OH WHAT A DAY!
Yesterday was one of double delight for people across most of the English-speaking Caribbean and the millions of its people scattered across the world. Our cricketers had achieved the unthinkable by winning both the men’s and women’s World Twenty20 championships in India.
West Indies women set the pace when they defeated Australia and the men romped home against England hours later. The cheers in celebration of these outstanding achievements echoed across the region. The sweet success capped what was started earlier this year when the junior cricketers won the Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh.
The victories yesterday indicated that we are the undisputed champions in the shortest form of the game. Internationally the West Indies cricket brand is still a quality one and underscores why we must be remain united as a region.
Unfortunately, these latest expressions of the region’s prowess do not mean that we are again at the zenith of the game. The men still have a long road to travel before they reach the exalted heights of the 1980s and ’90s. We must again conquer the longer version of the game – Tests – as we have done in the past, but a number of other things must happen in tandem with this quest for success and glory.
The myriad of problems impacting the regional governing body, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), must be resolved. The disputes with regional governments and with the players must be settled. Our professional cricketers, not only at the international level, must be well treated so that issues such as contracts and payments are not left to the 11th hour before they are resolved. It is noteworthy that the captain, Darren Sammy, was very critical of the Board in his comments after the men completed their incredible victory.
The WICB must never allow for a repeat of that infamous pullout that took place during the tour of India in 2014. There must be trust between the WICB and its players.
So as we seek to move the sport forward, every effort must also be made to ensure the women cricketers are not placed at any great disparity to their male counterparts. This issue of unequal treatment between men and women in the same sport is gaining international currency. For the sake of transparency, the WICB should indicate exactly the terms and conditions of the contracts offered the female players. This is the norm in international sport.
Even in this moment of triumph, we need to start looking at the rebuilding process for the West Indies team. At least eight of the current team members are 30-plus. New young talent must be blooded, especially if we are to be at the helm of all three formats of the game.
Thank you, West Indies men and women’s cricket teams. Your achievements yesterday have made us all very proud.