West Indies Cricket, Once The World Beaters, Now Struggling To Reclaim Its Glory What Went Wrong?

West Indies Cricket was a formidable team that would strike fear in the minds of opponents with their fiery pace attack and dominant batting line-up.

The Caribbean team from the early 1970s to the 1990s reigned supreme in world cricket, producing legends Clive Lloyd, Andy Roberts, Michael Holding, Malcolm Mashal, Joel Garner, Gordon Greenidge, Joel Garner, Desmond Haynes, Lawrence Rowe, Curtley Ambrose, and Courtney Walsh, and remained unbeaten in Test series for 15 years, setting an unprecedented standard of excellence.

However, over the last several years, there has been a steady and then rapid decline in West Indies Cricket. The Caribbean hit a new low in Test Cricket, with 27 all out against Australia in the recently concluded 3rd Test at Sabina Park in Jamaica. This marked their lowest total and the second lowest for New Zealand's 26 against England in 1955 in the history of Test Cricket.

West Indies Cricket Hit Rock Bottom

West Indies Cricket has been enduring a steady downfall for a decade, marked by a series of disappointing performances, reflecting the deeper challenges that have plagued the team in recent years. Over the past 10 years, the Caribbean side has had only two iconic moments - the T20 World Cup Triumph in 2016 and a historic The Gabba win in 2024.

These rare highs, however, have been few and far between, as the team continues to grapple with inconsistencies in batting, a lack of pace depth, and an overdependence on sporadic individual brilliance rather than sustained team performance. The recently concluded three-match Test series, where West Indies were whitewashed by Australia at home, was a stark reminder of the widening gap with elite teams.

The third and final Test of the series had sent shockwaves through the cricketing world, not just because of the 27 all out, but it also underlined the alarming erosion of batting technique, temperament, and fighting spirit that once defined West Indies Cricket.

The setback of the recently concluded Test series against Australia was such that the West Indies Cricket President, Dr. Kishore Shallow, called on an 'emergency meeting' and sent invitations to the past legends like Clive Lloyd, Vivian Richards, and Brian Lara to participate in a high-level discussion aimed at reviving West Indies cricket.

West Indies Cricket is currently in a situation where they need to prevent the team from further downward spiral by rebuilding the foundation of their cricketing ecosystem that once defined the Caribbean team.

What Went Wrong for the Once-Dominant Team in the World?

The West Indies was once a team that would beat any team on any day, but over time, things have gone wrong for the Caribbean, plagued by underlying and concerning issues that chipped away at their dominance, leaving the search for direction and identity in international cricket.

Former captain and all-rounder Carl Hooper believed certain decisions and changes were the reasons behind the West Indies' humiliating series whitewash at the hands of Australia at home.

“Cricket West Indies, I really think a few heads should roll for this because they've made some decisions and this is the result of those decisions,” Hooper told ABC Sports.

“They've made some wholesale changes, massive changes, that I think wasn't needed.

“To make wholesale changes and then get results like this, Cricket West Indies have got to hold up their hands and be held accountable,” he added.

"It's so disappointing. I'm angry, I'm upset." 🏏💔A dejected Carl Hooper ponders over the future of West Indies cricket after they were skittled for just 27 runs against Australia in Jamaica.🌴Read more: listen app: #WIvAUS twitter/GaxyVvtW4D

- ABC SPORT (@abcsport) July 15, 2025

Before the Test series against Australia, the West Indies Cricket appointed Roston Chase as their new captain after Kriagg Baithawite stepped down from the role, a move that raised eyebrows across the cricketing fraternity, given Chase's limited leadership experience and turbulent state of the team.

Disconnect Between Players and Board

The decline of West Indies Cricket has a lot to do with the disconnection between players and the board. The players have been operating in an environment where communication has broken down, trust has eroded, lack of clarity regarding their roles, expectations, and long-term vision.

Players and the West Indies Cricket Board have often not gotten along with each other, with the rift dating back to the mid-2000s. In 2009, the first-choice team protested against the board by boycotting the home Test series against Bangladesh due to a dispute over contracts and salaries. Famously, in 2014, West Indies players left home midway through their India tour due to the payment structure with the board.

Following the T20 World Cup triumph in 2016, West Indies skipper, now head coach, Darren Sammy openly criticized the board for their lack of support throughout the team's campaign and felt 'disrespected'.

St. Lucians are protesting over the exclusion of 2-time WT20 winning captain, Darren Sammy, from T20I squad. #WIvIND twitter/bzdQYE1vqh

- Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) August 10, 2016

Over the last decade and a half, there has been a disconnection between the players, the board, and the regional associations, leading to a fractured ecosystem that has failed to nurture emerging talent, maintain players' morale, and failure to build a united national set-up capable of competing with top-tier teams.

The lack of communication and respect between Cricket West Indies and its players has strengthened a toxic culture of mistrust and instability.

Losing Out On Talented Players to Franchise T20 Leagues

West Indies cricket players have been looking for opportunities in the franchise T20 leagues, given the lucrative contracts they offer. The salary that the West Indies provide to the players often pales in comparison to what they can offer in global T20 leagues, which leads to difficulty in retaining their top-tier players.

The Caribbean players accept lucrative contracts from franchise T20 leagues across the globe, not just because of better pay, but because of survival, as they struggle with inconsistent national contracts, long-term security, and minimal support from the board. The majority of the players are looking to make enough money before retirement in order to secure their future and support their families, especially in the absence of a robust financial system by Cricket West Indies.

Recently, former T20I skipper Nicholas Pooran retired from international cricket at the age of 29, which says a lot about the growing disappointment towards representing the national team and the allure of more rewarding and structured opportunities in franchise cricket.

The top West Indies players, including the likes of Pooran, Andre Russell, Kieron Pollard, Chris Gayle, and others, have made a conscious shift towards prioritizing franchise T20 leagues over national duty, driven by better pay, consistent playing opportunities, and a more professional setup compared to Cricket West Indies.

Lost Generation of Potential Stars

Additionally, the West Indies have often lost talented players to other sports, like basketball and baseball, by moving out of their country in search of better opportunities, a more stable career, and stronger institutional support.

The talented players, who were supposed to be destined to represent the West Indies, instead chose different careers with greater financial support and world-class infrastructure, further depleting the talented pool of players in the Caribbean Islands. The majority of players, who aspired to be cricketers and represented the West Indies, have often looked for survival and better opportunities outside the Caribbean cricketing setup, leading to a lost generation of potential stars.

Xavier Marshall, a former West Indies cricketer who played for the Caribbean team in Tests and ODIs from 2005 and 2009, moved to America and played minor leagues before representing the USA from 2019 to 2021. His story reflects a broader trend of underutilized or disillusioned Caribbean talents, who were not backed by the boards or moved out of the country for better opportunities.

The West Indies cricketers nowadays are looking for survival more than legacy, prioritizing financial security through franchise T20 leagues or other sports over national pride, which has direct consequences of the lack of stability and inconsistent board policies, that have lost the trust among the players.

Will West Indies Cricket Ever Rise Again?

The West Indies Cricket of the past seems to be a bygone era, and reclaiming that lost glory will not require just tactical and structural changes but a complete culture reset in order to gain the trust and faith of the players, robust policies in place to improve the fragile domestic cricket structure, and prioritizing long-term players' development.

Given that the West Indies Cricket has been in a downward spiral over the last several years, any resurrection requires commitment from the board to deep-rooted issues that led to the downfall of the once-dominant team in world cricket.

Recently, Cricket West Indies President Dr. Kishore Shallow called for an emergency meeting following the Test series debacle at home against Australia and sent the invitations to the former captains, Clive Lloyd, Sir Vivian Richards, and Brian Lara, in an effort to involve legendary voices to set a roadmap for the revival of the Caribbean team.

However, the road to revival is long and fraught with challenges, requiring not just symbolic gestures but also concrete, sustained efforts across administrations, the grassroots level, and player welfare to restore pride, competitiveness, and identity of the West Indies on the global stage.

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