Hi Paoli, I am fully aware that WI have 3 batsmen who average over 40 with one just below that mark. I am also aware of Bangladesh and Zimbabwe not having any.

I am also aware of the ponential speeds some of our bowlers can acheive but I am also aware that whilst pace used effectively is a potent weapon, I am aware that all of our bowlers are not consistent enough. I would rather ahve a bowler bowling tight, wicket taking stuff at 75-85 mph than one bowling dross with the occasional good ball at 85-95mph.

I have never been in doubt about the talent of the players in the WI team./squad.

But I have also never been in doubt about the fact that talent alone will not make you a Test player.

I could stay here all day with you and talk about talented 14-18 year old I have seen at cricket (and football too).

And then what happens to those guys later on when they fail to get the support in "stepping up"??

Marlon Samuels is extremely talented.

Dwayne Smith is dripping with talent. So much that, in fact, when he gets out bowled or lbw hitting across the line again and again, it can drive a big man to tears.

But you can't blame him fully as as much as he trains, the FC cricket he faces is not demanding enough to punish him continually for this defect as international cricket is.

The list of talented young WI cricketers who hit the scene and are called "the future" is there to see.

Ricardo Powell and Marlon Samuels hit 100s vs India and looked promising.

Bravo was promising and where is he now.

Edwards looked promising. Lawson looked promising once.

When I say these guys are not good enough. I am not saying they can't play but they are not good enough to consistently maintain the high standard needed to succeed at the highest level.

A team that gets relegated from the Premier League may have talent in it, but over the season, they were not good enough for the task of staying up.

The same can be said for WI with regards to being a consistently competent Test side.

They may "win" a session or have a good day's cricket but very rarely will they be able to string it together for a whole game.

I am not dissing them, I am calling it as I see it.


First off, the WI board has had loads of money in its time and somehow wastes it.

I will leave it there lest W-A-T be sued

Now, whose fault is it that there are hardly any bowling machines in the WI???

You are countering an argument I have never made.

As I say above, I have always admitted I have seen talent in WI players (at all levels) but not the requisite amount of SUPPORT for them needed to move an "aspiring amatuer" to a "proficient professional".

I have stated many times before on this board of a lack of facilities and lack of structure to the game.

And I also have been critical of people who resort to the false "everyone is into American sports" and "the players are more concerned with bling than the win" arguments because not only are they patronising and woefully steroetypical, they allow those who should be put on the rack i.e. the administrators etc.. to hide behind these excuses, which is what they are, and do very little.

And if Mr Stanford does bring much needed funds into the game, I do hope it trickles through to those who need it and is used wisely, however, i won't jump up and done until I see it as the history of West Indian people is littered with foreigners bearing gifts and promises that fail to materialise into anything positive.