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By Will 5 years ago, at the end of June Add your comment below
Sir Garfield, also known as Sir Garry, said: “We had no pads and played in the road.
“That is how we learnt our skills – you learn to put the bat to the ball and keep your body well out of the way.”
“But they are no longer playing in the street and on the beaches. They seem to have lost this art and that is where they are failing. If we don’t pick them up in the car then they don’t turn up.
“If they don’t have pads and a helmet and a rolled wicket they will not play. And that has led to the downfall of West Indian cricket.”
A sobering thought from one of cricket’s greats. I can’t help thinking basketball and American TV has had an adverse effect too, though. And it wasn’t too long ago that a trip to the West Indies meant almost certain loss, humiliation and/or being stretchered off the pitch. How times can change – and quickly, too.
Tags: caribbean, garfield-sobers, standards, west-indies |
Not a problem with just Windies cricket, I would say. Happening everywhere, definitely happening here in India too. Hope it doesn’t break the back of my favourite sport.
Yes, I agree with basketball and American TV too. One reason I am so afraid if cricket catches up in America. They would make their own rules and lure all the talent with money.. spoiling the great game.
Happening in India too, Anoop? Which other sport has been the culprit to lure people away from Cricket?
It isn’t as serious as it is there. Cricket has a strong foundation, so not much threat in the short term.
But slowly but surely Football (soccer) is coming up.. and so is Formula One & Tennis. So far cricket could take everything for granted, not any more. One good example is, there is a school level sports quiz show on TV hosted by the cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle. Watching the show it is quite evident that nowadays the kids know more about the English Premier League than the Ashes! Sigh.. that was unthinkable even two years ago!
(nothing against soccer or anything, it needs to come up too. but i just hope cricket can stay on too)
In fact, I would believe that the game is too popular in India, if there can be such thing. Most of us are lament how there is nothing but cricket in the sporting lexicon of the average Indian. The problem might be that the popularity is a little skewed in terms of star-followings, entertainment and less of traditional ‘following a sport’.Which of course, is a much larger topic.
I don’t see the world popularity of cricket outliving the Indian interest in it. But if tennis, F1 and football were to actually threaten cricket’s hegemony in India,…well, it can only be a good thing.
“are lament”??? sheesh, i have got to get me spectacles.
I do agree. Never said it is a bad thing that other sports are coming up. Just one olympic medal for 1 billion people is not really impressive, people do blame cricket for that. But I just that I’m a bit pained to see that the foundations of cricket are starting to shake. 
Will, basketball may have lured some West Indian youngsters, but being a keen NBA fan, I can tell you I haven’t seen too many from the West Indies either at the NBA or the collegiate level. There is the odd Patrick Ewing – and he made it when WI ruled cricket. I think this idea may be a smokescreen.
I tend to agree with AKR about cricket in India – it is too pervasive and star oriented. I’m not sure what percentage of kids in India actually play proper cricket – as opposed to ‘timepass’ cricket with a tennis ball. Badminton, for example, used to be a sport where India had some success – it is disappearing at the grassroots level. Luckily, Sania Mirza has emerged to fill Paes/Bhupathi’s boots (hopefully).
I cant cay that cricket is loosing its popularity in Pakistan, but the game is getting hurt by but not only American sports are to blame cricket authorities have big hand into it. Good sign for me is England winning the ashes last year that really boosted cricket in England. I hope Windies would win the worl cup in 2K7 that would definitely help the cause there.
The street cricket is popular in pakistan especially with the tennis ball. But the benefit is reverse in this case. Pakistan is getting more fast bowlers due to using the tennis ball cover with tapes. The batsmen playing with tape ball are less productive in the real cricket environment. Moreover cannot produce the spinners through tape ball or soft ball cricket.
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