WEST INDIES WOMEN SETTING THE STANDARD

Most of us who are frustrated die-hard supporters of West Indies cricket, often find it easy to blame the board for the West Indies’ on-field woes. Every time the team performs poorly the first reaction is that the West Indies Cricket Board needs to go. I, on the other hand, have always contended that the board alone cannot be blamed for the poor state of affairs.

The players, too, have to take a great deal of the responsibility because for the most part, notwithstanding the board’s often-times high-handed approach that has alienated players and the fans, it is the players who have sold the sport short. They are the ones who believe professionalism is all about getting paid, as opposed to doing what is necessary to win. I argue against the background that the board and the players have for a long time been at odds. People forget that a big part of why the Kerry Packer series became a reality back in the 1970s was because the West Indies players were not getting paid squat so when big money was offered by Australian mogul Packer, the best players in the region packed their bags and headed south.

It was while in Australia that they learned the true meaning of being professional, a concept lost on many of the current players. Fast-forward 30-odd years and scores of embarrassing losses later and what you have now is a situation where the players almost seem to get a free pass to perform poorly because they know everyone will blame the board.

Here’s my question, if it was the board alone that was at fault how then does one explain the success of the West Indies women’s team?

Over the past few years the women’s team has moved steadily up the ranks of women’s cricket and are, in real terms, one of the best in the world. Led by the talented Stafanie Taylor and the inspirational Deandra Dottin, the women have been competitive every step of the way and have only got better over time. Just this weekend the West Indies Women completed a thumping 130-run win against Pakistan Women in the final of the Women’s World Cup Qualifiers in Mirpur.

West Indies chose to bat and scored 250 for 5. Deandra Dottin hit a career-best and the top order all contributed with opener Juliana Nero also hitting a 98-ball 63. Taylor scored 32. When the Pakistan team batted Anisa Mohammed claimed career best figures of 7 for 14 off 8.3 overs to bowl Pakistan out for 120. The West Indies women went through the qualifiers unbeaten winning all five matches they played. Along the way the crushed Pakistan, Ireland, Sri Lanka and others with contributions coming from all their key players.

Under the guidance of former West Indies opening batsman Sherwin Campbell we have seen the team gradually evolve from a collection of individuals into a formidable unit. Taylor, the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year has been refreshingly consistent with the bat and she is a dangerous bowler. Dottin, Shanel Daley, and Mohammed have all come on nicely and as more players begin to emerge this women’s team seems destined to make it all the way to number one in the world.

That ambition is being driven by Taylor who is always wanting to improve, always wanting to raise the bar for this women’s team. She has articulated that it is her wish for the West Indies to be the number one women’s team as she strives to be the number one female cricketer in the world, a goal she is rapidly nearing. Not to slight the men’s team, but when was the last time anyone heard a member of the men’s team articulating his ambitions of being the number one player in the world or wanting to make the West Indies the number one team in the world.

It’s all about attitude. Whereas over the last 10 years or so the West Indies team has been mainly about money and ‘respect’ that they have sought to gain through confrontation with the board, the women have been more intent on improving and getting the recognition that success brings. Perhaps all that will change when the women achieve their goal of being the best in the world and they will need new targets to pursue, but for the time being what we are seeing from our female cricketers is something that the men would do well to emulate.