This is Not Cricket

THE NEXT PERSON who is elected as President of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Cricket Association (SVGCA) Inc. will have his work cut out to retrieve what has been lost from years of neglect in the sport.

Anyone who follows sports here in St Vincent and the Grenadines, would agree that Cricket has plummeted to an all -time low.

Pervading is a laissezfaire/ hopeful approach towards administration, that has filtered down to almost every facet of Cricket.

As such, it is only those who are interested get involved as players, team officials, scorers and even spectators.

This, as incentives are lacking from the policy makers of the sport, hence, the current state of play.

It is pathetic and at the same time ironic that our Cricket should be meandering at this juncture when there are many financial opportunities that abound for our cricketers to cash in.

Unfortunately, and sadly, the decline has gone unchecked, as simply put, no one really cares.

It therefore boils down to persons holding offices, portfolios and titles that only enhances their personal development.

How did we get to this stage, that Cricket is no longer attractive to young people? More so, why is it taking so long for administrators to recognize that we are going along a wrong pathway and there has to be a detour soonest?

Obviously, the defenders will readily blame the effects and restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

However, that notion is equally rubbished, as there was a visible decline in Cricket standards, prior to the onset of COVID- 19, back in 2020.

Executives after executives have left only window dressings, run of the mill administrative obligations and responsibilities, namely having national tournaments, participating in the various Windward Islands Championships, host Annual General Meetings among other generic undertakings.

Absent though, has been a truly executed development plan for Cricket from the ground up.

This is not to say that it cannot be done, but that will and desire to roll up the sleeves, put in the hard yards to see Cricket grow, has not been embedded in the work plan and stewardship of our administrators.

Notwithstanding nor slighting the commencement of the Lennox John Cricket Academy, which indeed, for all intents and purposes, sought to have the best, young, promising cricketers schooled in the sport in a structured manner.

For some counterproductive reason, the academy was short-lived, and we are now back to square one.

Yes, there have also been some moves by the SVGCA Inc’s hierarchy to offer support in the form of erecting batting cages, to aid in the development of batters and bowlers.

That good objective has degenerated into little or nothing as the administrators erred in not putting proper complementary structures in place, such as assigned coaches.

Are we then relying on the few players who have come through and have made it onto the Windward Islands teams and justify these as progress?

Or, are we relying on the slam-bam charade of the Vincy Premier League( VPL), its vibes, public spectacle and all the other trappings and say we are developing Cricket?

But, to show where we are at this juncture is to analyse what is unfolding in the current Premier Division of the national cricket programme.

What is supposed to be the cream of the crop is turning out to be less than best.

How can that division be deemed “ Premier”, when teams are being dismissed regularly under 100?

Added, teams cannot occupy the crease for more than 40 overs, whilst some are not fielding full eleven players.

Conversely, some of the more accomplished batters, are feasting on inept bowling, thus presenting them with false hopes and cosmetic statistics.

And, if we are lamenting on the Senior Men’s Competitions, doom shines straight in our faces, as the schools competition is woefully disheartening.

The task is for the new president of the SVGCA Inc., when he is installed to devise a proper plan, dig into the coffers, hire coaches and focus on Cricket development, because at this point, we ain’t dey good.