Wind, Gayle and money over matter

Sports

SA tour by the West Indies to either Australia or England is always an exciting prospect as in the past and particularly in the late seventies and the decade of the eighties when they were the undisputed kings of cricket.

Though the current team led by Chris Gayle will not set the world on fire but, they do have players of quality. Skipper Gayle, veteran Chanderpaul and of course Ramnaresh Sarwan are players of undisputed quality whilst the all rounder Dwayne Bravo is a match winner on his day. The most exciting young player in the West Indian line up for the tour of Australia is Adrian Barath. Not yet 20, young Barath showed the world his powers as a batsman in the Champions League for Trinidad and Tobago just a few weeks ago.

The tour itself is going to be a tough one with three Test matches, five ODI’s and two T20 games against a buoyant Australia who has virtually swept the board before them after their unexpected Ashes loss. It won’t be a surprise to see the Aussies start off as favourites.

As for the West Indies it will be a huge relief to find that they have after much controversy managed to get their best team on display. But the question that will be asked by many is how strong the bond in the team is? It is without doubt that a team can not win only on player’s ability. What is most important is the team unity! And that’s the reason why you prefer to have a ‘star team’ than a Team of Stars! And whether the current West Indian unit on display in Australia has it or whether Gayle could inculcate it is something we have to wait and see.

The fact that Gayle himself has indicated his fondness for T20 over Test Cricket may be an indication that the skipper lacks interest and is merely biding his time and also a closer look at the events that took place in Caribbean seem to suggest that money has taken precedence over priority. If Gayle himself is merely marking time then what motivation would the other cricketers and particularly the young ones have to perform for the country? This is a situation that has to be arrested before it could get out of hand!
Never in the history of Caribbean cricket has disputes over money been so hot! May be the Kerry packer experience in 1977 and 1978 was different when the entire team with the exception of Alvin Kalicharran moved out to play World Series Cricket. Of course those were the days where cricketers were poor relations to other sports personalities until Mr. Packer and Tony Greig combined to change it.

If Gayle himself is merely marking time then what motivation would the other cricketers and particularly the young ones have to perform for the country? This is a situation that has to be arrested before it could get out of hand!

But what made the current crop of cricketer’s rebel against the establishment and even boycott matches? Isn’t the pride of playing for one’s country the utmost important objective in any cricketer’s book? Instead hasn’t this batch or the team gone to the extent of devaluing the West Indian team so much that the respected former great Sir Vivian Richards have called for respect from players towards the West Indian cricketing culture. It is my view that the sudden security that the players seem to enjoy outside their national team appears to be the main cause for the stubbornness and even the strong attitude of the players.

In the past not just the West Indian cricketer but most other cricketers had to depend on their national boards for their pay as it is only in England, Australia and South Africa that domestic cricketers are paid worth while money. So it was always a case of negotiation and not total boycott as both the players and the boards knew their priorities. If it was so in the past what seem to be the new found courage? This brings me to the IPL and many other tournaments the world is bound to see and of course the money that goes with it. Today Chris Gayle, Chanderpaul, Sarwan or any cricketer of quality can choose to play cricket according to his whims and fancy and still be a huge earner in the IPL. Just look at the case of Freddie Flintoff. He is no more a contracted player with England but certainly is for his franchise in the IPL!
It is with that backdrop and scenario that the West Indian Board and the players managed to strike a deal and from the available evidence one could easily assume who the strong party was in the negotiation process.

In such eventuality will Gayle and the rest be able to command the respect of the younger and newer players as they would find them in poor light. They would see them as players who have compromised their pride for money and are on the tour only because the money was right and not because they are playing for the West Indies.

It will therefore be an uphill battle for the team to gel together and will not come as surprise if the results expected are not forthcoming! But from a cricketing point of view the flourish of West Indian cricket has a huge importance from the point of view of the game as they will always be one of the most attractive sides in the world. In that context it is a pity that the gloss has been taken off from their game for reasons other than cricket!

Roshan Abeysinghe is a leading cricket promoter and an international cricket commentator

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