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WI Cricket Industry By Dr. Basil Springer |
"Shivnarine Chanderpaul's retention as captain of the West Indies team for the rest of the Digicel series against South Africa and Pakistan applauded by a number of former West Indies stars" www.caribbeancricket.com
Bridgetown, Barbados, April
11, 2005: Fazeer Mohammed,
reporting for www.windiescricket.com on the first day's play
in the second Digicel test against South Africa, stated 'At 13
for two, Lara arrived to a rousing ovation from a disappointing
first day crowd that was estimated at 10,000. Unlike the two
(Gayle and Sarwan) who preceded him, the local hero lived up
to the expectations of his diehard fans, many of whom remain
embittered by the decision of the West Indies Board not to also
reinstate their idol as captain'.
By the end of the day Brian Lara, batting superstar that he is
and not withstanding his demotion from the captaincy, consummated
a stellar majestic performance for an unbeaten 159 which was
more than 50% of the team's total. Congratulations to Lara
on creating yet another record as he surpassed Sir Gary Sobers
as the individual with the most hundreds by a West Indian in
tests.
It was heartening to see the T&T support for Chanderpaul
as follows: Former West Indies wicket-keeper Deryck Murray said
that Chanderpaul filled the breach admirably and the fact that
the team performed well against all odds meant that it would
have been unfair to remove him.
Former West Indies opener Bryan Davis said he was also in total
agreement with the decision. He said the players in the first
Test fought together as a unit and played the game with the spirit
in which it was meant to be played. When Brian Lara did not accept
the invitation to be part of the squad in the first instance,
he disqualified himself from the captaincy. Now he is coming
back to a team that is stronger and I am sure he will give his
best. He continued that Chanderpaul did all that he could be
asked to do in very difficult circumstances and approached the
job with a fervour and enthusiasm, which allowed him to lead
his men in the positive manner required to lift their game and
to compete as would befit an international sporting unit. He
said that previous skipper Lara was a losing captain for far
too long - He has grown accustomed to losing, which is always
a bad influence on him and the rest of the team.
Davis said that if Chanderpaul gets the full support of the previously
discarded quartet, the team can go on from strength to strength.
He concluded that the proper team spirit, extra effort, the motivation
and competence of a new coaching staff, can all assist the new
leader and his players to a much needed high-class series performance,
so that whether win or lose, we ought to be regarded once more
in the high esteem of opposing teams. I'm sure the men from South
Africa will not be underrating us again.
Another former West Indies opening batsman, Andy Ganteaume was
adamant that Chanderpaul should not have be replaced. He
said that he did not think that anyone could have expected the
West Indies to perform to the extent that they did and one must
give some credit to the captain.
As I suggested in last week's column, I think that a research
programme on the critical characteristics of successful captains
of the West Indies team must be pursued as part of a strategic
visioning process for West Indies cricket.
This strategic visioning process should begin with a one-day
interactive dialogue conducted among, say, 50 representatives
of the stakeholders of West Indies cricket. These stakeholders
include WICB, WIPA, the players, the fans, the sponsors and the
Caribbean nations representing Caribbean people. The visioning
process will be conducted in an atmosphere similar to that used
in creating a new business enterprise. When the stakeholders
have conceptualised their vision for the future of West Indies
cricket this will be formalized in a Mission statement that will
be the beacon to lead the WI cricket industry forward.
The existing institutions will be examined with a view to strengthening
them in support of the mission. Strategic priorities in
marketing, operations, human resources, administration, accounting,
finance, legal & corporate structuring and information &
communications technologies will then be determined. A
plan will then be developed reflecting these strategic priorities
and realistic, measurable and time specific long-term objectives
will be set. The plan will delineate the deliverables for each
objective, their time frames for delivery, accountability and
human & financial resource requirements. Capital and
operating financial projections will be prepared in support of
these objectives and a budget prepared for the first year.
Individuals in organizations get accustomed to their comfort
zones and resist change. A mind-set change is required to pursue
the strategic visioning process for WI cricket as a business.
We must anticipate change for if we do not we will become extinct.
We must be ready and willing to change and adapt to change quickly.
We must enjoy the change and liberate the region. What
better time to strategically plan for the West Indies cricket
industry than now as we are preparing to reap the economic bonanza
from the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 and its legacy.
(Dr. Basil Springer GCM is Change-Engine Consultant, Caribbean
Business Enterprise Trust Inc. www.cbet-inc.org).