Sammy's problems and Nanthan's election to the WICB

Increasingly, one is moved to the notion that very few Dominicans want to think things out for themselves. We hear or see something and we react. We don't question what is the motive, why that, or the consequences? If it is something we like, we pounce on it. And more often than not we are thinking self, that is, selfishness and greed, opportunity and advantage, prestige and power or simple thoughtlessness.

Let's take the 2014 elections of the West Indies Cricket Board. There were some garbled statements on radio that Dominica's Emmanuel Nathan was in the fray as a vice president. The incumbent president Sir Julian Hunte who'd earlier indicated that he was not seeking re-election changed his mind, why?

In the end there was glee and congratulations to share around because Nanthan was elected alongside a Jamaican Dave Cameron as president. Even the man who thinks ahead of the rest was caught up in congratulating his appointed ambassador on his election as vice president of the WICB.

I was heartily annoyed and disappointed because the repercussions were so glaring that it never entered my mind that Nanthan was actually contesting Hunte candidacy as president. I could not believe it. I was aghast. There I was bragging to associates that the tenure of Hunte and his secretary Ernest Hilaire were ensuring that Dominica and the Windward Islands were benefiting handily with the scheduling of international matches, ask the Jamaican female prime minister to whom Hilaire had to offer an apology after Dominica got to host the Australia test team, and selections on the Wes Indies team, and Nanthan simply found that there were not enough and threw his lot with the Jamaican president.

One wondered if he never listened to the comments of all the Caribbean commentators even Dominicans on the selectability of people like Darren Sammy and Shane Shillingford? Did he not hear the spleen of these people who would like to see their own nationals as West Indies internationals and holding the captaincy no matter how subtle they tried to be even right here in the Dominica press box?

I told friends that Sammy was going to lose the captaincy in all formats of West Indies cricket soonest. Dominica was going to be reduced to the odd small fry touring team. Shillingford like Sammy would shortly be shut out of West Indies cricket, and all the players from the Windward Islands who played for the West Indies during the heyday tenure of Hunte and Hilaire would be consigned to history in quick time.

When Sammy was named captain, West Indies cricket team could get no lower than it was, and that was something which began with Richie Richardson, a man made manager of West Indies teams in recent times. It was the same Richardson who led West Indies to their first defeat in Jamaica in more than 20 years and said at the end, it was just another match. Up to this moment West Indies are playing just another match.

Brian Lara with all history-making batting exploits could not lift West Indies even though he had two goes at it. Carl Hooper, Jimmy Adams, Courtney Walsh with his 500 plus test wickets could not help West Indies. Ramnaresh Sarwan basically injured his test career in England trying to stop a boundary. Shivnarine Chanderpaul was a shadow of himself after one series and quickly relinquished the captaincy to concentrate on batting for himself. Chris Gayle and the fancied Dwayne Brava whom Lara tried to make into a batting all rounder had stints at the helm. Did you hear these Caribbean commentators crying for their necks?

In comes Sammy, and no matter what, Sammy has no place on the team. Lara with all his runs what did it do for the team or Walsh with all his wickets and the other lesser lights? No Sammy is from St Lucia and the OECS and had no right to be West Indies captain. And who inadvertently supported that by voting with Jamaica's Whycliffe Dave Cameron? I hope like the so-called big four he is happy with the fall out of his thoughtlessness.

Morris Cyrille