The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has indicated its interest in bringing back West Indies cricket to its ‘glory days’ given the embarrassing situation the once-dominant regional team has found itself in.

The two-time one-day world champions failed to qualify for the upcoming Cricket World Cup after losses to Zimbabwe, Netherlands, and Scotland in the ongoing qualifier in Zimbabwe. However, CARICOM leaders at their just-ended Heads of Government Summit in Port of Spain see a light at the end of the dark tunnel for West Indies cricket.

Regional leaders are optimistic that a change could happen. Addressing a press conference at the end of the conference on Wednesday (July 5), Prime Minister of Dominica and current chair of CARICOM, Roosevelt Skerrit expressed optimism for a bringer future for Windies cricket.

‘Rally round the West Indies’, still

According to him, “I still believe that we have to rally around the West Indies…Our comments about West Indies cricket come out of passion and commitment to the game; we do not want to lose, and we do not like to lose. We need there to appear to be a fighting spirit.”  

Things have gotten so bad for West Indies that the once mighty team had to go the route of qualifiers, as they did in 2019, due to not finishing among the top eight sides at the end of the International Cricket Council’s Super League.

Last year, the two-time World T20 champions, failed to qualify for the Super 12s at the World T20 in Australia that prompted an independent review that included Brian Lara and South African international cricket coach, Mickey Arthur, which was chaired by Justice Patrick Thompson Jnr.

As mentioned by numerous learned pundits on the matter, the decline of the most dominated and feared team, started decades ago. Skerrit pointed to recent comments of Trinbagonian Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley, who labeled West Indies’ defeat to the Netherlands as the “worst cricket he has seen.”

Rowley, who was appointed as the new chair of the prime ministerial cricket sub-committee is set to meet with Skerrit next week to discuss a new course for West Indies cricket.

“…how we can work together, how we can better position West Indies cricket in the Caribbean so that we can return to the glorious days….We will come back to those days,” Skerrit was quoted as saying by News Room Guyana.

CARICOM has always played key roles in West Indies cricket, especially in advisory to its governance. Previous chair of the cricket subcommittee, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves had stated after a meeting with former Cricket West Indies president, Ricky Skerritt that “West Indies Cricket success and growth are crucial to our regional psychological well-being. A regional good cannot be operated like a private club.”