For whatever reason I was among the journalists, my good friend Reds Perreira included, who were deemed not worthy enough to receive direct invitations to Cricket West Indies’ (CWI) Monday April 8 Press Conference that was held here in Barbados. Even though the powers that be at CWI must and should have known fully well of my current presence on the island.
Having been excluded I was, however, still sufficiently curious to hear firsthand what gems of information were to be provided by the three main particpants, CWI’s President Kishore Shallow, Director of Cricket Miles Bascome and Senior Men’s Head Coach Daren Sammy. And so, I engaged in what my fellow Guyanese would refer to as “popeing” or as the Trinis would say “storming,” by nevertheless attending the Press Conference via the Zoom link I had otherwise obtained.
As a direct result of having done so, I am now more convinced than ever before that the “C” in Cricket West Indies’ title must surely be representative of Comess, Confusion and/or outright Comedy. Anything but Cricket!
For starters, the Press Conference’s Master of Ceremonies (MC) was Mr Jamal Slocombe, CWI’s newly introduced Media Consultant who was reportedly recently appointed to the position. The vacancy for which was from all appearances not publicly advertised. This despite Dr. Kishore Shallow’s presidential campaign promise that his administration would be one of much improved and increased transparency!
Dr. Shallow’s address, coming as it did on the heels of his most recent completion of the first year of his initial two-year presidential term, was none less than the anticipated bat and pad closely bound together presentation. A provided top line summary of all the wonderful progress that has supposedly been made under his stewardship during the past year.
The repetitive theme to Dr Shallow’s presentation was the very high praise accorded to Miles Bascombe, CWI’s Director of Cricket, whose performance of such duties had commenced officially on August 1, 2023. It was during Bascombe’s address, however, that the first of the Press Conference’s several eyebrow-raising, headshaking in utter disbelief, moments occurred.
Bascombe’s two biggest announcements in his presentation were of CWI’s intended development of an annual regional T20 tournament for U23 players. Which was quickly followed by his related announcement of a forthcoming historic, first-ever, April 2024 West Indies A Team Tour to Nepal to play five T20 matches.
The combination of those two announcements, coming as they were from none other than CWI’s Director of Cricket whose responsibility it is to chart the immediate future of West Indies cricket, would now seem to suggest that such future will be banked squarely on T20 cricket. To further strengthen that interpretation there was hardly any mention made by Bascombe of any similar forthcoming red ball cricket development initiatives. Despite the very encouraging performances of the West Indies Test team during its most ecent tour of Australia, as well as its forthcoming defense of the Viv Richards – Ian Botham Trophy in England this coming July.
Ray Ford is the internationally renowned and respected Jamaican Caribbean cricket journalist, whose merited March 2023 bid for the CWI Presidency did not receive a single public expression of support from any of CWI’s six member territories, Barbados, Guyana, Leeward and Winward Islands, Trinidad & Tobago or even that of his home Board Jamaica. Ford had recently asked in a public missive titled “The Shallow Administration,” which was published in a few Caribbean newspapers, the very pertinent question as to what exactly would henceforth be “the centerpiece” for the table of West Indies cricket’s future development. Having listened to Bascombe’s April 8 CWI Barbados Press Conference presentation, Ford is now convinced, as am I, that the answer to his question has now been provided in the form of T20 cricket!
That being as laughable as it is, it was perhaps most fitting that the Press Conference’s most confusing, if not comedic, announcement would come from the West Indies whiteball cricket Head Coach Daren Sammy. For whom the first letter D of his Christian name must now surely stand for Double rather than Daren!
Sammy was regarded by many within the Caribbean cricket community as having engaged in double duty during last year’s 2023 CPL, as a result of his simultaneous performance of Head Coach duties for the St Lucia Kings as well as the West Indies Mens Cricket team. Earlier this year, he also caused eyebrows within the entire cricket world to be raised even further by his double dipping engagement as Head Coach for one of the T20 Pakistan Super League participating franchises, while continuing with his identical duties for the West Indies. An occurrence which is not known to have ever happened in any other cricketing country!
Sammy was, however, at his very best during the Press Conference when in response to a question that was asked directly of him by one of the handfuls of journalists present as to Shamar Joseph’s possibilities for inclusion in the West Indies 2024 T20 World Cup squad, his astounding response was “my team selection will be based on performance, not hype!”
Sammy’s response which subsequently went viral on social media was blatantly indicative of double talk on his part. It was the very same Sammy who immediately after Joseph’s outstanding, global attention-grabbing, debut Test Series performances against world champions Australia in their own backyard Down Under earlier this year, had publicly crowed ” I can’t wait to get my hands on him (Shamar Joseph). Further, just a few weeks later, Sammy had also made public mention of Joseph’s performances having created a West Indies T20 World Cup squad selection headache!
Double duty, dipping, and now talk from Mr. D-stands-for-Double-not-Daren Sammy? Given his affinity to his T20 Trini cronies, particularly Messrs Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard, Samuel Badree, and Dwayne Bravo, I wouldn’t now be at all surprised if asked what his favorite Caribbean food is for Sammy’s immediate response to then unhesitatingly be “Doubles of course!”
Thankfully, immediately following all the comess, confusion and comedy that the CWI April 8 Press Conference sparked, the attention of Caribbean cricket fans was diverted to some most encouraging performances with both bat and ball during that same week’s sixth and penultimate round of the 2024 Regional Four Day tournament. Across the four matches played from April 10-13 eight centuries were scored and six five-wicket hauls were recorded.
The biggest knock came during the game between the Trinidad & Tobago Red Force and Combined Campuses & Colleges during which Red Force’s Amir Jangoo belted the CCC bowling all over the place on the way to a wonderful 218. Jangoo’s knock, his first century in first-class cricket, came off 238 balls and included 15 fours and 10 sixes. In that very same innings, 37-year-old Jason Mohammed also recorded his 13th hundred in first-class cricket with 157 off 228 balls including 22 fours.
there were also centuries from West Indies Test Captain, Kraigg Brathwaite (189), Zachary McCaskie (101) off 148 and all-rounder Roston Chase (127) for Barbados Pride against the Leewards Hurricanes while Keacy Carty (127) was the latter;s lone centurion! Kemol Savory and captain Tevin Imlach both brought up centuries for the Guyana Harpy Eagles against the Jamaica Scorpions at Sabina Park. Savory made a career-best 155 off 309 balls including 16 fours and three sixes, while Imlach made 101* off 169 balls including 11 fours and two sixes.
In the bowling department, Roston Chase took 7-67 in the second innings for the Pride against the Hurricanes. Pacer Gilon Tyson grabbed 5-50 for the Windward Islands Hurricanes in the first innings against the West Indies Academy, and Veerasammy Permaul spun a web against the Scorpions on his way to 5-55 in the first innings. Pacers Anderson Phillip and Amari Goodridge picked up 5-71 and 5-92 for the Red Force and the CCC, respectively, while Rakheem Cornwall took 5-132 against the Pride.
Much welcomed, wonderfully encouraging, signs of positivity for West Indies red ball cricket, therefore, despite CWI’s Press Conference arguably misdirected indication, of its apparent focus on the T20 variety as the sport’s purely entertainment-oriented shortest format. Fittingly the said Press Conference ended in the most comedic manner.
At one end to the extreme right of the head table there was CWI Head Coach “Double” Sammy suggesting that “his West Indies Boys,” would emerge triumphant as winners of the June 29 T20 World Cup Final and as Champions for an unprecedented third time. Meanwhile, at the other end and to Sammy’s extreme left, the Barbados World Cup Local Organizing Chairman Noel Lynch was just as fervently advocating for an England-India Kensington Oval Final. The effect of which would be to generate so many hundreds of thousands of English and Indian team supporters to the island that “we wouldn’t know where to put them!”
The CWI circus was in town and as Frank Sinatra would have rightfully sung: ” Send in the clowns; There ought to be clowns. Don’t worry they’re here!”