Performance and not sentiment is the only way that the masses will embrace West Indies cricket as they used to.
Who think otherwise will be in for a rude awakening as they continue to fool themselves that the average West Indian is still passionate about the game.
My gauge for measuring the support is the simple fact that by and large the only sector that still argues about the pros and cons of West Indies cricket is the over-40s and those in the 50-and-over bracket.
This is so because we grew up in a time when there was hardly any other sport that could come remotely close to challenging cricket for sporting attention.
There was a time when there was hardly any global television coverage available to us on other sports that are now detracting young people from cricket.
There was a time when we had a galaxy of stars so that even if we weren’t winning youngsters could still leave a venue talking about the Kanhai sweep, the Seymour Nurse flick or even the Gary Sobers walk to the middle, notwithstanding his incredible all-round capabilities.
Then we had the era where we became world champions and reigned for an unprecedented period of near 20 years under the guidance of Clive Lloyd and Viv Richards.
And let us not forget that we were capable then of fielding two strong West Indies teams.
Players of exceptional ability by any standard remained on the fringe because those ahead of them were considered to be that much better.
Carlisle Best may have played more than a handful of Tests if there wasn’t the Greenidge and Haynes partnership.
Wicketkeeper Thelstone Payne may have played more than a solitary Test but for the presence of Jeffrey Dujon.
Slyvester Clarke would have been a certainty in any fast bowling line-up but for the presence of stars like Malcolm Marshall and Michael Holding.
I can go on and on but I think I have made my point.
In more contemporary times Brian Lara was perhaps the only West Indies batsman who was held in the same high esteem as those of the past.
Truth be told, of the current crop Chris Gayle is the only feared batsman.
The long and short is that people buy into success from both an individual viewpoint and team perspective.
They pay to see stars hoping that they will generate the level of entertainment they paid for.
Hence, when we attempt to compare eras there isn’t much that will entice the average person to watch West Indies cricket in droves in these times.
And it is basically so because generally performances are below par.
I don’t even have to bring the regional situation to substantiate my point.
Just look at the very low turnout for first division cricket compared to times when getting into a starting 11 was not a stroll.
The Barbados Cricket Association has been forced to introduce a bonus points system for batting and bowling as an incentive for teams to strive for a certain standard.
And where it was unthinkable back in the day, the system of relegation and promotion is in place to keep teams on their toes in respect of performance.
I get the impression, too, that there is only a handful of young people who watch the matches.
This for me is a bother because in every society the involvement of youth is significant in the implementation and success of any developmental scheme.
They, after all, are the ones who must take the batons that have been passed on and take them to the next point.
Nowadays you are only likely to see the youth in numbers at cricket if it is a T20 and possibly a 50 over ODI. Plain truth is that most go to lime.
What has to be a major bother is that the youth seem to know more about every football club team in European competitions, who’s in the transfer market and who’s the latest manager to be sacked.
It is also the same scenario with basketball. They can roll off the names of leading NBA stars like ABC.
I don’t see the same passion for West Indies cricket among the youth.
Something has to be seriously wrong when there is free admission and many of the grounds still weren’t filled to capacity in recent home series.
This would never happen in our golden era. In fact,free admission wouldn’t have been an option and people would have paid big money even if they grumbled privately about the price.
Our stocks are down. The global recognition of this has been exemplified by the fact that we won’t be getting a Lord’s test during our next visit to England. The lack of success is proving to be a costly factor among West Indies fans even if the board can still expand its coffers through television rights.
