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The West Indies have suffered their second 5-0 defeat away from home, this time to the mighty Australians, although the batsmen have shown some improvement in scoring 272 and 352 in the fifth and final Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Very few West Indian fans would have expected a different result in this series which was completely dominated by Steve Waugh and his men. The outstanding performances by the Aussie bowlers Glen McGrath, Stuart McGill, Colin Miller and Jason Gallespie would have made the decisive difference between the two sides.

The West Indies batsmen failed miserably throughout the series and never played to their competitive potential. The bowlers too never looked like dismissing the opposition at any time under 300 runs, as Jimmy Adams did not provide the quality stewardship of his team which, occasionally could have changed the fortunes of the Caribbean cricketers.

Perhaps too much has been said about the deteriorating standards of West Indies cricket and too little done in recent times to resurrect the pride, commitment, excellence and appreciation for high standards in the game the kind of quality which has been associated with West Indies cricket ever since the days of Sir Garry Sobers, the 3Ws and the Lloyd/Richards dynasty.

So disgruntled are the Caribbean fans that they are reluctant, embarrassed or intimidated to listen or watch the present team, obviously being afraid to witness another fatal wound to their own self-respect, identity and character.

Over the last decade, the transformation from being No.1 in the world to becoming the 'flogging horse' outside the Caribbean has been unbelievable, painful and seemingly irreversible at least under the captaincy of Jimmy Adams and the incumbent management team.

The failure to introduce any form of crisis management techniques in the sport, either by the tour management or the West Indies Cricket Board is apparently plunging the game - the West Indies way - into irreparable danger of demotion to a Third World cricketing nation, alongside Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and Kenya.

The Best Of Strokes does not think that the West Indies team are strategically rebuilding, but rather is continuing their transition from being a top international side to becoming the rubble in the aftermath of self-destructive imprudence on the part of regional administrators.

In the absence of structural adjustments, the emergence of professional leagues around the region, a new selectorial vision and the immediate institutionalisation of a regional academy, then the future of our beloved sport is in serious jeopardy.

It is therefore imperative that a new crop of thinking cricketers emerge from the current Busta Cup 2001; players who are properly paid, committed to excellence, highly motivated and technically competent to perform at all levels of the game.

© The Barbados Nation