West Indies cricket is on the brink of extinction, that’s what the Cricket West Indies Review Panel has found after investigating the team’s poor performance in the 2022 Men’s T20 World Cup. The two-time T20 World Cup champions led by Nicholas Pooran failed to advance past the group stage in the tournament held in Australia. The review panel, which included notable figures like Brian Lara and Mickey Arthur, found that the team was underprepared due to the majority of players having little to no experience playing in Australia.
The panel also found that the West Indies players had arrived in Australia just after the Caribbean Premier League and that the tournament was played in Hobart, Tasmania, which had more in common with the north of England than West Indian conditions. The review panel stated that the untimely exit of the team from the World Cup bears certain similarities to a disaster, albeit one without fatal consequences.
To avoid a repeat of this performance, the review panel is calling for a shortlisted pool of cricketers to participate in as much red-ball cricket for West Indies as possible as part of the short-term strategic goal. This will give the primarily white-ball players essential opportunities to establish their overall cricketing abilities against better-quality Test sides, which will automatically improve their preparation for the 2024 T20 World Cup.
It’s not just the cricket world, but the entire Caribbean nation is waiting for the Cricket West Indies Board to take the necessary steps to revive the team and get it back on the winning track. With test series against top teams like South Africa, India, Australia and Pakistan coming up, the team needs to pull up its socks and give their best shot, or the future of West Indies cricket will be at stake.
