmen like Chris Gayle, Devon Smith, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Marlon Samuels, Wavell Hinds, a fit and motivated Brian Lara, and based on performance in New Zealand, also Runako Morton, with all-rounders like Dwayne Bravo and Dwayne Smith, with wicketkeepers like Denesh Ramdin and the hard-hitting Carlton Baugh Jnr., and with bowlers to come from Fidel Edwards, Daren Powell and Ian Bradshaw, Corey Collymore, Pedro Collins and Jerome Taylor if they are fit and can stay fit, the West Indies can put together a squad of players that can do the West Indies proud and, with a little luck, make Cricket World Cup 2007 the best World Cup for the West Indies since the glory days of 1975 and 1979.
President Ken Gordon's Win World Cup committee and the selectors need to get cracking, however. Time is running out.
