‘We are not putting enough into our cricket’

LAUDERHILL, Florida:

IT IS no secret that West Indies cricket is in the doldrums at present, with defeat after defeat plaguing the regional side in all formats of the game.

As the West Indies cricket team struggled against Pakistan in their T20 series at the Broward Cricket Stadium, Cricket West Indies (CWI) President Dr Kishore Shallow delivered a sobering assessment of the state of Caribbean cricket, calling for urgent reforms, greater investment, and a collective push to revive the region’s fading glory.

After agreeing to a sit-down interview in the CWI hospitality box, Shallow gathered his thoughts and let it all out in an exclusive interview with The Gleaner.

The West Indies’ recent performances have been far from inspiring, and Shallow did not shy away from addressing the team’s struggles.

“We haven’t really been in the best of form, and we spoke to the players over the last 48 hours and met with them and the staff separately just to reinforce the importance of winning. Hopefully, that will inspire better performance going forward.”

When asked if it was time to push the panic button, Shallow mentioned that he had no plans to do so and that the message was clear: that the team must rally together.

“Everyone needs to be on the same page, understanding our roles,” Shallow stressed. “But we need to start winning. The players and management staff have given us the commitment that they will be gunning to turn things around.”

Victories, he argued, are the key to re-engaging fans and reinstalling confidence in the team.

“If you’re winning, you’re going to get fans coming out. It’s natural.” Yet, with the West Indies languishing in recent years, the disconnect between the team and its supporters has grown.”

Beyond on-field struggles, Shallow pointed to deeper structural issues plaguing West Indies cricket.

One glaring problem is the lack of proper training facilities. Shallow revealed shocking anecdotes from players, including one who, after a Test series, returned home only to find no adequate facilities to practise.

“You have a player now who just finished playing Tests, he goes back to the territory and simply can’t find a facility to practice, whether a batsman or a bowler, and then you expect him or her, in the case of the woman, too, to come back to the international level without that sort of practice behind them?” Shallow asked.

The absence of infrastructure is just one symptom of a broader neglect, and Shallow believes that these issues must be addressed sooner rather than later.

“We are not putting enough into our cricket across the region. This is the raw truth that I don’t think some people are willing to accept.”

The Vincentian called for a united effort involving governments, private entities, and communities.

“Everything don’t always revolve around money. There may be even in-kind services and contributions that we can make to the cricket that can be the catalyst of change. Things like getting private schools to pass policies that schools must play cricket or strengthening club cricket nationally, these things can be done right away.”

He highlighted examples of progress such as St Lucia’s high-performance programme, funded by the National Lotteries Authority, and investments in Guyana.

Another issue that is a hot topic for the incumbent president is the underperforming franchise system, which he says has fallen way short of its intended purpose.

“We are spending US$4 million a year on it, but it is not returning on that investment.”

The system, meant to bridge the gap between domestic and international cricket, is failing.

Shallow suggested a possible overhaul whether by redirecting funds to lower levels or creating an “emergent” player pool to better transition talent into the senior team.

Despite the gravity of the situation, Shallow’s message was one of realism and not despair.

“This is not an overnight fix, but one thing is for certain, we have raw talent - we’ve never been short of that - but if we don’t put the infrastructure in place, if we don’t revise our system, we will keep falling short.”