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THE IGNOMINY of Monday's defeat to the Netherlands has left West Indies fans throughout the world despondent and demoralised.
West Indies fans have been accustomed to brutal losses, yet Monday's result felt different. For the first time in the two decades of West Indies decline, regional fans have accepted the stark reality.
There is no quick fix to our cricket. West Indies are a bad team.
The losses to Zimbabwe and Netherlands have left even the most ardent supporters ready to throw in the towel.
In a recent interview with Caribbean Cricket Podcast, Cricket West Indies (CWI) president Dr Kishore Shallow said he saw belief in the Daren Sammy-coached West Indies that they were capable of "winning the qualifiers and winning the World Cup and impressing and surprising everyone."
Shallow's assessment was, to put it mildly, shallow.
No one player, coach or administrator can help the maroon turn the corner.
An occasional positive result will come. West Indies have talent. Two centuries by Nicholas Pooran in four matches in the ICC World Cup qualifiers, at an average of 98.66, is an impressive performance.
But analysing the performances against Zimbabwe and then the Netherlands, it is clear there are serious deficiencies in our batting, bowling, fielding and mindset.
The shot-selection by some of the players against Zimbabwe as they sought to chase 269 for victory was shocking, but not surprising. Needing around five runs an over, West Indies fans looked on in horror as batsmen tried to hit sixes and play reverse sweeps.
Against the Netherlands, 374 should have been sufficient, but bad bowling and fielding were compounded by poor captaincy and dropped catches.
In the 2010 NBA Finals, then Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson gave a brutal assessment of the Doc Rivers-coached Boston Celtics. "This team has lost more games in the fourth quarter than anybody in the NBA. They know how to lose in the fourth quarter. They're just showing us that right now," he said.
The Lakers eventually rallied from 2-3 down in the series to win the NBA Finals 4-3.
Since then, Doc Rivers has proven Jackson right, blowing two 3-1 leads while coaching the Los Angeles Clippers, against the Houston Rockets in 2015 and Denver Nuggets in 2020.
Jackson might have well been talking about the West Indies. In how many games has this team snatched defeat from the jaws of victory?
Former CWI president Dave Cameron continues to promote himself as the panacea for the team's problems.
But one can argue that the team's poor ODI form started under him. There was only one West Indian on the ICC ODI Team of the Year in 2014, Dwayne Bravo. He has not played an ODI since, paying the price for a pay dispute with CWI when he captained the team on a tour of India.
The result? West Indies did not win an ODI series for five years (2014-2019).
At 39, Bravo still has a lot to give West Indies cricket. He's retired from the international game but his expertise can still be harnessed.
T20 cricket has revolutionised all forms of the game. Variations are required to be successful against ultra-aggressive batsmen. Odean Smith and Romario Shepherd are just two whose bowling could benefit from Bravo's help.
It is a positive step to use past players, but shaping the mindset is also crucial. In the glory days West Indies fought and gave everything to show their white former colonial masters not only that they belonged on the same field, but that they were better than them.
In a media conference on Tuesday, a sombre West Indies ODI captain Shai Hope, still licking his wounds from losses to Zimbabwe and the Netherlands, acknowledged the rich history of West Indies, but said the team is looking to create their own legacy.
In the modern world it is unfair to ask current players to motivate themselves using the same methods as their predecessors 50 years ago. The CWI must find a way to restore that pride and passion, by any means necessary.
A stumbling block for the team remains the claims of insularity and nepotism. Every decision is looked at through the lens of nationality. Critics argue that West Indies cricket will never rise while territories only seek their own interest.
Is the recent appointment of coach Sammy, a St Lucian, a result of Shallow, a Vincentian and former Windward Islands cricket president, being at the CWI's helm?
Was St Lucian Johnson Charles being called as a replacement for injured Guyanese Gudakesh Motie justified?
TT can enjoy a Test, ODI and T20 on India's tour of West Indies next month, as well as two T20s when England visit in December. Did TT Cricket Board boss Azim Bassarath's becoming CWI vice-president have anything to do with that?
Questions will continue to swirl, as the composition of West Indies is unlike that of other teams. Decisions by CWI must be able to stand scrutiny so as to quell any doubts.
There have been many task forces investigating the demise of West Indies cricket. How many recommendations have been implemented?
But when all is said and done, we continue to rally!

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