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Trinidad
In what comes as doomsday news for Cricket West Indies (CWI), a recent report has accessed that West Indies cricket 'may cease to exist' if its players continue to prioritise T20 leagues instead of international cricket.
The report was compiled by a three-man panel led by Brian Lara with Mickey Arthur and judge Patrick Thompson as the other members.
"It is essential that some middle ground is arrived at. Otherwise, West Indies cricket may cease to exist as an entity," read the report.
"This group does not indulge in doomsday predictions but no entity, sporting or otherwise, has a viable future if its talent is not harnessed and effectively managed."
Leading cricketers from West Indies such as Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard, and Chris Gayle amongst others have had regular run-ins with the administration.
More often than not, the reason for friction has been the pay dispute. Other times, the players have preferred playing franchise cricket after the CWI unceremoniously sacked them from particular bilateral series or refused to give them any consideration.
The report pointed towards this friction and said, "In this group's view, there is significant distrust between the players and administration and this distrust is inimical to ensuring that the best 11 players turn out for the WI Team in every match."
"Cricket West Indies (CWI) must develop and create clear pathways for the identification, development and management of talent. Otherwise, WI cricket runs the risk of being strip-mined by other professional leagues that can afford to harvest and develop our players for their benefit."
CWI commissioned the panel after the tame exit of the West Indies from the T20 World Cup in Australia. The report attributed the exit from the tournament to a lack of international cricket which left the players 'underprepared'.
"WI cricket does not lack for talent but our small size in comparison with other cricketing nations means that we cannot afford to lose any talented players."
(With inputs from agencies)
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