Walsh slams poor planning

Andy Roberts, Joel Garner, Michael Holding, the irrepressible late Malcolm Marshall and the tandem of Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh are only a few that spring to mind.

They combined to make the West Indies the most dominant one-day and Test team in the world for close to two decades.

But after being knocked off the perch by the rampaging Australians, the fortunes of the West Indies plummeted to rock bottom and Walsh, the most celebrated of the speed merchants, lays the blame on poor planning and management.

"There was definitely a lack of foresight and planning. There was also a lack of professionalism and the desire to win by the team," said Walsh, who is being honoured in Toronto by the Jamaican community for his contributions to West Indian cricket.

He is also here to collect funds for a charity he heads in his Jamaican homeland.

The chair of the fund-raiser, Fazil Mirza, is hoping to collect CAN $10,000 for the Maxfield Park Children’s Home, a facility for needy children in Kingston, at a gala banquet on Saturday.

After retiring from the Test scene in 2001 at the age of 38 following a 17-year stint with the national team, Walsh says he has finally been approached by the West Indies Cricket Board to help right the listing ship.

"I have been asked to be on a committee to be headed by Sir Gary (Sobers) and it will also include among others (former opening batsman) Desmond Haynes for an input on what should be done before next year’s World Cup so we can get back to the golden days.

"As you know, when cricket suffers the entire West Indies suffers. We have the talent and there is no reason for how poorly the team has performed in recent years."

While the West Indies dropped quickly in the rankings, he doesn’t think Australia will suffer a similar fate despite its loss to England in the recent Ashes series, which he described as "fantastic."

"All credit to England as they performed as a team and ran out deserved winners. They are definitely on the rise as their players have improved their competitive skills," added Walsh.

"As for the Aussies, they are going through a transitional cycle and I think will rebound quickly," he continued. "Apart from England, one must remember teams like India, Pakistan and South Africa are also on the rise after a few poor years."

Walsh will always be remembered for becoming the first bowler to crack the 500-wicket barrier after surpassing the previous record of 434 held by India’s Kapil Dev. He finished at 519.

The West Indian was in turn passed by spinners Shane Warne of Australia (623) and Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan (549).

Few thought a pace man would pass the 500-wicket milestone, but Walsh, at 6-foot-5, confounded all.

"I think my training regimen and my desire to stay fit and the fact that I was relatively injury-free during my 17 years helped me achieve my goals." Walsh said.

"I expect both Murali and Shane to raise the bar higher."

Since retiring, Walsh says he has found himself even busier looking after his sports bar called Cuddyz, his nickname, and a sports store in Kingston, plus flying around the Caribbean and to England and Australia teaching youngsters to play the game.

He also has a diplomatic passport that he uses to promote tourism in Jamaica.