Tony Becca

INSTEAD OF getting better, the bad blood between the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) and the players themselves seems to get worse and worse, day after day. And with the board members, regardless of their incompetence, remaining members until they choose to resign, with the WIPA president, despite his arrogance, remaining president apparently for life, and with the players, despite their non-performance, getting richer and richer, the only thing that is suffering is West Indies cricket and its fans.

And there is no doubt about it. Regardless of what some may say, in terms of performance, in terms of victory and defeat, in terms of the version of the game when the West Indies do win, and in terms of who beats whom, West Indies cricket is suffering.

Things are so bad that following their dismal performance in the World Cup, following their loss, their surrender, in the recent Test series to England, the West Indies, the once mighty West Indies, are behaving, not only as if they had turned the corner for the umpteenth time, but also as if they are the best in the world.

This is after winning one and losing one Twenty20 against England and after winning two out of three one-day matches against England - a team which, like the West Indies, was terribly disappointing during the World Cup; a team which, despite its high position in the Test rankings, is only one above the West Indies at number seven in the ICC one-day rankings.

Still at number eight

In the Test rankings, the West Indies are still at number eight - only above Bangladesh, and in the one-day rankings, they are still at number eight - only above Bangladesh, Ireland, Zimbabwe and Kenya.

And regardless of how much money is supposedly coming in from the World Cup, things will never be better until there is unity in West Indies cricket, until the board, WIPA and the players come together and start to sing from the same hymn book.

Hurting cricket

What is happening in West Indies cricket is hurting West Indies cricket and as bad as the board is, as weak as the West Indies team is, the problem, the root of this particularly problem, seems to be WIPA.

WIPA, it appears, seems to believe that it is the body that represents the cricket fraternity an the board is selected out of those elected in the various territories, WIPA seems to believe that it is the body and not the board that is in charge of West Indies cricket.

Well, someone should tell WIPA, and especially so, president Dinanath Ramnarine, that regardless of its good intentions, it is not so.

In the interest of West Indies cricket, someone should tell WIPA that it is the WICB, coming out of a process of elections at various stages of the game's structure in the islands, that is charged by the cricket fraternity in the West Indies, by those who play the game at all levels, and by those who are otherwise involved in the game at all levels, to administer West Indies cricket.

And especially so, to find money to fund West Indies cricket, to organise, in the interest of development, tournaments at all levels, to plan series at home and abroad, to select teams, and to pay the players.

The West Indies board, as so many territorial boards, is currently filled with many who should never be there.

Many of those present know nothing about the game; they know nothing about administering and, above all, they lack the ability to lead. The reason for that, is despite all the talk about the importance of the game to the region, cricket is losing its support base in the West Indies.

People, and especially so those who are blessed with both knowledge of the game and leadership skills, no longer serve the game. In fact, they hardly even watch the game. They simply sit back and criticise. In other words, leaders in cricket, those who can lead and who should lead, are hardly available to the game in the West Indies.

Instead of sparring for a fight, instead of firing away at the first opportunity, the thing to do, what WIPA should do, is help spread the gospel of the game so that it will flourish once again and that the good, the talented and the successful in the region will return to serve it and will want to serve it.

Board should be respected

Whatever faults the board may have, whether the board is deserving of respect or not, the board is the body authorised to run West Indies cricket; it should be respected, and WIPA should set an example for its players to follow.

The board has a lot to answer forj, and there can be no question about that. Right now, however, theplayers, it seems, are following WIPA's example and the result is that they too, a number of them, have no respect for the board.

The war is hot, too hot for that matter, and cricket is suffering. It is bleeding, and it will continue to suffer, and to bleed not only until cricket can find some good, knowledgeable people who also respect those who play the game to lead the game; not only until the players realised that they should earn their pay, and by doing so train and practise more regularly and harder than they have been doing, but also until WIPA stopped flexing its muscles and has a little respect for those in charge.

Although the board is guilty of many blunders, an it should, as the leader and in the interest of West Indies cricket, let some things go unanswered, WIPA and its president are too quick to draw and fire.

What is bad about that is that most times the president does not take aim; most times, his aim is bad and he hits the target, or a part of it he wounds the board, most times he misses, and intentionally or not, it is West Indies cricket that takes the bullet.