WEST INDIES CRICKET is definitely enjoying a purple patch.
Three World Cups for the year and now news that the Indians have decided to waive the $42 million they were claiming as damages for the abandoned tour of 2014.
In the case of the latter, I always felt that much more than money was at stake, in the wake of the players deciding to pull up stumps and head home, because of contractual issues and very poor handling of the matter by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB).
It was more about disrespecting the Indians in their own backyard and even more so about wounding their pride, considering that they virtually control the game, primarily because of their economic strength.
In fact, some feared that the threatened disruption of bilateral relations between the two would have been to the detriment of West Indies cricket. Surely, some reasoned, if ties were cut, the WIBC would suffer significant loss from television rights and that would in turn undermine their capacity to develop cricket more in the region.
The truth in all of this is that the two countries have been traditional allies in the sport and the thought of them breaking that bond was paramount, despite what threats were being made to bring the West Indies to their knees.
In fact, the West Indies had earlier showed their loyalty to the cause by sending a team to India at short notice for Sachin Tendulkar’s farewell series, after Sri Lanka ducked out. Of course, there was speculation that the WICB did it just as much for the money as for helping the Indians out of a tight spot.
Even so, that’s what genuine friends are for and that’s one of the main reasons the turn of events in 2014 was so shocking. It took everyone by surprise except the players, who felt they had to take a stand in defence of their rights.
Some of us believed the board could have met the players halfway in an effort to resolve the dispute amicably. The impression was given that the Indians felt the same way as they apportioned blame to the WIBC.
Fortunes changed
It is arguable that the West Indies fortune in the matter changed for the better with the transition in governance of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). They have been a lot more conciliatory and prepared to bury the proverbial hatchet for mutual benefits.
Let’s face it: there is still huge respect among their peers for West Indies cricket based on what has been achieved by the teams of the past. The recent successes would merely have rekindled some of the light that has faded in the longer formats of the sport.
Who could have imagined that the West Indies wouldn’t be a participant in next year’s Champions Trophy, which they won so dramatically in 2004 with Courtney Browne and Ian Bradshaw taking them to the summit when all seemed lost?
Indeed, who could have imagined a team that was so ruthless and dominant in Test cricket for nearly two decades are now close to the bottom rung of the international rankings?
Honestly, I believe it pains even our greatest rivals to see that we have lost so much ground in Tests and One-Day Internationals. If we are to be brutally frank and honest in our deliberations on this issue, we might have to concede that the non-stop wrangling between board and players has contributed immensely to our decline. If we truly care about safeguarding our great legacy, that kind of civil war has to stop immediately.
The rapprochement being exercised by India towards us should serve as a guideline for us to put our own house in order, ever conscious of the fact that a house divided against itself cannot stand.
The forthcoming meeting with all major stakeholders, including senior players, can be the watershed in the renaissance of West Indies cricket we seem to think is on the horizon after three teams have been crowned world champions.
I know that there is still plenty of bittersweetness in the air following those achievements but there must be a point and time when we must find a formula that will be pleasing to all going forward.
It is clear that there is no legal framework to get rid of the board unless there is an election, so we have to ask for better governance of the organisation, to ensure cricket doesn’t remain the innocent victim as a result of stiffneckedness and arrogance by some and militancy and vexation by others.
What is clear is that we must find a way to have our best team available for all formats as a true test of our competitiveness and whether we can have joy at all levels. We are the masters of our fate.
• Andi Thornhill is an experienced sports journalist and media consultant.