May 12, 2007 – Greenfield Park, Jamaica. “The West Indies posted a record 400 and then dismissed India for 199 to win the 2007 Cricket World Cup by 201 runs. Chris Gayle and Devon Smith set the tone with a century opening partnership in 15 overs, with Gayle making 88 off 60 balls and Smith 89 off 62. Ram Sarwan made a run ball 70, Dwayne Smith blasted 74 off 48 balls, while Captain Brian Lara’s contributed a comparatively snail-like 56 off 60 balls in his West Indian swansong. Jerome Taylor and Ravi Rampaul blasted out the top order with 2 wickets each to reduce India to 40 for 4 after 10 overs. Dwayne Bravo chipped in with two scalps, Jermaine Lawson and Chris Gayle had one apiece, while Dwayne Smith and substitute Ricardo Powell both made spectacular runouts.”

A fantasy perhaps. But not so far off what could happen if the West Indies Cricket Borad manage things properly in the next 3 years. For the West Indies right now undoubtedly have the most talented young cricketers on earth. Chris Gayle at 24 is the world’s top rated one day allrounder. Ram Sarwan at 23 is the world’s number 8 one day batsman. While Devon Smith, Dwayne Smith, Dwayne Bravo, Carlton Baugh, Ravi Rampaul, Tino Best, Fidel Edwards, Jermaine Lawson, Jerome Taylor are all under 23 and have world class potential.

But there will be no 2007 triumph unless the WICB gets its act together. In my view the problems at the WICB begin with a lack of transparency. We paying customers have no idea about how WICB executives and managers are chosen or how much they make. Audited statements of the WICB’s annual income and expenditures should be available to the public. And the same should apply to the national cricket boards.

We scattered Windies fans have no power to force the WICB to make itself accountable. But our national governments and the sponsors can. Both of these have a vested interest in the matter. For when the Windies win West Indians everywhere feel happy and thus to look more favourably on whatever government is in power. When they lose, the opposite is true. And sensible sponsors all want to be associated with winners and not losers.

Perhaps at the next Caricom summit Mr. Patterson could arrange for an all nation sports ministers conference to discuss West Indies cricket in general and the operations of the WICB in particular. And maybe the marketing boards of Cable and Wireless and Scotia Bank - West Indies cricket’s biggest sponsors – could add their own pressure. Positive change has to begin with accountability.

The WICB has done some things right, such as making Viv Richards chief selector. Viv’s keen eye must have been influential in plucking out Fidel Edwards and Dwayne Smith from obscurity. Yet what was the chief selector doing in South Africa last winter when he should have been scouting young players in the West Indies?

Tony Howard’s appointment was also a good move. Hopefully he will bring the kind of discipline and winning attitude the Barbados team has shown in the past two years to the West Indies. While Darren Holder’s selection as Coaching Manager is also a positive, as he is said to be on the cutting edge technically and technologically of current coaching trends. We certainly have to catch up in the laptop race.

But the West Indies needs a new fielding coach immediately. No other test team drops so many catches. Reports say we put down a half a dozen per test in South Africa. And against England Sarwan’s drop of Butcher at Sabina, Chanderpaul’s miss off Butcher at Port of Spain and Lara’s fumble – admittedly with an injured finger - off Flintoff at Antigua were all potentially result changing. We might well have drawn with both South Africa and England had we caught as well as they. And it’s not only our catching. It seems we hardly ever hit the stumps in run out attempts. Why not import a baseball coach from nearby America to teach us how to throw properly?

And speaking of coaching, why not get someone like Rohan Kanhai – who has never lost a series as a coach – to iron out the flaws outside the off stump of Chris Gayle and Ram Sarwan? It’s clear to even an amateur like me that these guys keep getting out over and over in a similar manner. They are one day top tenners but woeful test underachievers and badly need someone like Kanhai to review video tapes with them and work out their kinks.

We should also bring in Dennis Lillee to go over our exceptionally talented crop of fast bowlers with a fine tooth comb. Sargeant Steve Brown, who helped with the English team’s security, says Nasser Hussain told him that Best and Edwards are as fast and aggressive as any bowler he has ever faced. If they and Lawson, Rampaul and Taylor mature properly, the West Indies could have one of the deadliest attacks in history. So let’s get the world’s leading fast bowling authority to make sure these rough gems become diamonds.

Yet all this will come to naught if we don’t address the mental aspects. Brian Lara is the only West Indian player who seems to be able to speak with clarity and coherence. Clearly some lifestyle coaching is needed for all the players. And the discipline that is so wanting can only be instilled via the contract system which all the other top test countries have adopted. Having all players sign contracts stipulating mandatory training classes and rigid guidelines as to fitness and conduct will go a long way to doing away with the lackadaisical attitude players have displayed recently.

Some say the WICB can’t afford it. Well I would like to see its financial statement’s first. But if this is the case, our regional governments need to step in. Few West Indian taxpayers would object to our money being spent to improve our cricket. As long as it is done transparently. changkob@hotmail.com