 "CWC Qualifier, West Indies Cricket Team")
The Netherlands beat West Indies in a super over in the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier. This was the second loss for the ICC full member and two-time ODI World champion. They lost to Zimbabwe earlier. Questions like whether this is the end of the road for West Indies are popping up in the minds of cricket fans again.
Ever since their T20 World Cup success in 2016, the Windies have only gone down and may not qualify for the ODI World Cup for the first time.
Will it be the end of the road for West Indies as a team or will they bounce back? What’s the way forward for cricket in the Caribbean?
Bad form in Test cricket
The last time West Indies won two Test series back-to-back when the opposition was not Bangladesh or Zimbabwe was in 1997. It has been 26 years since their 1-0 series win (5 matches) against India which was followed by a 1-0 series win against Sri Lanka. Both the series were at home.
When it comes to winning two series on the trot with at least one being away from home and not involving Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, West Indies achieved such a feat in the 1992/93 season when they beat Australia 3-1 in a five-match series away from home and then came home to beat Pakistan 2-1 in a three-match series.
Their results in Tests since the turn of the century have been dismal with only 46 wins out of the 217 that they have played. The win percentage is 21.9. Most of their wins have come against only three nations -- England, Bangladesh, and Zimbabwe.
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With empty stands even in the home series and the first-class structure proving inefficient to bring about an interest in the red ball format, the West Indies have has an abysmal run in the longest format.
ODI success eludes the Windies too
Success has been harder to find in the 50-over format for the Men in Maroon. From 1978 onwards, when the ODIs were first introduced at the international level, till 1996 when they lost in the semis of the World Cup, West Indies were the most competitive team. Although they won only two World Cups to show for it, they were the most dominant force for the first 20 years in ODI cricket.
The downfall started after West Indies lost 0-5 to South Africa in 1999. Following that they failed to reach Super Six in the 1999 and 2003 World Cups. Their 2004 Champions Trophy win seemed to bring back life to cricket in the Caribbean. But it was not enough. That was the only big win for the two-time world cup winners. Since then they have appeared in four World Cups and have never been able to reach the last four.
Since the Champions Trophy victory in 2004, the Windies have managed to win only 20 out of the 89 ODI series they have played. Most of those wins once again have been against Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, and Associate nations.
Dwindling form in the T20s
When they struggled in the fifty-over format and Tests, T20s was cited as the best example of West Indian dominance. Their style of play (Calypso) was touted to be the best-suited for the game. They won the World Cups back-to-back in 2012 and 2016 to prove those assumptions right as well. They still produce some great talents in the shortest format and have a robust league -- Caribbean Premier League (CPL). But their performance in the last two World Cups has cast doubts over whether they will sustain their form even in the shortest format or not.
Financial problem: Players prefer leagues over the nation
Apart from the on-field problems, cricket has suffered off it too. Since West Indies is not a country, it is very difficult for the Cricket West Indies (CWI) to get funds. The domestic crowd hasn’t turned up in huge numbers for international matches since long ago.
The infighting among the island cricket boards has only made the players suffer professionally. As a result, players like Andre Russell, Chris Gayle, and Dwayne Bravo chose to play only T20Is, rendering the team weak in other formats.
West Indies had to field an altogether new team in the Champions Trophy 2009 because the top players were on strike. Cricket is a binding factor and there is no dearth of talent in the islands. However, the mismanagement of the game and with no nation (physically) to play for, players have preferred to play leagues and earn money than focus on West Indian success.
The road ahead
While suggestions like breaking up the Cricket West Indies often do the rounds, a big win is probably the only thing that can revive the game in the island nations. This is what happened after the two T20 world cup victories, coupled with women winning their T20 world cup as well. West Indies did become the most fearsome team for a while during that phase. Therefore, the players and the management need to find their mojo back and make a mark in some ICC tournaments to reignite the fire once again.
