Former Grenada PM says region needs to halt player exodus

Former Grenada prime minister Dr Keith Mitchell has lamented the loss of the region’s leading players to foreign Twenty20 leagues and believes stakeholders must find a “formula” to address the matter.

 

While conceding that the region as an economic space could not compete with foreign boards and leagues, the former chairman of CARICOM’s subcommittee on cricket said if “enough resources” could be found in the region, players could be motivated to commit more of their time to West Indies duty.

 

“I believe we have a serious problem with cricket – not just in the region but around the world – with all these many leagues all over the world that are paying a lot of money to be involved in,” Mitchell told StarCom Radio’s Mason and Guest cricket show this week.

 

“What they can make for playing for West Indies in a series, they can make it in two days in a match in a mini league.

 

“So you have a serious problem confronting this because you’re losing a lot of your talented players who are foregoing representing the West Indies or other countries around the world, and going to play in these leagues.

 

“Some of the talented players are retiring early to give them that room to be able to attach themselves to leagues all over the world paying an enormous amount of money.”

 

He continued: “That’s a serious issue that has to be confronted and countries like West Indies who do not have the resources or the business environment … [it] is something that has to be dealt with [by them].

 

“I cannot say what is being done by the West Indies Cricket Board in confronting that very serious problem. I see talents now playing around the world that in my view should be playing for West Indies. I don’t know if it’s something we can sit by and just watch like this.”

 

West Indies have seen their fortunes decline in all three formats, coinciding with the rise of lucrative T20 tournaments around the globe. Players like left-handers Nicholas Pooran and Shimron Hetmyer and all-rounder Andre Russell, have become regular faces in foreign leagues while having limited roles for West Indies.

 

Pooran, 29, a former West Indies white-ball captain, has played 106 T20 Internationals and 61 One-Day Internationals but has featured in only five first class matches – none of them Tests.

 

The 36-year-old Russell, now a household T20 name, played one Test 15 years ago and has never played again. He has gone on to play over 500 T20s, scoring over 9000 runs and taking over 450 wickets.

 

Hetmyer, also 29, was once viewed as one of the future hopes of West Indies’ Test batting but has not played the longest format in six years, while featuring extensively in the Indian Premier League especially.

 

“Every player knows that his time in cricket is limited and he’s trying to optimise the resources that he can earn,” Mitchell pointed out.

 

“Until we find some formula that can attract them more – you’ll never be able to get the amount of money paid to the English player – but I think we can find ways of finding enough resources to attract them while they continue to play in those leagues but having some commitment to their country.”

 

“I’m worried about the fact we’re losing so many talented players to these leagues and always finding ourselves finding new players and investing more in the new talents of the country, and not having the experienced heads involved in helping the younger players to develop and represent the region as a whole. It’s a formula, I’m suggesting that has to be found.”

 

He continued: “This involves all stakeholders as we look at what is happening to West Indies cricket and it has to be a collective vision from the private sector, the governments of the region … and all stakeholders in the country.”

(BT)