JUST IMAGINE how much stronger West Indies cricket can be without the sustained civil war.
We are tearing each other apart as if we have different causes as opposed to singing in the same choir and from the same hymn sheet.
It is among the greatest sporting ironies ever that we are world champions in three different categories simultaneously, in spite of so much internal bickering and warfare.
On the surface, it speaks to the talent of our players but many times in the past,especially with the senior men’s team, talent wasn’t able to win anything because the team would have been distracted by matters off the field that essentially related to the governance of the game.
This time around the men’s T20 team decided to use their problems with the board as a source of motivation.They wanted to prove that despite the odds and being at odds with the board for the umpteenth time over money issues, they could be champions on the world stage.
If that feat was achieved because of that particular battle, more credit to them notwithstanding all that happened on the last occasion they played in India. Who could be sure what could have occurred this time, considering that they weren’t happy at all with their financial arrangements agreed to by the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) on their behalf against their wishes?
According to the head count, only one player on the team is represented by WIPA, and to me this renders them impotent to negotiate on behalf of the majority if it is their expressed wish that WIPA doesn’t have the authority to do so. If they have done so verbally, perhaps the players need to take a legal stance on the matter which the board should respect as gospel.
Fuelling discord
The current situation is helping to fuel discord between the players and the board, which continues to use WIPA as a red herring in claiming that it is the players organisation who negotiates on their behalf.
Surely, coming out of the abandoned tour of India in 2014, it doesn’t appear that the majority of senior players want WIPA to do anything on their behalf and this in essence seems to make them a lame duck association. If this particular wood remains in the fire, there’s every likelihood that the tension will escalate between employer and employee.
It is also possible that the best players may not be chosen for other forms of the game even if they are available because the selectors might want to avoid any conflict in choosing them, especially if financial issues aren’t settled well in advance of a tour.
Let’s face it, despite what was said by the authorities, there was the general public perception that fired skipper Dwayne Bravo and Keiron Pollard were excluded from the last World Cup for the perceived role they played in causing the tour of India to be abandoned. So victimisation was very much on the lips of many in that situation, even if it was dressed up in different clothing.
Truth be told, if you want to concur that past WIPA president Dinanath Ramnarine’s approach to negotiations with the board was muscular and festered hostility and division, there was no doubt that he always fought for the best terms for the players.
He has gone and the problems over pay haven’t disappeared. The conclusion could be that he was only part of the problem and if WIPA is supposed to be on much better terms with the board why nothing has really changed?
The board cannot be seen to be ruling by spite because what would have prevented them from communicating with the team throughout the T20 World Cup and why wasn’t the players uniforms secured in a timely fashion? The congratulatory message after the victory over England was what had to be done but by then the players thought it was too late in coming.
Darren Sammy’s critics lambasted him for not being politically correct in his victory speech but he was obviously hurt about what he saw as the lack of care coming from the board. This is a leader known for diplomacy, so someone had to pull the lion’s tail to induce his emotional reaction.
It should be noted that the common denominator in most of the recent disputes and controversies in West Indies cricket is president Dave Cameron. He’s been at loggerheads with players, politicians and commentators. What’s the chance of the civil war ending if he remains in charge?
It is never ideal for family to wash dirty linen in public but it can happen when one side believes it is empowered to disrespect the other and abandons the principle of mutual respect.