... as world’s worst teams compete

THIRTY years ago Clive Lloyd, then the captain of the West Indies, made a decision that would change the face of world cricket. 

Following a humiliating defeat at the hands of Australia’s two pace men Denis Lillie and Jeff Thompson, Lloyd decided enough is enough and packed his side with his own weapons of destruction.
His instruction to his batsmen was equally devastating with all out attack being the required approach. It just so happened he had the personnel with talent to carry this all out to such a devastating effect that the Caribbean would dominate cricket for the next 20 years.
Joel Garner, Andy Roberts, Colin Croft and Michael Holding were all backed up by Grennidge, Richards and Lloyd himself to set a new standard of cricket that no other country could compete with. It was no surprise to see them win the first two World Cups to be staged during this period.
This period of dominance had a profound impact on the Caribbean communities not just because it united a region often prone to political infighting but it also provided inspiration for teenagers aspiring to be sportsmen.
The result was a conveyor belt of talented individuals arriving on the scene just as their elder colleagues talents were waning. Therefore, as Roberts and Garner stepped aside Ambrose, Marshall and Walsh arrived and as Fredrick’s and Lloyd retired then Haynes and Richardson appeared.
These were all world-class cricketers who played the game the West Indian way, very hard and very fast with a fear of no one or any situation. It set them apart from every other team. It was arrogance, but one with clear expectations of all the individuals within the team.
Sadly, the same cannot be said of the current team which has been in terminal decline for some time now. The over reliance on Brian Lara to snatch a victory from the jaws of defeat has led to complacency of other team members who have been unable to assume their responsibilities.
Maybe the iconic Lara’s retirement will address this issue but one thing it will not address is the fact that this group of players is just not talented enough to achieve long-term success. Any side can have a great tournament or Test series, Greece in the European Championships springs to mind, but to start that conveyer belt off again it is sustained success done in an entertaining fashion that is necessary to revive those golden days.
This summer then promises to be between an unproven captain leading a side who had a dreadful World Cup with a team playing without confidence against, well, an unproven captain leading a side who had a dreadful World Cup with a team playing without confidence. It promises to be a battle to see who is not the worst team in cricket.
With yet another Michael Vaughn withdrawal, it was a contest between the two Andrews, Strauss and Flintoff for the England captaincy, or so David Graveney was trying to convince us. Apparently. Flintoff’s digressions to the bar over recent months was not a contributory factor to him not getting the job, more his disappointing form while undertaking the role over the past two years.
The idea that it was possible for him to become captain after being stripped of the vice captaincy for these very reasons almost beggars disbelief and I wonder whether Graveney actually talks to anyone for a briefing before giving these interviews. Either that or the arrogance and belief that they are untouchable leads to this utter contempt of the watching public. It truly is a depressing state of affairs and one that appears to have no end in sight.
If the weather holds out for each of the four Test matches then it is highly likely there will be four positive results as both of these teams will find it hard to survive long enough with the bat to play out a draw.
Logic suggests England will prevail as it will be English batting conditions and the visitors preparation has been far from ideal with the performance against  Leicestershire proving this point. If their top order batsmen are intent in playing from the crease then people who have purchased tickets for the Sunday at Lords might be very disappointed. 
With no world-class players on show, Pieterson apart, this summers main interest will be seeing which players are able to make the leap forward to being great. This wait might be in vain so instead I will just amuse myself with Michael Vaughn becoming a better captain the more he does not play and his insistence that he has a positive contribution to make to the one day side. Both of which will be supported and fuelled by an administration unable to make the hard decisions required at the top level of sport.
At least the West Indies are at rock bottom and they know it, England on the other hand might still have further to fall before the penny drops.

By Patrick Cummings
patrick.cummings@blueyonder.co.uk