The Champions Trophy in South Africa is over, it was a wonderful success, and most importantly, it appears that it has guaranteed a place for 50-over cricket between Test cricket and Twenty20 cricket.

Unlike what many considered the overcrowded World Cup of 2007 which saw 16 teams playing 51 matches in 47 days in a tournament which seemed to last forever, the Champions Trophy of 2009 involved only the top-eight teams, including the West Indies, with only 15 matches in 14 days, it was short and spicy, it was played on only two grounds, and the pitches, at the Wanderers and at Centurion, ensured that the tournament was exciting.

The pitches were different in pace and in bounce, and they provided a true test of the players' skills.

At the Wanderers, the skill of the batsmen was fully tested, at Centurion, it was the skill of the bowlers, pacers and spinners that was under the microscope, and even if the players, and especially so the batsmen at the Wanderers, did not like it, it was certainly good for the fans.

Headed by Ricky Ponting's superb batting against England, followed by the see-saw action during many of the matches, and the exciting last-ball finish between Australia and Pakistan, the cricket was good, the contests were keen, and with early favourites South Africa and India falling by the wayside, with outsiders England and New Zealand moving on, one to the semi-finals and one to the final, the results were sometimes surprising.

Once again, as it has been for the past 14 years or so, the title went to Australia, and deservedly so.

There were times when they were pushed, and there were times when they appeared in serious trouble. Each time, however, like champions usually do in team sports, they found a man, or two, be it a batsman or a bowler, sometimes even a fielder, to stand in the breach.

According to captain Ponting, probably remembering the batting of Shane Watson and Cameron White, one in both the semi-finals and the final and one in the final, Australia won it because of their youngsters, and that is something the West Indies selectors and the West Indies Board should look at.

first-class matches

In the West Indies, a youngster, who is selected to play for the West Indies, is one who is 19, 20, or 21 years old and one who has played probably 10 or 15 first-class matches, has scored, probably, only one first-class century, and has taken 10 or so first-class wickets.

Although Australia have paraded a brilliant youngster - the 20-year-old opening batsman Phil Hughes whose first-class record shows 10 centuries in 28 matches at an average of 61.91 and whose Test record reads five Test matches with two centuries at an average of 52.00, Ponting youngsters were not young, inexperienced, players with little to recommend their selection.

Ponting's youngsters were not only the 24-year-old pacer Peter Siddle, who was called in after 27 first-class matches and 98 wickets at an average of 27.16 with a best of six for 57, and neither was it 24-year-old Tim Paine who was drafted to replace two injured wicket-keepers after 31 first-class matches, 1,611 runs with a top score of 215, 85 catches, and two stumpings.

Ponting's youngsters, were Watson - a 28-year-old all-rounder who has played 75 first-class matches, has scored 5,190 runs with 13 centuries, with a top score of 203 not out, a batting average of 45.52, and has taken 135 wickets with a career-best seven for 69, and White - a 26-year-old all-rounder who has played 103 first-class matches, has scored 6,351 runs with 15 centuries, with a top score of 260 not out, with a batting average of 42.05, and has taken 170 wickets with a career-best six for 66.

talented players

But for the really exceptional player - and there are few, very few of those around the world, the West Indies selectors need to give the young, talented players in the region time to be properly groomed - to develop their skills and to mature before burdening them with the responsibility of representing the West Indies, and so that the selectors do not have to wait until the players are too old, the board, with the help of sponsors and the support of the fans, needs to provide more opportunities for the players.

Instead of playing five or six first-class matches a season, instead of playing three one-day matches a season, West Indies players need at least twice that amount of cricket if the West Indies team is to return to its former glory.

It is either that the players are provided with enough competition to hone their skills or the people of the West Indies will have to go down on their knees and pray to God that once again a few great players will drop out of the trees.

The truth is that things do not look good.

Based on what is happening, based on the lack of sponsorship, it will be a long time before enough first-class cricket is played in the West Indies.

The West Indies Board cannot find sponsorship for any of its two senior competitions, and although the Jamaica Cricket Association, thanks to Red Stripe, found a good Samaritan to sponsor its first Twenty20 tournament, things are just as bad in Jamaica.

new format

There was no club cricket in Jamaica for three months in the middle of summer, the club league, which for many, many years saw each team playing 14 matches and lasting for months, is now down to seven matches played over a few weeks, and the 50-over competition, which for many, many years was played in a round-robin first-round format before moving into a knockout stage, is now down to a straight knockout.

The new format means that this year, instead of all the teams playing a minimum of four matches, 10 of the 21 teams will be twiddling their thumbs after the first round until, with half of the teams going out after each round, two are left in all-island competition lasting for less than one month.

Thanks to this year's Champions Trophy, the game looks strong around the rest of the world, and based on their performance in the Champions Trophy, Australia, because of their structure and their selection process, probably because of the good relationship between their players and their board, are nearly as strong as they have ever been.

Watson, Siddle and Ponting