West Indian Cricket 2011: The Decay of a Dynasty

It was not that long ago when we belonged to something special. As ancestors of former slaves, West Indians all around the world were able to break the shackles that imprisoned our ancestors. We were unjustly uprooted from our African roots and placed in unimaginable conditions in Trinidadian cane fields or Jamaican cocoa plantations. Yet these scars healed, the bruises went away and we found reprieve in cricket.

The elegant sport of cricket.

It was not long before West Indians rejoiced, but most importantly had something to call their own, to personify and to identify with. Cricket was not just a sport for West Indians, it was a way out. We were on top the world. There was an enchanting feeling captured in 1935 when the West Indies dominated England at Sabina Park and won the deciding test by one inning and 161 runs.

We sat on top the world, a first for West Indians everywhere. 

This type of dominance continued. We witnessed Michael Holding annihilate battling lineups throughout the 70s and 80s. We witnessed the elegant cover-drive of Sir Gary Sobers. We rejoiced when Alvin Kallicharran scored 158 runs against England. We took pride in calling Clive Lloyd our captain who led these young West Indian men to glory, domination and led West Indians everywhere to the top of the world. We once were imprisoned, we were now kings.

We had our prince, Brian Lara who excelled beyond comprehension. Scoring unimaginable totals like the 501 not out for Warwickshire or the 400 not out against England that will forever be cemented as one of, if not the most, greatest batting performance to ever take place.

West Indians everywhere had the keys to the palace. We sat on top of the world looking down on England, our former owners. Our ancestors looked down with smiles on their faces as we led the world in a sport that was intrinsically invaluable. We identified with this sport and as spectators we became natural born leaders. We became the driving force behind players attitudes. We did not follow, we led.

Those days are long gone.

Today we are reduced to very little. Long gone are the days of Gary Sobers, Michael Holding, Clive Lloyd and Brian Lara. Long gone are the days of complete and utter world dominance. The elegant cover drive of Sir Gary Sobers and the thundering balls bowled by Michael Holding have since disappeared.

Today we are met with egos, contract disputes, committees and selectors all fueled by personal goals and greed. For West Indies, cricket is no longer a team sport. It is about signing the biggest contracts and hitting the biggest six. It is about being flashy, not elegant.

Cricket in the West Indies has become a glorified roller-coaster. Cheap thrills complete with nauseating play. The sport has become tarnished by politics and egos. Chris Gayle, our leader is inconsistent and has the inability to lead by example. Darren Sammy has not accomplished much in his career yet he boasts the title "captain." We have been defeated by an unimaginable 10-wicket loss against the hands of Pakistan in the 2011 ICC world cup. This is what we have become, reduced to very little.

We have been torn and shredded.

We long for the days of Clive Lloyd, Brian Lara and Karl Nunes. We despise the greed that has consumed our players, the detrimental egotistical attitude that overshadows the sport and we no longer carry ourselves with pride. We have the ability to change, but it starts with the behavior and attitudes of everyone involved.

We must end the politics that surround us. We must find a reasonable contract structure and we must work in the batting cages as opposed to working on television commercials. We must find our hearts, our drive, our motivation and return to the Kings we once were.

Yet the relationship is decaying. West Indies cricket will slowly stop being referred to as "we" as there is no need to identify with greed. This is no longer about the team and unity, it is about individualism.

Once that changes, West Indies will return to the top of the world.

I have a dream.