West Indies Cricket Is Missing Its Days in The Sun As Money Talks

The Cricket World Cup is only just done, but the ICC's circus is a never-ending roadshow. India’s B team won the consolation T20 prize against the depleted ODI champions, even after Glenn Maxwell had some more big-hitting carnival fun before returning home exhausted. While it doesn’t make much sense to go full gallop into another series after the sport’s biggest spectacle on earth, at least it’s a chance to hear the sights, sounds and song of West Indian cricket supporters again.

There was no chance of Rihanna making a surprise appearance in India for CWC23 as she did at the previous tournament when her country played Sri Lanka. The kings of the Caribbean, winners of the original World Cup in 1975, failed to qualify for the first time in their lauded history. There were no party stands. No parties. They now sit tenth, below Afghanistan, in the current rankings.

48 years ago, the prize for Clive Lloyd’s team was $9,000 as they beat Australia in front of 25,000 spectators. They defended their title four years later by obliterating England at the home of cricket with a high-class volley of fast bowling from Joel Garner and Colin Croft. Viv Richards reached an unbeaten 138 with some sublime strokes at a modern-day strike rate while Collis King smashed 86 in Maxwell mode. Last Sunday in the first of three matches, they conquered England again with a flurry of sixes from skipper Shai Hope at the stadium named after the original Master Blaster. Sorry, Sachin.

After that second edition victory, Lloyd proclaimed what everybody already knew: “We proved we were the best team in the world. By winning and dominating we weren’t just showing we were the best cricket team, but one of the best sporting teams of all time.” These were heady days when the elite of Antigua, Barbados, Trinidad, Antigua and Guyana came together to become an island force with bowling fire and batting bravura. The patronising label of 'calypso cricketers' was now discarded for the cool and clinical cohesion that ran through the team and blew away the opposition.

Time has not been kind. The West Indies haven’t reached the World Cup semi-finals since 1996. Defeats to Zimbabwe, the Netherlands and Scotland sealed their fate in the qualifying competition. Their last ICC trophy was the incredible but unlikely victory over England at the 2016 World T20 when Carlos Brathwaite pummelled Ben Stokes for four maximums in the last over. The gregarious Brathwaite has been dining out on that for the last seven years.

The captain on that dramatic evening in Kolkata was Daren Sammy who has the dubious honor of being the current head coach of the ODI team. Last year, Sammy let his feelings be clear on the disparities between the pay scales of different boards around the world. “Gone are those days when you played for love. Love doesn't buy you groceries from the supermarket,” he told PTI in an interview. The former skipper went on to claim that an India A list contracted player could probably make a million dollars a year compared to a Windies A lister, who would earn $150,000.

Undoubtedly, the change in ICC structure that brought increased revenue share to the Big Three – the ECB, the BCCI and Cricket Australia – punctured the West Indian position as an attractive proposition. Internal problems have only added to the lack of enrichment. An independent report into the West Indies Cricket Board in 2020 discovered huge holes in the organisation's finances. Just before Covid struck, Cricket West Indies (CWI) admitted that they hadn’t paid the players match fees for the white-ball series against Ireland and Sri Lanka.

There’s no doubt that the pull of T20 leagues allied to a weakened and cash-strapped domestic structure has had a negative effect on the world stage. Take the case of Sunil Narine, who officially announced his retirement from international cricket last month. The 35-year-old has been something of a globetrotter and, according to chief selector Desmond Haynes, showed no interest in playing for his country. His last appearance in the shirt was four years ago.

Andre Russell, one of the West Indies’ most talented white-ball players, is just one of many that has been lost to the ether of a franchise fast buck, a prime example of the disconnect that exists between senior players looking for security and the CWI's hollow call for loyalty to the shirt. "It hurts. There's no other way to put it. But what can you do? I don't think that I should be begging people to play for their countries. I think if you want to represent West Indies, you will make yourself available,” former coach Phil Simmons said last year.

There are some green shoots of recovery. The CWI has established an academy and impressive training facilities in Antigua that direct raw talent into the first-class game. The Caribbean Premier League continues to generate substantial revenue, boosted by the heft of Indian team ownership, while acting as a pathway to the international scene. West Indies will also co-host next summer's World T20 which should balance the books alongside a tour of England. The impressive Alick Athanaze, who scored 66 at the weekend, is a Dominican raw diamond.

Michael Holding wistfully opined that cricket was the one thing that brought the West Indies together. In a world of new age global fortunes, the Caribbean kings as a superpower feels like a relic of a bygone golden age. Survival of the richest trumps loyalty.