Lack of pride in the WI

THE EDITOR: I have heard and read many views on the poor performance of the West Indies cricket team. It is indeed mind boggling, that such gifted cricketers could perform so badly. Michael Holding is right to ask if such talent can be lost overnight. It is my humble view that the problem does not lie with our cricketers’ ability to play cricket. It lies with the fact that we are ill-equipped to fight the psychological warfare that is endemic to Test Cricket. Any of our young players on the field on any day of the “Test” at the Oval, must have felt that he was playing in England rather than at home. Every part of the ground was resplendent with English banners.

Even Colin Croft was so exuberant, that he searched in vain for a “Manchester United” and an “Arsenal” Banner. He bemoaned the fact that these were missing. I could not believe that there was no “West Indies” banner. The lone West Indian flag that I saw was swaying to the gyrations of the “Carib Girls.” It was there to support the “Soca and Calypso” not West Indies cricket — unless of course our cricket is synonymous with soca and calypso. Herein lies the fundamental problem. It is an identity problem. West Indian cricketers play for a country that has now become mythical. We now belong to “Caricom” or the “Caribbean.” West Indies as a people no longer exist. The only time we become “West Indian” is when our cricket team plays, but there is no national pride in being “West Indian.”

This is the psychological advantage that the “English national” from an England XI has over the “Jamaican national” from the West Indies XI, or the “Indian national” from an India XI, has over the “Trinidadian national” from the West Indies XI. Our cricket will continue to blossom with talented cricketers in every territory, but unless we find a method of restoring the national pride of being a West Indian, our young cricketers of this generation will continue to under-perform at the “Test” level.

IMAAM IQBAL HYDAL
Chaguanas