The Problem With The West Indies

I love watching the West Indies play. Their aggressive, uncompromising style always guarantees to entertain. When they were the best side in the world other teams would sometimes try and exploit this by playing "dull" cricket in the hope that West Indian batsmen would try one aggressive shot too many and get out. England managed to win a series in the early 1970s by grinding out uninspiring draws, which led to an over generous declaration from the West Indian skipper Garry Sobers.

I therefore take no pleasure from seeing the West Indians struggle. After two days of the 1st Test against Australia, defeat looks inevitable. Players like Gayle, Smith, Lara, Chanderpaul, Sarawan, Collymore and Edwards are world class, so why is the team under performing? I believe they need a strong captain, a man who like Clive Lloyd or Viv Richards who could inspire Barbadians, Jamaicans and Guyanese to all play together for the same team. It appears that there is nobody in the current squad who is capable of doing that and that is why the West Indies languish near the bottom of the unofficial test rankings.