Allen Stanford, remember that name? No? Not a surprise really. When West Indians are focused on the biggest party in sport, who has time to remember a man who was a party to the biggest fraud ever perpetrated on West Indian sport? On Republic Day, a lady who lives on …
Read More »Vaneisa: Questions of legality and integrity still haunt West Indies cricket
A few days ago at Lord’s, Sir Viv Richards and Sir Curtly Ambrose had a conversation with Machel Hewitt of talkSPORT radio in their capacity as ambassadors of the Antiguan Tourism Authority. Naturally, the talk turned to the state of West Indies cricket, and what they thought could be done …
Read More »Vaneisa: It’s no wonder that citizens feel disrespected and disregarded
Situations can inch up stealthily, creeping up so insidiously that we cannot pinpoint the moment when an aberration became the norm. Allow me to return to the realm of cricket to illustrate what I mean about how a particular kind of leadership can damage the psyche of a people, and …
Read More »Saluting Sir Garry Sobers—Post-script: Have WI given the legend his just deserts?
“Did I entertain?” Garry St Aubrun Sobers never asked his fans that question. The answer would indisputably have been an emphatic, unanimous, unqualified yes. Those three words actually came out of the mouth of Brian Charles Lara at the end of a stellar 18-year career. Sobers, a West Indian sporting …
Read More »Ambrose: West Indies’ glory days will come not back; why iconic pacer bowled a googly
Former West Indies pacer Curtly Ambrose was in the news last week. Speaking on the Talk Sports Live show in Antigua, he poured scorn on the notion of a possible return of WI cricket to its former glory. “Yes, we can be competitive and climb up the ICC rankings and …
Read More »CMO vetoes West Indies series against S/Africa due to spike; T&T suffers two more deaths and 291 infections
The Ministry of Health has vetoed the West Indies Cricket Board’s attempt to host South Africa in Trinidad next month, with chief medical officer Dr Roshan Parasram credited with the final word. The two cricket nations are scheduled to face each other in two Tests and five Twenty20 internationals and …
Read More »Best: Long WI cricket history, short memories, success, succession and the easy solution illusion
“At a time when aggressive, proactive international captaincy is in short supply,” writes Ian Chappell, in discussing Ajinkya Rahane’s leadership in the absence of Virat Kohli, “India are fortunate to have two leaders who both understand the value of taking wickets over containing the opposition.” At a time when aggressive, …
Read More »Walk like a champion? DJ Bravo announces retirement from West Indies cricket
Trinidad and Tobago international cricket star Dwayne “DJ” Bravo has called time on his West Indies career, after 14 years with the regional team. Bravo announced his retirement from all formats of the international game tonight, via a press statement. One of the world’s most sought after T20 all-rounders, the …
Read More »From West Indies to Windies (Pt II): Fourth Rising? Where has the ‘natural talent’ got us?
The following is the second part of the text of a speech delivered by Charles Wilkin on the occasion of the launch of the latest book by Professor Hilary Beckles towards the end of last year. The book carries the title “Cricket Without a Cause—Fall and Rise of the Mighty …
Read More »Women PE teachers are the problem? Cameron and WICB should get with the programme
“The Physical Education curriculum, based at the Learning Resource Centre in McBean, Couva, has been headed by a woman and staffed heavily by women, generally trained teachers with years of experience teaching in schools. They are largely responsible for making Physical Education an examinable CXC subject and efforts to have …
Read More »Mind games: Why Holder’s Windies need men to lead them—on and off the field
If I didn’t so hate the taste of hair, I would recklessly have cocked a snook at Joel Garner and damblayed my much lamented, disastrous, so-far-off-the-mark post-First Test wager. At Lord’s, I was certain, Jason Holder’s West Indies were going once more to be blown out of the water. In …
Read More »PITT STOP: ODI numbers don’t lie; WICB must stop running its own cricket team out!
“The supply of cricketers is not nearly as great here in the West Indies as in Pakistan, say, with its almost 195 million or India (1.2 billion) or even England (55 million). “Inexplicably, however, we have found a way to reduce the supply of players available for international cricket by …
Read More »