The problem might be money. I expect Oz cricketers get paid well, maybe better than the footballers - I don't know for sure.

In the Caribbean, teenage basketball players and footballers can at least hope to earn large sums of money (for them) when they get older in some foreign club if they are good enough. For cricketers, the best they can get is a place in a Conglomerate team where even the last remaning bastion of pride in representing one's own country is rather vague. No wonder Caribbean cricket is going downhill.

Not at base level

Nor at high level football at least (aussie rules) rules supreme for payment.

At state level most players need supplementary income, eg a county contract or in Stuart Clark's former case selling real estate.

ACB base contracts are 100-120K + each Ponting and Warne probably around 500K each.

Best Aussie rules contracts eg.Chris Judd around 850K-1 mill pa

Now i did'nt see the first day, but the commentators have mentioned a few time that the wicket had a bit in it on the first day.

Greame Smith won the toss and bowled. Perhaps it was a bad toss to lose.

The wicket is dead flat now, but it must be said that it does have a fair bit of bounce and pace in it. Their best hope today was to make inroads with the new ball, but they somewhat wasted it. The S.A bats were too far on top anyway.

If they can hold out tomorrow, rain is forecasted for day 5, so their is still some slim hope for them at least

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The thought police are everywhere..............

And is the potential that if a professional football or basketball club spots you, you could be taken away to a potential life of riches, a new thing?

Of course not.

Footballers have been leaving the Caribbean from the 1930s. The NBA has always been there. However, whilst a significant number of footballers have left and played in Europe's better football leagues any West Indians in America playing their sports are nearly all those who emigrated there very young or children of West Indian immigrants.

Basketball is not the reason for the decline of West Indies cricket.

I'm sorry, it's just that simple.

Many of the reasons for the decline of our cricket are also the reasons for the decline in our society in general.

OK, but in what way? Society has "declined" all over the world depending on one's perspective. In what way are the Caribbeans different? Certainly, the colourful "West Indianism" that they were once famous for does seem to be sadly on the wane, both with players and to a lesser extent the spectators, but whether that is the cause or the effect of the decline in their cricket is something I would like to know.

It seems to me to be a results thing:

Gayle, Chanderpaul, Sarwan - all good batsmen (Samuels is also decent),
Bravo is a good allrounder,
Taylor and Edwards could both be very good bowlers.

Maybe not the greats of old but this team should be competing better.

I agree; in fact, Sarwan and Gayle have the potential to be better but they they don't seem to try hard enough. With the exception of Chanderpaul, the entire team give the impression of a half-hearted effort. Gayle is probably worst of the lot in concentration stakes; he sometimes seems to be in a world of his own.

What's with all the doom and gloom here??? I thought they played extremely well in the second Test, they lost a new ball bowler and Jerome Taylor missed a crucial session of the match. Bravo in particular bowled one of the gutsiest spells I've ever seen with his 3/46 off 24 back breaking overs. They have begun to bat with discipline, the 404 in the first match, they really worked hard for that and fought off a variety of attacks from a very talented (if a little underwhelming) RSA attack. There will be bumps along the way, but to me there is little doubt that something is happening in this team that is building a steely, gutsy resolve. I can see them being at New Zealand's level in three or four years - a difficult team to take down at home, and capable of the odd surprise on the road. I would be very surprised, having watched this series closely, if it was seven years before the Windies won another road Test against meaningful opposition.

clwalcott, with the possible exception of Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, almost every team is hard to beat at home. Take Sri Lanka for instance, absolute monsters in Sri Lanka, tame pussycats away from home. saying that the West Indies need to improve so it's possible to win at home doesn't fill many West Indies fans with hope!

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Frank Skinner: "You know when Glenn McGrath trod on that cricket ball? Don't you wish it would've been a landmine?"

I understand that Test cricket offers the most dramatic home field advantage of any sport, but the Windies have not really been a tough out at home lately, sadly. Results in their last six home series against relevant teams.

Lost 0-1 to India (4 Tests)
Drew 1-1 to Pakistan (2 Tests)
Lost 0-2 to South Africa (4 Tests)
Lost 0-4 to England (4 Tests)
Lost 0-3 to England (4 Tests)
Won 1-0 against Sri Lanka (2 Tests)
Lost 1-3 to Australia (4 Tests)

That's a 3/14/7 win/loss/draw record - hardly a tough out!