Insufficient done for Quintyne

The image of a former West Indies Women’s team representative left to hobble around in pain for years because of an injury sustained while on national team duty is certainly enough to bring tears to your eyes.

My thoughts, of course, turn to former Barbados women’s team captain and Windies women all-rounder Shaquana Quintyne, who sustained a devastating knee injury during the regional team’s preparation for the 2017 Women’s World Cup.

Three years and four surgeries later the player is not only unable to return to the sport but is, if reports are to be believed, at times unable to walk due to excruciating pain.

First let me say, based on the evidence that has been made available so far, we must dismiss the notion that Cricket West Indies (CWI) has done nothing to help the young player.

No one disputes the fact that the regional cricket body paid for consultation and three separate knee surgeries sometime between 2017 and 2018, plus the requisite rehabilitation.

With cruciate ligament surgeries ranging from anywhere between an estimated US$5,000 and US$15,000, the organisation has clearly spent a pretty penny.

If we are to believe CWI CEO Johnny Grave, and there is no reason we shouldn’t, then the organisation also deserves commendation for adding Quintyne to the Total and Permanent Disablement policy even though it came into existence after she was injured.

Despite all that, however, the fact remains that Quintyne is still not back on her feet. I don’t know what the overall prognosis was, and cruciate ligament injuries are known to be a serious issue, but with athletes known to require multiple surgeries and several specialists before things are made right, I’m not quite sure that all has been done to safeguard the future of Quintyne.

In any case, she is 24 years old and was injured in the line of duty so to speak. If she is unable to continue her cricketing career, she should at the very least be able to lead a pain-free, or pain-minimized existence as she looks to take what must certainly be new, uncertain steps in her life.

The CWI might not have a contractual obligation to do so, but certainly a moral one, and continued assistance for the player would go a long way in sending the right message to current and future generations.

I listened to Grave speak eloquently and passionately about the organisation’s desire to repair relationships and care for players. It is indeed a very positive mindset to have.

It is a well-known fact that for years, in one way or the other, the major bone of contention between the regional cricket board and regional players has had to do with the fact that players, rightly or wrongly, believe they are often short-changed and abused by the board. They are of the opinion that a profit-making board does not care about their well-being.

What better example than Quintyne’s case to show that any such narratives are things of the past and send a clear message to a new generation of players looking to give their all to regional cricket, ‘we will always take care of our own.’

The dim view taken of the board in such matters involving players is not just held by the players themselves, but many fans of the regional game as well, who are once again watching with keen eyes. There are some cases that your reputation and the ability to enhance it will always be worth more than a few dollars.

In some cases, football clubs, for instance, have been known to make significant investments in the health of the player without reaping a tangible reward.

At 31-years-old, former Arsenal midfielder, Santi Carzola had to undergo as many as 10 surgeries on a troublesome ankle injury, which eventually nearly cost him his leg, and saw him spend three-years out of the game.

In 2017, despite the player having not appeared for the club for some time, Arsenal extended him a one-year contract in order to allow him the opportunity to fully recover. He never appeared for the club again, but sometimes it makes sense to be about more than just dollars.

The CWI clearly does not have Arsenal’s resources but shouldn’t be willing to give up on Quintyne, her health or future just yet.

(Adapted from SportsMax)