Robert Craddock: The West Indies’ sad descent from near invincibility

Once upon a time, the West Indies were the envy of the cricket world. ROBERT CRADDOCK examines how a side close to invincible entered terminal decline.

It’s 40 years this November since Kim Hughes resigned as Test captain, his side ravaged by a West Indian outfit who played like they would never lose a series.

Eventually they did lose a series – but it wasn’t for another 11 years after a shattered Hughes was replaced by Allan Border.

In all, the wonderful Windies, powered by the likes of Viv Richards and Malcolm Marshall, marched unbeaten through 29 series from 1980-95 before Mark Taylor’s men dethroned them in the West Indies.

Back then the 15-year “wall’’ they constructed seemed stunning. As the decades pass the depth of wonderment at what they achieved has only been enhanced by the modest fare which followed it.

The astonishing thing is not so much how far the Windies have fallen but how on earth they managed to reach such heights in the first place given their team was the sum total of a group of island nations bonded by cricket and not much else.

The king, Sir Vivian Richards. Picture: Getty Images

After the final day of the series in Jamaica in 1995, I was walking past a silent and shattered West Indian dressing room and the curiosity of what lay inside got the better of me.

The Windies room was no place for a foreign visitor but I couldn’t help myself. I opened the door – just for five seconds – to see what it looked like when the walls to a fortress had been torn down.

The image that lives on was of the great fast man Curtly Ambrose, sitting silently still and alone, head back, eyes closed and face grimacing with the special sort of agony that comes with being on duty when someone steals your crown jewels … not that it was his fault.

That was what losing meant to the mighty Windies back then. Now they have become accustomed to it.

Since that day the West Indies went into a terminal decline from which there seems no chance of a meaningful recovery entering Wednesday’s first Test against Australia in Adelaide.

In 1995, the only hint of the decline to come came from a Trinidad journalist who, speaking as he watched a West Indies second XI featuring a modest cast of up and comers play Australia said, “behind the big boys our talent is poor … there has been no planning.’’

Australia brought an empire crashing down in 1995. Picture: Shaun Botterill/Allsport

Since losing in 1995 the Windies have lost 10 and drawn one of their 11 series against Australia, losing every Test (15 in total) in their last seven series against the world champions.

It’s a shame that they have fallen so far because even in this unpretentious touring party to Australia there are some inspiring stories.

In a fascinating list of profiles on the West Indian players released on Cricbuzz on the weekend, journalist Bharat Sundaresan revealed the remarkable story of Guyanese batsman Kevin Sinclair who grew up in poverty and would go to school hungry and would find a meal only due to the kindness of a canteen worker.

Then there’s Barbados fast bowler Akeen Jordan who used to have Jofra Archer sleep on his floor when they were battling young quicks.

Kerry Packer used to try and lure the West Indies to Australia every year because he knew big names meant big ratings which translated into big bucks.

Now it’s the opposite. Australia has not toured the West Indies for 10 years.

The two sides have played only two Tests against each other in seven years, leaving fans with fading memories of a generation we will never see the like of again.

Originally published as Robert Craddock: The West Indies’ sad descent from near invincibility