Michael Holding lambasts the WICB, calls it 'dysfunctional'
Legendary West Indies bowler, and the man who earned the surname ‘Whispering Death,’ Michael Holding, has shunned the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), labelling it as ‘dysfunctional’ and ‘untrustworthy,’ while holding them responsible for the dire state that West Indies cricket finds itself in.
West Indies cricket has been mired with disasters of late, with the relationship between the players and the board on a slide, which has also reflected upon the team’s performances, as it has not won a Test on foreign soil against any of the major Test nations since 2007.
Holding warned that West Indies cricket will only deteriorate if changes are not made to the body that governs it. It is reported that the WICB isn’t ready to accept the Caribbean Community’s (CARICOM) recommendations, that calls for an immediate dissolution of the board.
The move by the WICB was anybody’s guess, but the scathing attacks from the current and former cricketers- who hold the board responsible for the decline in the West Indies cricket- are likely to continue.
The CARICOM cricket sub-committee addressed the governance structure of the WICB as ‘antiquated,’ ‘obselete’ and ‘anachronistic.’
"As for the state of West Indies cricket, that will only get worse as long as this current crop of board members remain there and the structure and culture remains the same," Holding said.
"You cannot have a healthy productive employee workforce while the employer is dysfunctional, untrustworthy and not liked by the employees."
The sensitive relations between the board and the players took a tragic turn when the West Indies squad, led by Dwayne Bravo, boycotted an ongoing tour of India, with an ODI, two T20s and three Tests still to be played.
In response, the WICB sacked Dwayne Bravo from the captaincy and excluded him and Kieron Pollard from the World Cup squad, despite the taskforce appointed by the WICB to look into the dispute recommending the need to ‘build pillars of trust with the players.’
The reason for this was slated to be the new contracts furnished to the players that dented a massive hole in their pockets. The payment issue was further highlighted by their all-rounder Andre Russell who said that playing just for the Windies wasn’t enough to meet his expenses, while defending his choice to play domestic T20 leagues in lieu of Test cricket for the country.
The humiliation continued in Hobart as well, as the Caribbeans capitulated to an innings and 212-run defeat against the Aussies, in what has been a winless streak of 29 Tests against a major Test nation away from home.