WI players should pay for non-performance
THE EDITOR: I could not agree more with Michael Holding’s remarks about this present WI cricket team. They are not committed to playing with all their heart and soul for the West Indies. The attitude is just not right, and that pitiful display in the First Test vs Australia spoke volumes. And this performance is what the WPA are demanding an increase in fees for. As far as I see it, these players owe the WICB for their non-performance. The supposedly "weak team" which toured Sri Lanka showed more fight and guts than our recognised batsmen Gayle, Lara, Sarwan and Chanderpaul, who have in the past faced these Australian bowlers and never looked so at sea as they did in this Test. I have said it time and time again, this generation of players are more interested in the money paid, and I continually advocate that they should be hit where it hurts most by deductions for poor performances. Institute a system whereby deductions are made for no balls and wide bowled, catches dropped or balls misfielded, which end up in the boundary, and specialist batsmen scoring under 40 runs minimum in any innings. In this Test, 30 no balls were bowled. I am sure when they realise this easy money will not be paid whether they play good or poorly as at present, they will try harder. Our fitness and concentration leaves much to be desired. If we start reasonably well, by evening we are flagging and losing concentration. The fast bowlers are only interested in bowling "fast" with not much thought given to direction. They continually bowl the same bad ball to batsmen and get clobbered for four after four, yet it does not seem to register that that is the wrong length. Can’t they learn from seeing how Mc Grath and Braken bowl the ball on the wicket with a consistent length, especially to tail end batsmen? Also, our bowlers must really make a bigger effort to learn to bat and not just swipe at every ball. Like Holding, I don’t hold out much hope if we continue to play like this. J S KELSICK St Ann’s
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"WI players should pay for non-performance"