I had some serious mixed feelings on the West Indies side after their match-up against Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy last night.
On one hand - the fact that they had been bowled out for 133 at the Wanderers and fielded what was effectively a "B" or more likely a "C" side I felt was unfair to international cricket fans as well as the tournament organisers.
Personally I think the tournament would have been better off inviting Bangladesh to participate in their place.
On the other hand - Maybe this player revolt and whinge about money is just the thing to bring some new blood into West Indies cricket at senior level and maybe help them rebuild a more committed core of cricketers.
It is not my place to criticise the West Indian players for deciding not to play when it is not commercially viable for them, but the reality is that their cricket has been in the doldrums for many years now and something has to give. Either new players need to come through that can turn their cricket around and make it a competitive side which can be backed by commercial sponsors or the West Indies cricket board needs to draw a line in the sand and say it is not their intention to in the long run try and develop their talent beyond a certain level - i.e. you get what you get.
Pakistan vs. West Indies last nightI personally thought the West Indies gave a pretty good account of themselves last night.
Yes Gavin Tonge (pictured) bowled particularly well, but go and have a look at how little "spray and pray" bowling was dished up by their guys last night. They consistently bowled a good line outside off-stump and they kept the Pakistani batsman working for every run.
That's important because the one thing that the West Indian bowlers have not been able to do in recent years is deliver a consistent and disciplined bowling performance. A BIG positive for the side.
As well as the bowlers bowled, the batters batted badly. You cannot win a cricket match with 133 runs on the board and even THAT was helped by some big-hitting from Miller at the end. Interesting statistic is that Mohammad Yousuf on his own has nearly six times as many career ODI runs as the entire West Indian side put together.
Like I said - mixed feelings.
I have said it before and I will say it again - the world needs a strong West Indian cricket base.
As a parting shotJust my own humble response to the West Indian players who are on "strike" at the moment. I appreciate that this remuneration issue with the West Indies Cricket Board is a long standing one, but economic reality is that you need to be in front of cricket fans all the time if you want to make the most of your short careers.
Somebody like Gavin Tonge has emerged from last night as a name to be considered for things like the IPL when contract time rolls around. If you are not out playing in front of people you are unlikely to be picked.
The real money for these guys is in the likes of the IPL and the other big money domestic tournaments and that is where you want to be playing.
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