West Indies legends step in

West Indies cricket has evolved down such an alarming decline that legends like Clive Lloyd and Brian Lara are trying to implement some drastic changes.

The committee, which includes Lara and Lloyd, has identified the major challenges facing West Indies cricket and plotted short and long-term actions for overall improvement.

The cricket strategy and officiating committee of Cricket West Indies, comprising a group of former legends and current leaders, intend in the next six months hire specialist coaches and create a “state-of-the-art” high-performance centre. There will also be close coordination with franchises that employ West Indian cricketers so player fitness can be monitored.

The committee, set up in August in the aftermath of West Indies’ 27 all out against Australia in Kingston, Jamaica, brought together Lloyd, Lara, Shai Hope, Roston Chase and Ramnaresh Sarwan, among others. The first step was to identify the challenges faced by West Indies cricket.

A CWI statement has listed the major issues as:

Declining quality of regional tournaments

Technical, tactical, and mental skills deficiencies

Underperforming franchise system

Gaps in infrastructure and facilities

Lack of specialist coaching support

Limited ICC revenue share and financial constraints

Fragmented player development pathways

Inadequate fitness and conditioning standards

These were presented to and approved by the CWI’s board of directors on September 25 at the quarterly meeting.

The high performance facility will be at Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua. It will include modern nets, a gym, and rehabilitation infrastructure. A CWI spokesman said: “Franchise teams will now submit individual development plans and meet new minimum standards, with player fitness closely tracked, supported by a new regional fitness leader board.”

The long-term actions include a national cricket development framework unifying grassroots, school, academy, and high-performance pathways as well as comprehensive franchise reform to ensure accountability for player development and consideration of alternative professional models.

There will be an establishment of standardised academies for ages 11-18 to feed into the high-performance programme.

Completion of the high-performance centre in Antigua as the regional hub for elite development and greater focus on financial sustainability, including lobbying for equitable ICC revenue distribution and new partnerships with governments, private entities, and philanthropists are also planned.

A structured mentorship framework connecting current and former West Indies players with emerging talent will also be introduced.

Lloyd has been vocal about lobbying with the ICC for more money.

In early August, at the time the committee members met the press, Lara said: “It’s been that case for years, where we are not in the same level-playing field as other playing countries. Back in the days when skill was the prominent factor, we excelled, we were the best team in the world. But the game has evolved, and technology and analytics, and we now have to see a new way of finding ourselves back to being very competitive.”