January 30, 2013 at 5:54 p.m.
Who is to blame and what can be done to fix cricket?
David Gibbons: I think that Bermuda had everything going wrongly for it going into that competition, which unfortunately led to us being comprehensively embarrassed yet again in the Caribbean. Many of our preferred players had other commitments such as the U-19 World Cup, others were studying abroad.
On top of that, Bermuda's team had no proper preparation. No game exposure under the lights, the National Sports Centre remains dormant, the team only went to Jamaica for practice games the week before the competition! How do you expect to be competitive against teams that have been seriously training for the past few months?
Also, we've had players suspended from competition for disciplinary reasons in the BCB league; add to that certain players have been omitted because they failed drug tests. That's wholly regrettable; it seems like a total waste of time to have these persons take part in national team training and then they've disqualified themselves.
Going forward, and that's if Mr. Stanford decides to invite us back after that debacle, the team's preparation needs to improve substantially. Perhaps Bermuda could do with an out-of-season 20/20 league, a la the ISL, which will get players much needed exposure to night conditions in a game setting. However I don't think Bermuda should let 20/20 dominate the goals of the BCB which should be to qualify for the next men's World Cup and get back to two- or three-day cricket matches.
If the BCB has the ability and the funds it should consider pushing for rejoining the regional one-day competition. Bermuda hasn't played any one-day or first class matches in a while, and with the next ICC Trophy looming, there's no substitute for quality matches.
George Holdipp: It is unfortunate but I am convinced that for any substantial change to take place in Bermuda cricket - the man at the top has to go - the buck stops with Reggie Pearman but yet again under his watch Bermuda cricket has been humiliated Worldwide! Pearman must hand over the reigns to Allen Richardson immediately, that is the only way Bermuda cricket will progress as long as Pearman is in charge Bermuda cricket will continue to go downhill fast!
Don Burgess: David hit part of the problem right on the head. We were missing a variety of players who would have helped give the team a better account of themselves in this tournament.
We had three or four at the U-19 World Cup; We had three missing because of drug tests; We had some, like Kevin Hurdle, who couldn't get off from work; Janeiro Tucker was suspended; We had more than several players who opted not to take part for whatever reason.
Even withstanding that, several of the batsmen did not play with the urgency that is required for this format of the game. 10 runs in 10 overs would be slow by Test standards, yet alone in the 20-20 version of cricket.
Several of Bermuda's players weren't in good enough shape. There were times when we should have been getting twos and having to settle for one because of the poor physical condition of some of the players.
Saleem Mukuddem: The problem is two fold. 1 is administrative in nature and the other relates to players.
If we knew about ALL the problems/excuses before hand. Why did we not respectfully decline to participate in the tournament. What were the possible upside? Beating Guyana, lets get serious. Bermuda with a much stronger team could not beat Jamaica. How much did it cost the BCB to send a team to Antigua. Accommodation in Jamaica, lost wages etc. It all adds up. Could the money not have been spent in a better cause?
Why no local matches?
Why a warm up against powerhouse Jamaica? 1 week before the tournament. How can anybody improve in one week.
As for the players/coaches:
No offence, but I have seen most of the u 19's in action. They would not have made any difference to the score last night. Against quality opposition they too would crumble. They have youth on their side and with them though you have something to work with. It will take a lot of work over a long period of time. We should not fool ourselves into thinking that Bermuda will qualify for the next world cup if things remain unchanged. We keep saying things will get better. But when? When hell freezes over if you ask me.
What was apparent last night is that Sluggo is at least 100 lbs overweight and along with several other players should be given an ultimatum. Lose weight get fit or else you will not be picked to represent Bermuda. Irvine cannot play spin and his running between the wickets was a shambles. Lionel talks too much and thinks too little. His comments to Mike Haysman .."You know me I love to beat the ball". Anyone can score runs or take wickets against Caymans or Argentineans. There are a few players who do not belong there at their current skill level. In time and given the right training they might be able to challenge for a position in the future. One has to question the mindset of the players. In a 20-20 match Ryan Steede coming in at No 7 and getting a 10 ball duck was not very good. The commentators cheered when Traddie swung the bat to show his intent to hit the ball. Sluggo came out and was content on blocking. Why? These weaknesses have been there for a while and are the coaches oblivious to seeing these. What is being done? What has been done since July 2005? Now if the player does not want to change then that is a different story. Work with what you can. Make training attendance records public. Traddie and Aparicio and Hempie looked good. What do they have in common? None of them have Bermudian status. I am saying this to highlight a serious comment made by one of the senior players in the current team stating that these guys have to perform or work harder because they are expats. If this is the view of a senior member of the current team then what hope does the next generation have of succeeding or bringing a superior and more professional work ethic to the game.
Lorenzo Tucker: What factors contributed to this embarrassing performance?
a ) Unlucky draw
- Last year powerhouse Jamaica and this year defending champions Guyana. The players selected are better than they showed but the class of bowling exposed fundamental flaws. We would have looked a lot better had we played Cayman Islands or Bahamas.
b ) No proper preparation.
- It has been well documented about having no field to train on, only indoor net sessions, no practice matches (just 3 matches the week of the tournament).
c ) Sending below strength team.
- Due to suspensions, failed drug tests and unavailability of players we were forced to select the best of what was left. This has been a problem facing Bermuda for many years in terms of team selection. The tour of Holland/Ireland was the same.
d) Stage fright / Lack of Confidence
- Only three out of the four players on the team had played on that big stage last year. Players did not back their ability to play positive cricket.
James Whittaker: How big do you think 20/20 is going to become in the Caribbean on the back of Stanford's investment?
It's not everyone's favourite format but should Bermuda be taking it more seriously, given that there could be a professional league, financed by Stanford, in the Caribbean in the very near future?
GH: If Stanford continues to pour the kind of money he is doing at present into it, of course it will become very big. Already it appears West Indian cricketers are showing more interest in Stanford's competition than playing for the West Indies, hardly surprising when you compare the financial rewards. Unfortunately I believe 20/20 will do more harm than good to West Indian cricket in the long run. It encourages 'bad' cricket, for instance hitting across the line and suicidal running between the wickets. Just wait until the competition is over and West Indies have to get back to the serious business of playing 'real' cricket against Australia and Sri Lanka, they will take some serious licks! I don't think Bermuda should take this format of the game too seriously at all, I believe we should keep our young players as far away from it as possible and use only mature players in this form of the game. Our selectors need to think outside of the box when selecting a 20/20 team, in my opinion there is room for players like Charlie Marshall, Dexter Basden, Glenn Blakeney, Dean Minors and George O'Brien in this form of the game. In fact I believe Charlie Marshall should have captained Bermuda's team in this year's competition.
DB: Dean couldn't get off work, Glenn has 'retired' from international cricket and George was 'unavailable' for this tournament. That was part of the problem - we must have had close to 15 players unavailable for whatever reason. Mind you, we probably wouldn't have won, but at least they wouldn't have produced the record low-score.
GH: Funny Don that is not what Glenn told me a couple of weeks ago, he told me that when approached he was available for the 20/20!
SM: Players must want to play. If we know the truth behind some of the selection issues then we might be less forgiving. If the BCB makes timely communications as to who failed the drug tests instead of dodging the question then we know which players to exclude from our discussions. If players were honest with the public then we would not have to hide behind the "I have to work excuse". The players you mentioned Charlie, Glenn etc must WANT to play for Bermuda. And not simply play because the public wants them to play. The BCB missed a very good opportunity to give those players a good send off. I do agree the likes of Charlie, Glenn, Dennis Archer, Dean Minors, Kwame Tucker, good servants of Bermuda cricket could have played. Call them Bermuda's legends if you will. They definitely would not have done any worse.
I do agree with George that 20-20 is NOT a place to learn any sort of skill and is very bad for the development of the game. Lionel Cann summed it up in his comment to Mike Haysman in saying that he is here to entertain the crowd. If Bermuda's cricketers want to be entertainers then they should join the circus.
JW: Are there some players that prefer the almost cult status that comes from not playing and having the public assume that the team would have done better if they had been there to actually representing their country and risking facing the music along with the rest of the team?
There must be about 30 players that didn't play at the weekend - for a variety of reasons. And they are the only ones that come out of this looking good. Now they can say, 'we wouldn't have got beat like that, if I was there'.
The guys that were actually willing (if not exactly able) to play for their country are the ones that cop the flak. But how many players turned down the chance to play - either by explicitly refusing to play or by not turning up to training? Aren't they equally culpable?
SM: I agree with JW 100 per cent. I feel for SOME of the players who did play. They did not perform badly deliberately. You have to blame the system. I am not blaming the players especially not the ones who DID put in the effort to show up at training and try to improve. If you are not good enough then it up to the coaching staff to make sure that you improve. You can only do your best. Now if you are lazy and think that you can flick a switch and play at a higher level and then you don't then I have a problem with that. Training sessions need to be scrutinized and keep track of a little better. I also agree it is easier to sit on the side and ponder on what could of happened if you played. The selectors need to communicate who are the players who have been included in the squad, make available training records and justify why someone was picked or why someone was left out.
Some players have had enough time and money invested in them to show improvement. It is with these individuals that I am disappointed.
LT: Players adapt to situations. Did 50 overs cricket ruin the technique and discipline it takes to play at test level? NO - because players if they're worth anything adapt. 20-20 is fast paced, exciting and evens the playing field, which makes for entertaining cricket. The ICC has embraced it with the first ever 20-20 World Cup so Bermuda will have to get on board and change with the times or get left behind.
I read in today's RG that Bermuda cricket is in shambles. Huh? Didn't we quality for the men's world cup with realistically only about 50 players capable of playing at a high level? Didn't we qualify for U19s world cup with a team playing against heavily favorites Canada in their backyard. Didn't we win the Americas Cup for the first time last year? Didn't we win the best development program in the Americas? 2 heavy defeats in a 20-20 tournament played during our off-season with not our best players and the whole program is in ruins. So next year if we draw Bahamas and beat them is all well again?
The big problem is Bermudians expectations. We qualify for the World Cup as an associate team and will now be playing against professionals. Cricket is given 11 million dollars to aid the preparations for the world cup and development of the game. So now we're all of a sudden supposed to beat India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka??? Until you see it you have no idea of the level these professional teams are playing at. Did we play as well as we're capable, NO, but the opposition had a lot to do with it.
In the 20-20 we took a stronger team last year and was embarrassed by Jamaica and this year we take a weaker team and were embarrassed by defending champions Guyana. Hmmm - maybe it's the opposition we're playing. Is it possible they are that much better? I may be wrong but some of these teams have former and current test players representing them and we have one professional who most didn't even want on the team. Would we react this way if the Bermuda basketball team qualifies for the Olympics, get 20 million from government and then lose by 90 points to the USA? - Probably yes. it would be a shambles, embarrassing right?
DG: Players adapt to situations. Did 50 overs cricket ruin the technique and discipline it takes to play at test level? NO - because players if they're worth anything adapt. 20-20 is fast paced, exciting and evens the playing field, which makes for entertaining cricket. The ICC has embraced it with the first ever 20-20 World Cup so Bermuda will have to get on board and change with the times or get left behind.
I read in today's RG that Bermuda cricket is in shambles. Huh? Didn't we quality for the men's world cup with realistically only about 50 players capable of playing at a high level? Didn't we qualify for U19s world cup with a team playing against heavily favorites Canada in their back yard. Didn't we win the Americas Cup for the first time last year? Didn't we win the best development program in the Americas? 2 heavy defeats in a 20-20 tournament played during our off season with not our best players and the whole program is in ruins. So next year if we draw Bahamas and beat them is all well again?
The big problem is Bermudians expectations. We qualify for the World Cup as an associate team and will now be playing against professionals. Cricket is given 11 million dollars to aid the preparations for the world cup and development of the game. So now we're all of a sudden supposed to beat India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka??? Until you see it you have no idea of the level these professional teams are playing at. Did we play as well as we're capable, NO, but the opposition had a lot to do with it.
In the 20-20 we took a stronger team last year and was embarrassed by Jamaica and this year we take a weaker team and were embarrassed by defending champions Guyana. Hmmm - maybe it's the opposition we're playing. Is it possible they are that much better? I may be wrong but some of these teams have former and current test players representing them and we have one professional who most didn't even want on the team. Would we react this way if the Bermuda basketball team qualify for the Olympics, get 20 million from government and then lose by 90 points to the USA? - probably yes. it would be a shambles, embarrassing right?
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