The West Indies cricket team is coming under heavy criticism following its dismal performance in an ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers match on Monday against the Netherlands at the Takashinga Sports Club in Zimbabwe.
During the match, the Netherlands produced one of their biggest wins in international cricket, beating the West Indies in the super over.
The stunning win put the West Indies, for the first time in history, on the brink of not qualifying for the World Cup.
Following the victory, which was described as “stupendous” Netherlands captain Scott Edwards said, “It was a massive game for the Netherlands.” But not everyone was celebrating.
Prime Minister of Trinidad & Tobago, Dr. Keith Rowley was so disgusted by the West Indies’ performance that he took to social media in a no-holds-barred post.
“Today I saw the worst cricket match ever played by a West Indies team,” he wrote. “This amateurish demoralizing embarrassment has to stop. Playing for West Indies requires the desire to fight, to believe, to win. To saunter through to defeat is unacceptable.”
According to Dr. Rowley, playing for the West Indies “must be a treasured privilege available only to the best that are prepared to show character in defence of our legacy and our pride.”
‘Those to whom these truths mean nothing must not be allowed out in West Indies colours,” he stated.
When the West Indies batted first in the match, they scored 374 and it looked like the job was done and they could take it easy. But the Dutch had other ideas. Chasing 375, they first tied the match, then destroyed the West Indies in the Super Over to win by 22 runs. The West Indies is now entering the Super Six stage of the World Cup Qualifiers with zero points and is at a disadvantage since they have lost to Zimbabwe and now the Netherlands, the two other teams that have qualified from their group.
In order to qualify for the World Cup, they must beat Sri Lanka, Scotland, and Oman, hoping that the Sri Lankans and Zimbabweans somehow lose two each of their own Super Six fixtures. Dr. Rowley said Monday’s humiliating West Indies defeat was a long way in coming.
“The stench of today’s embarrassment didn’t start today it had a long gestation period in two decades of disappointment so those who were ‘expecting’ should not come looking for any exemption here,” he wrote.
Many cricket fans also took to social media to agree with Dr. Rowley.
“To say Caribbean people felt embarrassed by the team’s performance is an understatement. There must be accountability for this humiliation,” one person wrote on Facebook.
International cricket observers took to Twitter to give a reaction to the demoralising defeat.
“@CaribCricket RIP Caribbean Cricket. Oh, West Indies all the glory faded away,” Kashif Malik wrote.
“Downfall of West Indies cricket will be remembered in history of cricket. They used to dominate world teams like giants but now ���� they are out of WC,” Jagannadh Nsk said.
“West Indies cricket has turned into a joke. Not a single decision in the super-over makes sense,” Snigdha Saha wrote.
West Indies management, formerly known as the West Indies Cricket Board and now Cricket West Indies, are principally responsible for the current wretched state of West Indies cricket.
Their endemic insularity, croniyism, ineptitude and general lack of management competence have conspired to relegate West Indies, once the envy of the criciket world, into the dungeon.
This band of bumblers consisting of mostly of non-cricketers are devoid of any clue on what it takes to nuture young talent or how to build a winning culture have succeeded only in lining their pockets while West Indies cricket hastens toward mediocrity and obscurity.
In a nutshell, it is a damn shame to see how far our cricket has fallen!!!
Sorry but that is an insult to the cricket heroes you have on this list. My community had a team called Starlight in the 80s they could easily destroy the current W.I team if their team still existed even at there present age.
when you believe that WI has hit rock bottom and the only way is up they just continue to dig deeper into cricket oblivion. I am not surprised, I have long given up on expecting anything great from the WI, they just know how to lose, a true bunch of losers. The manager, coach and captain should all resign ……….
The west indies team come from the west indies community and as a result display the character of the larger community. In the Glory days cricket was more about sel identity than the game itself. It was played by free black men whose societies were going through independence struggles, racism and colonialism. It was a way to beat the colonial masters and show them the strength of the black man. For years ICC amended rules to help water down the west indies domination. Today I see a people accepting colonialism and abuse with no determination to fight to preserve thier dignity. A region abused by its leaders. People forced to survive have become increasingly selfish. I do not see or hear that fighting spirit in the young in the communities like we saw back then. So it reflects in the cricket. Everyone should watch “Fire in Babylon”. This will give perspective. Meanwhile when becoming slaves again. These same leaders share part of the blame.
LC Matthew, I fully agree with you no politics just facts
100% we were once proud West Indian people, today I don’t know what to say!!
The quality of players selected to represent the West Indies must get better. The current crop of players are not the ones to be out there because they seem more interested in displaying their bling as a source of achievement than displaying guts and pride. They continue to hang their bats at balls which should have been left alone and lose their wickets in so doing. The fielding is atrocious. The fast bowlers don’t focus on line, length and direction and pitch the ball too short too many times. Not only the players deserve to be blamed but those who selected them and I’m wondering what are the coaches coaching. Prime Minister Crawley is correct and I hope other leaders lend their voices to show their disgust and demand better.
@Jonathan Y St Jean
But Jonathan,with whom do we replace the non performers?? Do we even have a reserve pool?
In your 11 member team MEME you have named 7 westindies test players,Lockhart Sebastien is not one of them.Sebastien left cricket with an average of 32.An average of 32 for an opening batsman is a failure.There were much better batsmen in Dominica than Sebastien,but in those days to play for Dominica is who know your parents and who your parents know.The Kalinago people never got a opportunity to expose their talent,because the Augustus Gregoire League was run people like Lockhart Sebastien,Ossie Lewis and the Roseau Bougeoise.When they say you will make the island side you will,good,bad or ugly.That is why young people are no longer interested in cricket.The Getto man have been robbed and bypassed for the sons and relatives of the Bougeois who can give them a shot of black label and BBQ chicken.Listen to sports rap hosted by Lockhart Sebastien and Ossie Lewis and say how many times have the talked about Kavem Hodge and Alick Athanaze,but they resurrect dead cricketers to talk about.
@Lin clown
Lin Clown Sebastian was a very good opening batsman, but neither Greenidge nor Haynes could be dropped. Well you have a piint about his average, but when he played for Combined Islands and Windwards, he was good enough relative to what we have now.Presently how many West Indian cricketers have an average of 32??? I am sure its not many.
I woke up so early because I was super disappointed in the last match but I’m alway optimistic that we will turn this team around but after this humiliation I can’t see this team turning things around as much as all west Indians said they give up we all are gonna be watching come Saturday these guys don’t know how much we love them and be on the edge of our seats praying for them to win I almost got heart failure with this lost guys do better as we know you can the world is watching
@JaNoel
They face the danger of not qualifying for the world cup. Do you think that India will still tour the Caribbean to play with those guys???
@JaNoel
Do you think that India will still come to the Caribbean? They might just pay a fine and refuse to come.
I am an ardent sport enthusiast. My support for the West Indies senior male cricket team was strong and resolute.
In recent times I have given up on this team for I came to the realisation that my unwavering support was bad for my heart and overall health.
Soon none of the top teams (Australia, England, India, New Zealand) will want to play against us. This year just two test matches from team India. Soon it will be o my a few T-20 matches. We have hit rock bottom.
I have a Shell Shield team of the early 1970’s that would win the current West Indies team 5-0 in a FIVE test series:
L C Sebastian
Vans Amrey
I V A Richards
I T Shillingford
Victor Eddie
T M Findlay
Nobert Phillip
Hugh Gore
Derrick Parry
A M E Roberts
Grayson Shillingford…
You don’t even need 12th man!!
West Indies deserves RELEGATION!!!
I missed out “Jim Alleyne” from Montserrat. He would bat before Richards..
@MEME, good team!!! Here is a juggernaut of an all-time Windward Island allstar team that would dismantle any current West Indies eleven:
Lockhart Sebastian
Devon Smith
Irving Shillingford
Andre Fletcher
Junior Murray
Darren Sammy
Rawle Lewis
Norbert Phillip
Shane Shillingford
Winston Davis
Grayson Shillingford
@What Say You
Very good team. I observe that there is no place for Roy Marshall, ( well Nobert Phillip is in already). I would also play Nobert Phillip instead.
Mine is a Shell Shield team. (Windward and Leewsrd combined). Yours is a Windwards team. Both teams would whip our current W I team 5-0.
In my first comment someone raised a concern and said if Ghana ever played cricket for West Indies..😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄
Sorry but that is an insult to the cricket heroes you have on this list. My community had a team called Starlight in the 80s they could easily destroy the current W.I team if they the team still existed even at there present age.
How about McFord Zarmore and David Defoe and Kaleb Laurent? I would even vouch for Clem John. Dominican cricketers alone would destroy the current West Indies team. The problem with West Indies cricket today are the coaches. What do we need those coaches for? The sport of cricket is different from American sports. We do not need coaches out there. We need to stop being American. That was never cricket back then, yet, we dominated.
I too was dissapointed, but not shocked!!
Much to the chagrin of many, i think West Indies should be RELEGATED to play with the Associate Teams, and even then, many associate teams will humiliate them!!!
When one ponders at the halceyon days of West Indies cricket, Greenidge, Haynes, Richards, Lloyd, Kallicharan, Gomes, Dujohn, Marshal, Roberts, Holding, Ghana etc….and they could still field about TWO other teams of almost equal strength..
Today’s embarrassment has me pondering whether those players know the meaning of a word called “PRIDE”.
They need RELEGATION…Go learn to play the sport. We have NO genuine BATSMEN or BOWLERS in the West Indies presently. If you feel we do give me their dismal statistics!!
Ghana played cricket,who was that? Get your facts and knowledge of the game straight.
@ Confused
Get out of here!! You know NOTHING about the topic being discussed!
Donkey has no right in horses game!!
He is referring to Joel Garner of Barbados. He got the name spelt incorrectly.