‘Passion is still there for West Indies cricket’ – Jimmy Adams

Former West Indies captain and current director of cricket of Cricket West Indies Jimmy Adams contends that, contrary to some expressions, there is still a passion for cricket in the region.

Adams’ sentiments were expressed in his delivery as keynote speaker at the recent hosting of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Cricket Association Inc annual awards and gala dinner, at the Arnos Vale Sports Complex.

Addressing the topic, ‘The Journey of a Professional Cricketer’, Adams noted: “I truly believe that the passion for cricket is there… we still have it… People talk about the game dying in the Caribbean… I am not sure about that… We like winners and that’s a Caribbean thing … We are looking for winners, like when I was growing up”.

He reasoned that the passion which exists is both the region’s biggest challenge, as well as its biggest asset.

“It is our game’s biggest challenge… It is our biggest asset, because any game that you (are) trying to drive from grassroots to international level/elite level needs to have that engine that drives it forward and that engine must be the passion for the game,” Adams related.

“We generally like to win, but with this comes a challenge of how to unlock its full potential and as we go forward, we need many suggestions if this is to be achieved,” he added.

Adams outlined the plans being shaped by Cricket West Indies (CWI) to restore the flagging fortunes that have been experienced by the senior West Indies team on the world stage for the past two decades.

“We at the CWI are renewing our efforts through our strategic plan which, in its next stage, seeks to harness this regional passion through different levels of engagement with all of the stakeholders … Stakeholders, not only those at the international level, but at the grassroots cricket, right up … If we lose these stakeholders, the game is in trouble,” Adams reasoned.

“We realize that we need to improve the quality of our regional game, so that we can produce fitter, stronger, more skilful players and teams on a regular basis, who are ready to compete and answer questions at the international level,” Adams admitted.

He listed among the prerequisites to lift the overall standard of cricket in the West Indies improved facilities, match and practice facilities, coaches, umpires, administrators, among other areas necessary to move the sport upward.

Adams, a left-handed middle order batsman, has played in 54 test matches for the West Indies, scoring 3,012 runs, at an average of 41.26. He has six test hundreds and 14 half centuries. His test career spanned from 1992 to 2001.

In One Day Internationals, Adams had 127 caps, along with 202 first class matches and 228 List A matches.