THE EDITOR, Sir:
DO THE individual members of "Our" West Indies team have any concept of the pain and anguish that their supporters undergo when they lose any match? Moreover, when we are subjected to the abysmal performance that we witnessed at Sabina Park on the March 14, 2004 (another date which will live forever in infamy). Do they have any idea of the mantle of responsibility they assume when they don that maroon cap and enter the field of combat?
If they do, will someone, anyone, explain to me how Ramnaresh Sarwan and Christopher Gayle could have had the temerity to visit, and remain, in the stands on the Mound, as if they had no part in the disastrous debacle which had taken place an hour earlier. Little did they know, that it was only the counsel of cooler heads which prevented them from being forcibly ejected therefrom, as would have been the fate of any hooligan who invaded the pitch during play.
Had the event been a horse-racing classic, there would have been an immediate stewards enquiry, or had it been the Heavyweight Boxing Title Fight, an immediate withholding of the purse of the loser is there no sanction which can be applied to professional cricketers who perform so miserably?
Indications, however, that the rot had set in were visible from the day before when the scandalous situation occurred of extras emerging as the highest total on the English scorecard. The prevailing mood that swept around Sabina Park and, no doubt, the region, was that, with one or two exceptions, the senior squad should be replaced by the under-19 team.
It is anticipated that all teams will have their share of losses, but what we as a region expect of "Our" West Indies Team is that whenever they lose, they must be able to leave the field with their heads high and not humbled and humiliated.
I can personally testify to the fact that up to 7:00 p.m. and beyond the English team could be seen practising in the lighted area of the field in front of the Kingston Members Club. Many questions remain to be answered, and high on the list, that the cricket-loving West Indies family are entitled to know Where was the team on the night of Saturday, March 13, and how did they pass the time?
However, all is not yet lost to Captain Brian Lara and his teammates, I think I speak for all their fans when I say, their mission, should they choose to accept it, is to rise from the ashes of that dreadful day and go on to win the series - nothing less will suffice.
I am, etc.,
HOWARD HAMILTON, Q.C.
