My new year wishes for the West Indies team

As is customary when a new year approaches almost everyone is making resolutions and wishes for the coming 365 days. If the old year has not been very kind to you your resolutions tend to be more drastic. In the case of the West Indies cricket team the resolutions should be top-of-the-line drastic. In my mind I can hear Bob Marley singing about total destruction being the only solution and though it appears mighty tempting I must reluctantly admit it is not realistic. So I will settle for a wish-list that can be described as a sane one.

One of the first things Dwayne Bravo did when he arrived in New Zealand to take over leadership of the West Indies team for the limited-over matches was tell the world that there was disunity in the ranks. I do not believe it was his place to announce it but then again he has not proven to be very savvy when dealing with the media.

Anyway, there have been suspicions for some time now after the manner and margin of defeats in India and the Tests in New Zealand that all was not well in the camp. Darren Bravo’s sudden withdrawal from the tour for ‘personal reasons’ only adds to the feeling that this West Indies team is in shambles. Former captain, now manager, Richie Richardson admitted there is indiscipline in the camp, and blamed it on the system.

If there is disunity and indiscipline in the team it goes without saying that management is not doing its job. When Darren Sammy was installed as captain it was primarily to provide stability for a team in disarray after coach Ottis Gibson’s ‘purging’. His many critics were never shy of pointing out that his skills were not sufficient to guarantee him a spot and though I’m one of his supporters I must admit his production has been seriously lacking of late. Thus if he is not producing and cannot provide leadership he has to be relieved of the captaincy.

Richardson should also be shown the door. It is not surprising that disciplinary issues have surfaced under his management. When the reports of indiscipline first became public in the early 1990s guess who was in charge? That period also coincided with the start of the great decline. He’s too much ‘one of the guys’ to be tasked with maintaining discipline.

Also getting the axe on my wish-list would be the selectors. I’ve been known to defend these gentlemen (after all the players they choose are the same ones who keep dominating the regional tournaments year after year), but I cannot forgive them for rubberstamping the team that was thrashed so soundly in India and sending it to New Zealand. It won’t hurt to have some fresh eyes too.

On to Chris Gayle! I’m still not convinced he is committed to West Indies cricket and thus should be allowed to play his 100^th Test (not my idea but I like it) and then be set free to roam the world adding to his considerable fortune in the various T20 leagues.

Like with the selectors coach Gibson can only work with what is before him, and that is the same set of people who keep performing regionally year after year and yet cannot make the transition to the next level. However, his job is to help them make that transition. If he cannot then he has failed. My wish is to keep him until the World T20. If WI defends their title successfully then he stays until the World Cup in 2015. If not, he joins the others in walking through the door.

Now that I’ve completed my list of those who should be on their way out let me wish for some other potentially pleasant things.

I wish the young fast bowler Miguel Cummins would get a look in at the senior level. I also wish that Jerome Taylor would prove his return to full fitness and reclaim his spot in the team. I see Taylor, Cummins and Roach forming a formidable attack going forward.

I wish the Board would publish the list of contracted players which should have been out since last September (maybe we’ll learn then the reason for the recent upsurge in ill-will). And last but certainly not least I wish the WICB would put a gag on Dwayne Bravo.