If Phil Simmons didn’t care whether West Indies won or lost cricket matches, he would still be in a job today. But he did. So he isn’t. From the moment Simmons chose to retain the notion that, as West Indies cricket coach, he deserved the best players available to win matches, …
Read More »The belly of the WICBeast: Analysing Cameron’s election win
It only defies logic for a moment. As soon as you begin to think about the possible reasons why the West Indies Cricket Board would have re-elected outgoing president Dave Cameron, it makes perfect sense: it’s not cricket because it’s not about cricket. Read Raffique Shah’s column on page 14 …
Read More »Pollard, Smith abandon Barbados Tridents for IPL teams
The Barbados Tridents, who last weekend won US$250,000 for beating the Guyana Amazons to clinch the Limacol Caribbean Premier League 2014 title, will soon be US$300,000 richer. Or will they? Whatever the answer, one suspects that team management would somehow be happier without the money and with their two major …
Read More »Polly puts the CPL mantle on as WI welcomes Bangladesh
Earl Best looks back at the 2014 Limacol CPL and forward to Bangladesh’s Caribbean tour: Congratulations are in order for Keiron Pollard and his victorious Barbados Tridents. The heavens had to intervene to hand them the 2014 Caribbean Premier League title but it wasn’t quite the miracle I had said …
Read More »Open Letter to Bravo: Windies names ODI squad for Pakistan
I don’t know about you, Dwayne, but I got a bit of a surprise when I read the WICB’s media release announcing the squad for the upcoming One-day Internationals against Pakistan. The first thing that struck me was not the absence of Denesh Ramdin’s name. Nor was it the omission …
Read More »Faltering West Indies could miss tri-series final
If the West Indies find themselves mere spectators at Thursday’s Celkon Mobile Tri-Nation Series Cup final, they will have to blame their batsmen, with the exception of Darren Bravo and Lendl Simmonds. Set a revised 230 to get off 41 overs after rain again intervened, Kieron Pollard’s side reached 190 …
Read More »Rain spoils West Indies contest at the Oval
When time was called this afternoon at the end of the rain-ruined day’s play at the Queen’s Park Oval, there was one question on all lips – especially those of Virat Kohli’s Indians. Will the West Indies be able, all were asking, to drive home their early advantage and keep …
Read More »Kohli forces West Indies’ hand in Celkon Mobile Tri-series
India yesterday breathed new life into the Celkon Mobile Tri-series with a convincing 102-run Duckworth/Lewis victory over the West Indies at the Queen’s Park Oval. Asked to get a challenging revised total of 274 in 39 overs in response to India’s imposing 311 for 7 off 50, Dwayne Bravo’s side …
Read More »Captain Caribbean: Bravo’s blueprint for brilliance
Not for nothing were West Indian teams prior to Kerry Packer’s crucial intervention in the late 1970’s ritually called “Calypso Cricketers.” Sparrow’s “Slave” contains a line that perhaps epitomizes the regional attitude to the game. In that classic tune, the Calypso King of the World as first person narrator describes …
Read More »Bravo’s thoughtful Windies captaincy undone by Trini traits
7.45pm, June 14, 2013, The Kennington Oval. It is drizzling steadily but West Indian ODI captain Dwayne Bravo and his immediate predecessor Darren Sammy decline to leave the field. AB de Villiers and his South Africans, who looked hard-pressed to salvage a much-needed win, have long since disappeared into the …
Read More »The great bungle: The real reason for West Indies’ flop
So the reigning T20 champions will miss out on the June 23 Edgbaston Champions Trophy final which, with luck, could feature India and South Africa. But it was neither Mother India nor Mother Africa that did the West Indies in, as the conspiracy theorists might argue. No, say the apologists, …
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