New year ... but West Indies still sliding

ON THE BOUNDARY, Tony Becca

The West Indies have started the new year in the now familiar position of going down the slope in an uncontrollable slide.

Ever since they lost to Australia in 1995 to relinquish the world title, the West Indies, barring a few moments of brilliance, have been sliding and sliding badly towards the bottom of the pecking order. And despite all our hope, all our prayers, there seems no end to it.

Last week came the news that the court has passed a judgement in favour of the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) against the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) valued at US$2 million and that followed closely on the news that the Guyana government had taken over the running of Guyana's cricket and that Guyana would not be participating in the Caribbean Twenty20 scheduled to start tomorrow.

The court's action follows a claim by WIPA that the Board breached the Memorandum of Understanding and the Collective Bargaining Agreement which required both parties "to discuss and agree to the annual schedule for regional and international matches, the number of games, dates, location/venues, travel and accommodation."

The award represents loss of earnings by the players for the regional four-day tournament, 40 per cent of the gross receipts for an additional T20 match two years ago between the West Indies and South Africa and the Caribbean T20 in July 2010, and the loss of sponsorship opportunity for WIPA, as well as WIPA's legal costs.

The Board is expected to appeal the judgement, but with 10 wins for WIPA and none for the Board, as WIPA is quick to remind, it does not look good for the Board. In the interest of West Indies cricket, it also does not augur well for good relationships between the Board and WIPA in the future.

On the other hand, a government takeover of cricket in Guyana, regardless of the circumstances, nearly ruled Guyana out of the Twenty20 tournament and strengthens the possibility of robbing West Indies cricket of the services of Guyanese cricketers such as Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan, and Devendra Bishoo.

The International Cricket Council (ICC), however, is opposed to government intervention in cricket and that would be intervention. According to its own rules and regulation, there is no doubt about it.

Will the ICC intervene? That is unlikely.

The ICC does not have a history of solving issues, and it may still be able to prevent the Guyana government from doing what it seems determined to do.

The Guyana government locked the gates to the offices of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB). The GCB selects the Guyana cricket team and the Guyana cricket team usually plays at the National Stadium, which is owned by the Guyana government.

GAYLE'S GOOD SIGN

The one good sign for West Indies cricket for the new year came for Australia where Christopher Gayle is playing in the Big Bash Twenty20 tournament.

According to Jamaica's chief selector, Courtnay Daley, Gayle wanted to represent Jamaica, he had asked to be released by the Sydney Thunder but they refused, saying that they could not do so as their other big attraction, David Warner, their captain, was already away on Test duty with the Australian team.

Although it would be nice to know why Gayle did not make the request before signing the contract, just as Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo did before signing their contracts thus making themselves available for Trinidad and Tobago, it is good to hear that Gayle was interested in representing Jamaica.

Maybe, contrary to what many people believe, Gayle is interested in playing for the West Indies regardless of his problems with the Board.

There is no doubt that the West Indies need Gayle, and maybe if the West Indies Board bend a little from their stance and speak with him, despite his own stance, maybe the two could work out something so that he, and all the other players, can play for the West Indies and still earn money elsewhere.

The West Indies has got to face the facts: the West Indies is a poor region economically; the West Indies players, some of them, have the talent and the potential to earn more money trading their skills elsewhere; and money and the things money can do are important to everybody.

Certainly, the West Indies would not want to prevent them from earning more money and cannot prevent them from doing so and the best way to go about solving the issue is to try and get them to do both, as much as possible, and with as little loss to West Indies cricket as possible.

The players, including WIPA, need to understand and accept a few things. They need to understand and accept that although they were better than they are once upon a time and although they will be better than they are once again, the West Indies is not as economically strong as England, Australia, South Africa, and India and, therefore, they have to deal with the Board as such.

The players have to meet the Board halfway and especially so as they are not performing at the required standard. Most of the players cannot afford to act like kings when, judging by their performance, they are mere subjects.

The players who are performing are the Australians, a former world champion team, like the West Indies.

In the second Test match against India in Sydney, they scored 659 for four declared batting second and won the match by an innings and 68 runs with captain Michael Clarke hitting 329 not out, Mike Hussey 150 not out and former captain Ricky Ponting 134.

CLARKE AND RECORD

The question being asked around the world is this: why did not Clarke go after Brian Lara's world record score of 400 not out?

"I didn't think about it at all. I didn't have Don Bradman or Mark Taylor's score in my head whatsoever. It was about getting to a number, a total I thought would be a good total to declare," said Clarke afterwards.

Sorry, I don't believe him. Even if he had not thought of Bradman's 334 in 1930 or Mark Taylor's 334 not out in 1998-99 when he stopped in respect to the Don, Clarke must have thought of Matthew Hayden's Australian record of 380 and most off all, of Lara's world record.

The world record is every batsman's dream.

Although he is the captain and was probably only setting an example, Clarke must have thought of the world record, especially as he was only 71 runs away and more so, especially as India had already been through their first innings and when South Africa declared there was still more than half of the Test match to go, an estimated 221 overs still to be bowled.

India would have had to bat out of their skins to save it.

On top of that, Clarke could have got the record long before the end of the third day and Australia would then have had two full days, plus a few overs at the end of the third day, to bowl India out and win the Test match.

No, regardless of how patriotic Clarke is, or the need to set an example, the thought of going for Bradman's record, for Taylor's record, for Hayden's record and then for Lara's record must have crossed his mind.

Nobody, remembering how much time was left in the game and how Australia's bowlers had handled India's batsmen, would have criticised him or could have blamed him for going for it, even if India, with over two days to go, had then worked a miracle and saved the game.

Clarke must now be kicking himself for an opportunity missed, particularly as Australia won the Test match with over a day to spare.