Happy New Year Everyone. Here’s wishing you and yours all the very best of health, happiness, and prosperity in 2024!
To get 2024 started in, hopefully, a most positive manner I’ve decided to follow Colin Murray’s recent Trinidad Guardian example, by penning a 2024 Wish List. Whereas Colin’s list encompassed all sports for both his native Trinidad & Tobago as well as the wider Caribbean, mine will, however, be limited to just West Indies cricket.
Here then are the top ten developments I would like to see occur for West Indies cricket this year. The manifestations of which should result in our cricket being in a much-improved state twelve months from now.
At the very top of the list as number one, would be for the West Indies Selection Panel, to be blessed with the required wisdom in choosing the very best possible squad of 15 players to represent the Caribbean at this year’s forthcoming ICC T20 World Cup. Their choices should be guided by the form and fitness of available players, as well as their respective abilities to fulfill the batting, bowling, and fielding roles that will be required for the West Indies to emerge as tournament champions and unprecedented three-time winners of the ICC T20 World Cup.
Two, that having been selected the fifteen identified players will gel as a cohesive unit. Individually and collectively they will also give their ultimate best at all times and play the entire tournament in a manner that will make the entire Caribbean justifiably proud.
Three, the West Indies T20 World Cup team management will for each of the team’s tournament matches choose the playing XI that would have the best possible chance of winning, Along with the captain they will also develop and implement match plans that are best suited to achieving victories/
Four, Cricket West Indies will recognize the value of home team crowd support for the West Indies team’s T20 World Cup matches. Sufficiently so as to produce and make available for purchase an affordable, US $20, West Indies team shirt for all interested supporters to acquire and wear while attending matches.
Five, with the T20 World Cup having been successfully hosted, the attention of all concerned will then be turned fully towards the development of plans aimed at winning the ICC ODI tournament to be held next in 2027. Such plans to include, the identification of the players who would be most capable of leading West Indies to championship victory at the tournament. Plans geared toward team building, ultimate player fitness, and tournament readiness training should also be developed and comprehensively implemented between now and 2027.
Six, that all those involved at the highest administrative levels of Caribbean cricket will from this year forward commence with the development of a four-year plan geared toward the West Indies emerging as ICC World Test Champions in 2028. The centenary anniversary of the West Indies’ entry into Test cricket. Such plans to include the continuation of A Team tours to current top-five ranked ICC Test countries aimed at identifying the future stars of West Indies Test cricket.
Seven, that Cricket West Indies will this year finally implement a successful and ongoing mentorship program between available legendary former players and some of the current and future talents. Before they get to an age that renders their involvement impractical, the likes of Sir Clive Lloyd, Sir Viv Richards, Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, Alvin Kallicharran, Sir Richie Richardson, Larry Gomes, Roger Harper, Jeffrey Dujon, Brian Lara, Carl Hooper, Shiv Chanderpaul, Michael Holding, Sir Andy Roberts, Colin Croft, Tony Gray, Joel Garner, Sir Curtly Ambrose, Ian Bishop and Courtney Walsh should all be commissioned to work with current players. Direct one-on-one connections between the legends as mentors and specific players should be facilitated by a Cricket West Indies employee who has been specifically tasked with establishing and successfully implementing the Mentorship Program.
Eight, as part of the overall mentorship program Cricket West Indies will also establish annual two-to-three-week batting, fast bowling, and fielding camps. The specific purpose of which will be to provide structured opportunities for identified players with obvious talents in each of those skill sets to interact directly with the legends who have been most successful in each area.
Nine, that at the July 2024 Annual Caricom Heads of Government meeting, the member countries will formally approve a motion for West Indies cricket history to be introduced as part of the curriculum of all primary and secondary schools within the Caribbean, Further, that the respective Education Ministries will also be provided with annual budgets for the purchase acquisition of educational materials on West Indies cricket, including relevant literature such as written books and player autobiographies.
Finally, at number ten would be for the more affluent Caribbean corporations to provide meaningful financial support for West Indies cricket. Percentages of the billions of dollars in profits that some Caribbean corporations have been routinely generating each year should be allocated toward the establishment of modern-day, state-of-the-art training and fitness facilities for cricketers throughout the region.
These then are my top ten most desired wish list items for our beloved West Indies cricket this year. It should be very interesting to see, come this time next year, just how many of those listed, if any, would have been implemented