Michael Holding needs to be More mindful of West Indies Players’ Reality
There was, as usual, no holding back from Michael Holding. The legendary West Indies quick was just as assertive with his views on T20 cricket as he has always been when interviewed by Indian Express. Why don’t you appear in IPL as a commentator? they asked. “I only commentate on cricket,” he said.
The moment those words came to light, Twitter went into a frenzy, with comments revolving around how archaic he is to say such a thing about their favourite league and form of the game. And it only showed how close people hold IPL and T20 cricket to their heart, which is good.
But it partly showcased a level of intolerance as well since Holding’s views is not new to the public. It’s a personal view held and expressed for very long and can be taken with a pinch of salt as well rather than be called out with excessive trolling. Just be as thick skin over his views on T20s as Holding is convinced that it’s not quite cricket.
Michael Holding’s comments lack sense of reality and understanding of West Indies players’ needs
Michael Holding needs to understand the dilemma West Indies players face
Having said that, there is something that does look problematic. And it is him insinuating that “many West Indies players are not interested in playing for West Indies.”
There was a genuine disregard for reality in those comments. And it is reality that not just him, but everyone should be more mindful of. So let’s forget Holding’s comments for a minute and get a better sense of perspective here about West Indies’ issues and their players’ interests.
A couple of years back, when West Indies hosted England for a full tour of three Tests, five ODIs and three T20Is, there were complaints from fans in certain Caribbean islands about the 12 matches being assigned primarily to four venues in Barbados, Antigua, St Lucia, Grenada and St Kitts. With prominent Island nations as Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago and Guyana missing out, fans and everyone based there felt hard done by. That, especially since an England visit helps boosts the market in these Islands to a great degree.
There was also criticism unleashed on Cricket West Indies (CWI) about the timing of these matches, with major focus being to serve the massy English audiences based in the UK. But while those calling out CWI at the time had their point, they weren’t mindful of the real pertinent issue in play.
With their financial standing in the game as grim as it is, West Indies had no choice but to create an itinerary that is as “appealing as possible to the English supporters”, The Telegraph reported at the time.
The report mentioned how when CWI “earn £12million a year from TV rights, England’s new rights contract is worth £220million annually” – an alarming gap, accentuated by earnings from the ICC funding model and hosting major world events.
Imagine having to design a home series with foreign fans getting greater priority. But it “is essential”, the report mentioned, because the money generated from an England visit is more than what West Indies generate out of any other series barring that of India’s and the money that comes in is “needed to fund Caribbean cricket and subsidise the losses incurred”.
Players like Pollard didn’t make a choice, they were forced into it. Michael Holding needs to understand that.
And that’s the reality West Indies operate around. There is no money in West Indies cricket – domestically and internationally – at least not enough to retain their talents.
For players, it means having to boat through troubled waters right from the very beginning of their careers. When they would be ideally developing their skills and wings with a single-minded focus on representing West Indies, young players in the Caribbean are left uncertain of their futures. How would they sustain themselves and their families is the last thought you want in players’ heads when they would rather be busy worrying about scoring runs or taking wickets.
Yes, CWI is notorious for their past handling of these players and still have much to learn from how a New Zealand, for example, have balanced their players’ interests and the need to remain a highly competitive unit in the game’s two more traditional forms. But even at their best, there would be only so much the board could do given their financial strength (or the lack of it).
With that in mind, it almost becomes a necessity to prioritise leagues such as the IPL as they offer these players the kind of security and assurance that the international game – or certainly playing for West Indies – doesn’t. The likes of Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell among others recognised this a lot earlier and a generation of Caribbean players followed them – which, undoubtedly, has had an affect on West Indies’ Test and ODI fortunes – but it wasn’t an option they chose, it is what the situation nearly forced them into. They had livelihoods to sustain.
It’s accepting the bitter reality and keeping a pragmatic outlook. It’s practicality drowning aspirations, something the great Holding and us should be more understanding, if not lenient, towards. And you expect them from a flag-bearer of the game as strong as that in Holding, who was one of the prominent figures to take part in the Kerry Packer World Series Cricket.
Even then, the players were fighting for a greater cause. Not enough of the money generated by cricket boards was going into players’ pockets and Packer, angst on being denied TV rights by Cricket Australia (CA), offered them a platform to play and earn their just rewards. Although the Packer series was disbanded not long thereafter, the stance the players took for themselves against their respective boards, helped the generation of players that followed. It was game-transforming and a realistic Michael Holding was involved in bringing about that positive change. You wonder then, where has he lost his touch with reality now?