There are times in sport when transition comes with a big price.
It is how you handle it that counts, especially if you were a champion team.
We can begin with cricket home drums and reflect on the West Indies’ fortunes as a perfect example.
Even the most ardent, diehard West Indian supporter would have to admit we have endured a very difficult transition since the exodus of the legends of the last great West Indies team that began in the early 1990s and was completed by the start of the new millenium.
It was never going to be easy replacing the likes of Sir Viv Richards, Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, Joel Garner and the late Malcolm Marshall to mention a few.
They and their cohorts were part of arguably the greatest team ever that ruled international cricket for almost two decades. The squads led by Clive Lloyd and Sir Viv were strong in every department.
It is possible that their mere presence and reputations intimidated opponents and games were won psychologically even before a ball was bowled.
Such was the success of the team that not a lot of focus was placed on a succession plan to replace the greats and we suffered as a result.
The other possible reason, too, is that during the transition some of the legends weren’t kept in the side long enough to help guide the new crop of players. The authorities seemed to be in a rush to shed the team of its substance en masse once it was perceived that they had become dispensable.
Only Brian Lara emerged as truly exceptional and went on to establish himself as one of the greats.
Our fortunes dipped alarmingly with the odd outstanding performance. We changed captains and coaches like changing clothes and there were administrative issues that caused grave embarrassment.
They included having over-age players in international youth championships and seeing the abandonment of a Test in Antigua because the pitch was under-prepared.
Not to mention the endless confrontations between the West Indies Cricket Board and the West Indies Players Association, the players’ representatives.
The point is that when you are winning everything seems to be perfect but once the tables turn everything turns upside down with it. The true mirror image and state of play is revealed. You can see it even if you’re blind.
It is perhaps for the identical aforementioned reasons that the West Indies’ nemesis, Australia, are currently having their much publicized problems. They took over as the most dominant cricket nation with a record comparable to the West Indies’. Like the Caribbean team they had a core of players that would be highly regarded in any era.
Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne and Adam Gilchrist are players that would be on the shortlist if you were attempting to choose an all-time team. Others like Justin Langer, Matthew Hayden and Jason Gillespie helped to make them a powerhouse.
Once they retired, the Australians weren’t the same and when Ricky Ponting, the last man standing among the greats from their dominant era, called it quits recently, it made matters even worse especially in the batting department. Captain Michael Clarke, who is capable of greatness, is the lone exception at the moment.
The younger players are struggling to compete with the fierce drive associated with the Aussie tradition. Winning isn’t as predictable as it used to be and the aura of fear synonymous with every great unit is gone. Their whitewash in India proved that without question.
All of a sudden cracks are appearing everywhere. Four players were disciplined in India for failing to carry out the instructions of coach Mickey Arthur, who was sacked on Monday, and recently
David Warner found himself in hot water.
Warne has accused the selectors of not knowing their best team for the upcoming Ashes series against England after they put six openers in the squad.
That would never have been an issue if they were still dominating. When transitions aren’t smooth or managed efficiently, they show up imperfections in the system and make people realize they are, after all, only human.
Hopefully, humility is also learnt during this period.
• Andi Thornhill is an experienced award-winning freelance sports journalist.
