INSIDEINSIDEEDITORIALA2 TODAYA2 TODAY2

Page 2 Wednesday, August 30, 2017 Page 2

TODAY’S EDITORIAL Let us never lose reason for optimism Moments of joy provided by the West Indies team have not been a prominent commodity over the past two decades. Indeed, most of the satisfaction provided by our regional side has come in the shortest format of the game - Twen- ty20 cricket. But West Indian cricketing purists brought up on the achievements of , Sir , , Sir Vivian Richards and several TODAY IN other greats, will remain adamant that the true measure of excellence is Test crick- et. We have been whipping boys in this format since the late 1990s with the very PM Stuart offers sympathy to president trump occasional Test victory drawing some into the conclusion that perhaps the team is Prime Minister Freundel Stuart has extended deepest sympathy to the President of the United States, turning the corner, only to discover that corner leading into a cul-de-sac. The cause Donald Trump, on the loss of life and the devastation in Texas, resulting from the alarming effects of of West Indies cricket has not been helped by disputes between the board and the Tropical Storm Harvey. players and, whether one wants to accept it or not, the advent of cricket. Stuart said in a letter to President Trump: “We are troubled at the potential for further destruction as Poor performances have been met by derision from past internationals, with the deadly weather system continues to wreak havoc on the state of Texas and is threatening to inflict some West Indian greats not averse to joining the metaphoric chorus of boos. Some damage on other cities and regions. Caribbean voices have attempted to offer words of advice and encouragement but “Please be assured that my Government and the people of Barbados are keeping you and all of those many have taken the easier route of harsh criticisms, often bordering on the insular. directly affected in our thoughts and prayers as you continue to make a valiant effort to overcome the Callers for the return of so-called senior players have conveniently ignored that unprecedented challenge with which you are confronted.” (BGIS) with the singular exception of Christopher Henry Gayle, not one current “senior player” outside the team has a Test record above mediocre. This is not to say that within the context of overall Test performances over the past two decades, that criticism of the West Indies team has not been merited. TODAY’S CONTACTS However, the current crop of West Indies Test cricketers is relatively new to the international game and must be given time to develop; or not develop. Ironically, several of the older “senior players” mooted by would-be experts have been part of Peter Harris: Chairman the mediocrity that developed in the regional side in the post-1995 period. [email protected] It is within this context that the astounding victory at Headingley yesterday by Kaymar Jordan: Editor-In-Chief the youthful West Indies side must be applauded. It offers a ray of hope for the fu- [email protected] ture. Considering the three-day debacle that transpired a week before at Edgbaston, Tuesday’s magnificence could serve as a watershed moment. One must appreci- Sandy Deane: Editorial Coordinator ate that this is a side where Barbadians at 24 and Jason [email protected] Holder at 25, are senior players in the team. Much has been made of the large number of Barbadians in the side and chair- Wade Gibbons: Sports Coordinator MULTIMEDIA [email protected] Kwame McDowall: man of selectors and his panel must be complimented for select- Multimedia Specialist ing players on merit, whether they be eight Barbadians or eight Guyanese. Former [email protected] West Indies player Bryan Davis recently berated the selectors for their Barbadian REPORTERS selections, with his main bone of contention seemingly only the place of their birth. Emmanuel Joseph: Senior Reporter [email protected] IT AND GRAPHICS Ironically, he has never taken umbrage with the heavy number of Trinidadians in Henry Richards: the regional Twenty20 side. But there is no reason for him to as his countrymen Fernella Wedderburn: Senior Reporter Creative and Technical Manager have proven to be the best at the shorter format and their dominance in the regional [email protected] [email protected] Twenty20 side is merited. But we digress. West Indies’ victory yesterday came at an opportune time as it certainly re- Colville Mounsey: Senior Reporter Shamar Blunt: IT Officer minded the players - if they needed to be - that they belong among world cricket’s [email protected] [email protected] elite and should not be talked of as a second tier Test grouping. It is ironic, that in Marlon Madden: Senior Reporter the heyday of West Indies cricket in the 1980s that those who fell before the might [email protected] SUB-EDITORS of and Sir Vivian Richards’ invincibles were never ‘threatened’ with Jamelia Benskin: Chief Sub-Editor demotion to second tier Test status. Ryan Gilkes: Senior Reporter [email protected] As outsiders looking in, we can only assume from the images, comments and [email protected] Stefon Jordan observations, that Australian coach has gelled well with the young West Neville Clarke [email protected] Indies players. He has a solid reputation of working well with young players, if his [email protected] Hallam Davis tenure with the Bangladesh side is to be used as a gauge. He seems fiercely loyal to [email protected] the players and his dressing down of former insider for his strident Davandra Babb Bionca Manrow [email protected] criticisms of the team showed a willingness to trade punches for his charges. [email protected] Some past greats initially baulked publicly at the appointment of a non-West Indian to the position of regional coach. Theirs was a silly case made. We live in Morissa Lindsay [email protected] a globalized era that has seen our own serve the English team in a SALES MANAGER coaching capacity and is now on his way to be head coach of the South African Katrina King David Williams team. There has been no Caribbean dissenter to these opportunities seized by one of [email protected] [email protected] our own. And to the man of the hour. , 23, whose promise has been evident from his teenage days, finally made good on that promise. It is merely a start but ADDRESS: Suite F3, Building 3, Manor Lodge Complex, Lodge Hill, St. Michael as his coach has insisted, the young Barbadian just needed that defining to Website: www.barbadostoday.bb kick-start what he anticipates will be a fabulous career. We hope Mr Law is right. Telephone 246-417-1000 The runs from Mr Hope’s bat complemented the words from his mouth follow- * For general news queries email [email protected] or ing his Headingley coming-of-age. “I’m a professional cricketer for a reason. I al- [email protected]. ways believe in myself on and off the field. As a professional you want to perform For all advertising enquires email [email protected]. to your best . . .I just tried to bat as long as possible and stick it out. The key word for us was fight. We are not coming here to let people over us.” Let’s hope that this youthful fight and positivity steer clear of all culs-de-sac.