The Decline of Test Cricket for Teams Pakistan and West Indies
People might not agree, cricketers might not concur, but the fact of the matter is: cricket is becoming boring day by day with the declining standards of the game, as some of the countries take their Test status for granted, and don’t even take international matches as seriously as they should.
Pakistan and West Indies are two Test nations who play with the status their forefathers fought hard to achieve. While the Greenshirts occasionally show signs of brilliance in the field, with the Twenty20 World Cup last year being their biggest achievement in a decade, the West Indians have been a hopeless lot recently.
Chris Gayle and his men have not been able to win against the stronger sides in years, and whenever they have, it has been due to the genius of a couple of struggling players or by sheer luck. The ongoing series against the South Africans is one such example where they have faltered in every match, be it batting first of bowling first. They lost matches while posting in scores in excess of 300 or chasing less than 250. No player has taken the team with him, be it the dashing Darren Sammy or Dwayne Bravo, who have been outstanding throughout the series for the hosts.
Recently, the West Indian Cricket Board got hold of Ottis Gibson, former player and bowling coach for England, to serve as his mother nation’s full time coach. However, it seems there is nothing he can do because the players won’t listen to him, as he never was a Test regular (making only two test appearances: in 1995 against England, and 1999 against South Africa), and is seen primarily as a one-day specialist. But does the current crop deserve to be treated with respect, if they can’t treat the man who switched loyalties for them, who left his job with the English team as a monumental favour for his compatriots, with reverence? The current West Indian side is the worst in many years since there is not one West Indies batsman with an average above 50 in Test cricket. The highest average in the side is that of the old-man Shivnarine Chanderpaul who averages 48.70 in Tests. Only two other batsmen touch 40 in Test cricket, and that takes off the colour from an already gloomy picture of the Caribbean cricket.
Teams that are better than West Indies and Pakistan feature multiple batsmen with an average over 50, with Australia, India, England and South Africa leading the way. Similarly, the current West Indian bowlers come nowhere near the mighty pacers of the 80s, and that’s because the game has lost its appeal among the new generation who have opted for the more profitable Basketball.
In Pakistan, the game might be followed religiously, but the new wave of infighting between the players has made the followers go for the more competitive football leagues. The upcoming Football World Cup might put the final nail in the coffin for the cricketers who don’t play at home, feel like putting a fight once every year, and fail miserably when the going gets tough!
The Pakistanis have just won one Test match in 3 years, and the West Indians last won a major ICC event in 2004. Their continuous decline in cricket management is due to the presence of incompetent people in the board. The ICC must introduce some measures to curb nepotism and favouritism amongst its members. They should make sure that teams that give below-par performance - be it strong teams like Pakistan or the West Indies or weaklings like Bangladesh or Zimbabwe - should be stripped of their Test status for sometime. They should only be reinstated if they get their act right, otherwise they can kiss test cricket goodbye, and let the deserving teams from Associate members like Kenya get a chance!
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