Tony BeccaTHE WEST Indies/South Africa series is over, once again it was another defeat for the Windies.
Despite the criticism of the players during the contest, once again the anger of the fans is now aimed at the board, the manager, the coach, the captain and especially the selectors.
The complaints are that the board is spending too much money on administration and too little on the development of players.
The manager is weak and out of his depth.
The coach is not good enough either to prepare or to motivate the players.
The captain is a timid soul who cracks under pressure and the selectors simply do not know what they are doing. In many respects, the complaints are justified - certainly as far as the selectors are concerned.
The selectors seem to have lost their way. One day, they talk about building for the future and the importance of encouraging young players.
The next day they chop and change, the following day, they chop and change again, and the result is that players, the young players who they claim, when it suits them, to be the future stars of West Indies cricket, have been in and out of the team as if they were passing through a revolving door.
The fact is, however, that as inconsistent as they may be, the selectors deserve a bit of sympathy.
As good as their intentions may be, the selectors are only human and, as talented as some of the young players may be, based on their performance, their attitude and their approach to the game, it must be difficult to stick with some of them.
In fact, listening to some of the fans during the Test and one-day series when wickets were tumbling like nine-pins, the same fans who are now lambasting the selectors would have behaved no differently had they been the selectors.
The fans, many of them, would have behaved no differently because they too wanted to win, because they too believed, for example, that a number of the batsmen selected were better than they are.
Because they too were embarrassed not by their failure to perform but by the manner in which they were dismissed, and because they too were saying, "what the hell, may as well give the other guy a chance".
While there is no denying the selectors blundered, that they turned the selection process into one big confusion, and that as good as they may be, some young players need time to settle in, the fact is that selectors do not drop performers.
Sometimes they do not drop players who they believe are giving 100 per cent and, in their own interest, it is time the players to look in the mirror.
It is obvious the players, most of them, are not as prepared as they should be, and although it is the job of the coach to prepare them, when it is remembered that the coach, at both the territorial level and the West Indies level, is with them only for a short time, it is also their responsibility to prepare themselves - technically, physically and mentally.
The players do not put in enough time batting, bowling and fielding, they seem to believe they are better than they really are, they do not appear to be committed to excellence and to be driven by performance.
Based on reports of their activities, they seem to have other priorities, and that is why, despite the talent that some obviously possess, they are not performing.
Some how, some way, the West Indies Board, the territorial boards, and if they are supported, the clubs have to find a way to get the prima donnas, especially those who believe that one good performance makes them a star, to understand they have to train and practise, train and practise if they are to achieve their full potential.
Sport, it is said, mirrors the society, and may be they are victims of the new culture around the region.
Whatever it is, the young players in West Indies cricket, those in the team and those waiting in the wings, must be educated: they need to appreciate that 30 minutes batting, 30 minutes bowling and 10 minutes fielding cannot lead to quality performance. They need to understand that success is hard work - that you get what you put in.
The West Indies were not as good as South Africa. Next time around, however, they could be better.
That, however, will only be if those leading the way face the problems and deal with them, if the board approaches the development process not from the top but from the bottom. If the selectors have a conviction and stick to it, if they stop selecting players from a hat, and if the players are true to themselves and accept that with all the talent in the world they need to improve their skills.
