W. Indies cricket board unlikely to take strong action

Press, 9 April 1980, Page 36

W. Indies cricket board unlikely to take strong action

Bv

R. T. BRITTENDEN

The West Indies’ cricket tour of New Zealand, with its unhappy features, might seem to have been purely a domestic upset. Issues were raised, however, which demand attention and there will be considerable interest in what action, if any, the West Indies Cricket Board of Control will take at its meeting today.

There is little doubt that the New Zealand Board of Control has made its views clear on player behaviour — Michael Holding and Colin Croft in particular — to the West Indies Board. It has almost certainly condemned the sit-in at Lancaster Park, the threat of the tour being abandoned after the third day at, Christchurch and the effrontery of four senior West Indies players in their attempt to fly out of Auckland after lunch on the last day of the .third test.

The West Indies Board, however, has problems of its own to complicate its handling of these issues. It has a dnty to cricket to come out strongly against the behaviour of its players, and against the wildly extravagant statements made by the manager, Mr Willy Rodriguez — especially those he made after his team had left this country. It is doubtful that it will have the strength to perform this duty. It has a team going to England this year. Croft is a good bowler, and there is very little likelihood of his being barred from the tour.

Moreover, there are domestic problems in West Indies cricket which need to be - understood. The island communities are ferventlj' Joval to their own top players, and there will certainly be reluctance to offend a section of the organisation. Mr Rodriguez deserves to be strongly rebuked for his irrational outbursts; but no

board, let alone the West Indies one, would willingly criticise one of its servants in public. That can be understood.

Something should be done, somewhere, to protect umpires from such buffetings as Mr Fred Goodall received in Christchurch, and national cricket administrations from threats of tour abandonment, which could affect finances heavily, as well as being damaging to the game. The West Indies board may well call for netural umpires, but if it does, it will only be the drawing of a red herring. It is not difficult to imagine an Australian or an English umpire, who has to give an unpopular decision, being in danger if he was officiating with a West Indies team playing at home.

Mistakes may have been made in New Zealand, as they are invariably made elsewhere, but Mr Rodriguez’s attack on New Zealand umpires was vicious and completely unwarranted. His suggestion that the West Indies were “set up” and that there was “no way we could win a test” conjures up the extraordinary image of men of such integrity as Bob Vance, Walter Hadlee and Graham Dowling going in to secret meeting with our test umpires to give them their instructions. It would be funny, if it were not so sad.

The' West Indies board may do very little to set

things to rights, although there is always hope that sanity might prevail. There is not much prospect, either, of the International Cricket Conference offering anything practical to improve a sorry situation.

The I.C.C. does not meet until August, a later date than usual. It is possible that the protection of umpires will be discussed, but there will be a natural reluctance to damage the image of the game by giving umpires power to warn and then perhaps dismiss players for offensive behaviour. Any such changes ;n the playing conditions can only be introduced in August, . and would have to wait another year for implementation. Mild recriminations • may be issued. The 1.C.C., however, will probably be more deeply engaged in the very tricky question of whether Sri Lanka’s application for full membership and test status should be accepted, and with the move to readmit South Africa as a test cricket nation.

There are implications, with both of these proposals, which will demand the wisdom of Solomon if they are to be solved. The discussions, however, are months away.

It would be of very great and immediate service to the conduct of cricket if the West Indies board, this week, took some positive steps.

The possibility is not a strong one.