Numerous deserving candidates to choose from for this month’s
Laurels. Thankfully, however, not nearly as many contenders
worthy of darts.
Roland Butcher, for his most timely release of a twenty-point
Strategic Plan targeted toward the
restoration of the West Indies cricket
team’s long lost international stature.
Butcher’s plan brilliantly outlines all the
strategic initiatives that should now be
most urgently implemented in pursuit of
the immediate restoration of the West
Indies team’s consistently improving
performances against their respective
international opponents.
Twenty-three-year-old Mikyle
Louis for his centuries in both innings
of his first-class debut appearance in the
second round of this year’s 2024 Caribbean
Four Day Championships. Louis recorded
scores of 113 and 130 to join an illustrious
group of ten West Indies cricket batters who
had previously achieved the same feat.
Fellow openers Roy Fredericks, Chris Gayle
and Joey Carew being the most famous of
that exclusive group. Kudos to young Mikyle
with hopes for him having an outstanding
tournament.
Kevin Sinclair, the Guyanaese now
bona-fide all-rounder for further demonstrating
his prodigious batting talents with a superlative
unbeaten century, 163 not out, during the Guyana
Harpy Eagles third round 2024 Caribbean Four
Day Championship match against the West Indies
Cricket Academy. Sinclair’s outstanding innings
helped the Harpy Eagles set an unassailable victory
target which the Academy’s batters were unable
to reach.
West Indies Test captain Kraigg Brathwaite
for being among the centurions during the
third round of the 2024 Caribbean Four Day
Championships. Brathwaite 142 was the backbone
of the Barbados Pride’s 389 first innings total which
laid the foundation for their eventual outright win
over the Jamaica Scorpions.
Jeremiah Louis, the Leeward Islands
Hurricanes right-arm medium fast bowler for
demonstrated consistency in again being among
the leading wicket-takers for this year’s 2024
Caribbean Four Day Championships. By the end
of the tournament’s third round Louis had already
captured 17 wickets at a paltry average of 15.17.
Cricket West Indies for the continuing
lack of any speed radar technology during a major
regional tournament. Just the same as the 2023
Regional Super50, this year’s 2024 Caribbean Four
Day Championships has again become
noticeable for the absolute lack of speed
radar technology at any of its matches
played to date! In this day and age when
providing bowling speeds of participating
players is considered to be a standard
feature of television match coverage,
it is appalling that Cricket West Indies’
coverage of yet another all-important
regional tournament could be so woefully
lacking.
The International Cricket Council’s
2024 T20 World Cup Organizing Committee
for ticket sales procedures and pricing that
threaten to significantly reduce the presence
of Caribbean fans at the West Indies team’s
scheduled matches. The implemented
combination of online only ticket purchases
and pricings that are above the economic
means of many Caribbean fans could very
well eventually result in the West Indies team
playing its matches in front of spectator
crowds that are comprised predominantly
of non-supportive foreigners!