The Willow in the WIndies – innings no. 29

1st May 2016

The Caribbean cricket podcast

Episode 29 – The ICC Reprimands the West Indies players

Welcome to edition no. 29 of The Willow in the WIndies.

Reds are I kicked off by discussing the ICC’s press release which condemned the West Indies players for their behaviour after the T20 World Cup final. Sir Viv Richards accused the ICC of double standards; while Philo Wallace on the Line & Length show endorsed the reprimand.

Presumably, Marlon Samuels was one of those the ICC had in mind in its comments; and this week Ben Stokes suggested Samuels should have been more magnanimous in victory. Meanwhile, Andre Russell said that Samuels was ‘a little different’ from his team-mates.

Much of the West Indies players’ disquiet arises from their stand-off with the WICB, in which they have appeared to have been supported by the Prime Ministers of Caricom. However, Barbados PM, Freundel Stuart seemed to distance himself from his fellow outspoken PMs who have called for the Board’s immediate dissolution. Clearly, the Caricom leaders are not unanimous in their opinions where the WICB is concerned.

Seemingly similar was Sir Andy Roberts (who was among the group of Legends supporting that call in Grenada recently), who seemed to backtrack in an interview with the Mason & Guests show. He said their call is for restructure, not dissolution. 

Rumblings of Discontent

8th February 2014

Quick Singles – news round-up

Recent events in Caribbean Cricket & beyond.

Bits rumble on in the Kirk Edwards story. He gave his ‘shocked’ reaction earlier this week, and the Barbados Advocate initially signalled a ‘no response’ stance from the BCA. This did not stop readers from expressing their own opinion. However, yesterday the WICB did announce that Edwards was still eligible for West Indies selection.

ICC’s Two-Tier Test System – West Indies at the Mercy of Afghanistan

17th January 2014

Military Mediums – audio/visual highlights

Clips to the on-side.

News has emerged in the last day or so of the ICC’s imminent cancellation of the proposed World Test Championship of 2017. As a direct consequence, the likelihood of a two-tier structure in Test cricket, including promotion and relegation (between both divisions and in/out of Test status itself), has become increasingly likely.

In an interview with Gaurav Kalra on ESPN Cricinfo, former India Test batsman Rahul Dravid has commented upon the potential implications for the mid-placed Test teams like the West Indies.

Here are some of his observations:

It Never Rains But it Pelts

19th December 2013

Patrolling the Boundary  – a view from the outfield

Shillingford’s Ban

The rain may have come to deliver West Indies from defeat in the first Test against New Zealand, but the clouds circling the West Indian team included one that has specifically hovered over Shane Shillingford’s shoulder for some considerable time.

That cloud burst at the conclusion of the second Test Match in Wellington when the ICC’s biomechanical experts firmly stuck the boot in.

Shillingford (along with batsman team-mate, Marlon Samuels) was reported for a suspect action after the Dunedin game, and analysed by the boffins at the University of Western Australia. The results may well mark Perth as the graveyard of Shillingford’s career, a fortnight before being the site of the much-vaunted England team’s slaughter and cremation.