Lara, Lloyd and Richards called into emergency talks after West Indies disaster
By Tom Decent
Kingston: A full-blown cricket crisis has erupted in the Caribbean following a humiliating batting collapse against Australia in Kingston, with Cricket West Indies president Dr Kishore Shallow calling an emergency meeting involving three of the game’s most iconic batsmen in Sir Vivian Richards, Brian Lara and Sir Clive Lloyd.
The West Indies endured one of the darkest days in their cricketing history when they were rolled for just 27 in 14.3 overs in the third Test, with seven players making ducks.
Mitchell Starc finished with extraordinary figures of 6-9, while Scott Boland became just the 10th Australian man to claim a Test hat-trick.
In a statement released on Tuesday - a day after West Indies slumped to their third consecutive Test defeat in the Frank Worrell Trophy - Shallow said the result was unacceptable.
“Like every West Indian cricket fan, I felt the pain of our recent Test defeat to Australia. The result hurts deeply, not only because of how we lost, but because of what West Indies cricket has always represented to our people,” Shallow said.
“There will be some sleepless nights ahead for many of us, including the players, who I know feel this loss just as heavily. But while disappointment is natural, we must not allow this moment to define our journey.
West Indies’ Brandon King is bowled by Australia’s Mitchell Starc on the third and final day of the Test in Jamaica.Credit: AP
“Now is not the time to turn away. Now is the time to stand even closer as a people. These are the moments that shape us.”
To address the fallout, Shallow has convened an emergency meeting and reached out to a trio of legendary batters to try and help reverse the West Indies’ fortunes.
“As an immediate step, I have advised the Chair of the Cricket Strategy and Officiating Committee to convene an emergency meeting to review the recent Test series against Australia, particularly the final match,” Shallow said.
“To strengthen the discussions, I have extended invitations to three of our greatest batsmen ever: Sir Clive Lloyd, Sir Vivian Richards and Brian Lara. They will join past greats Dr. Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Dr. The Most Honourable Desmond Haynes and Ian Bradshaw, who already serve on the committee.
“This engagement is not ceremonial. These are men who helped define our golden eras, and their perspectives will be invaluable as we shape the next phase of our cricket development. We intend for this gathering to result in tangible, actionable recommendations.
“Consistent with my message over the last weeks, this is a moment that calls for collaboration, not division. We need everyone on board: fans, players, coaches, legends, and administrators, if we are to truly move forward.”
As reported by this masthead last week, there are currently no future Test matches scheduled between Australia and the West Indies, despite higher-profile series against England and India already locked in the calendar.
Windies captain Roston Chase, who labelled the Kingston performance “embarrassing”, was asked whether Australia should continue touring the Caribbean given the lopsided nature of the results.
Australia’s Scott Boland celebrates after taking the wicket of West Indies’ Jomel Warrican to complete a hat-trick.Credit: AP
“I would love Australia to keep coming back” Chase said. “Australia seems to set quite the benchmark for Test cricket, so once you can play against them and compete or even beat them, you know that you’re on the way to becoming a good Test team. I thought that we were neck and neck until the last innings in each game.
“I expected it to be tough, especially coming against the No.1 team in the world. Having said that, all Test cricket is tough, so we always up for the challenge.”
West Indies had moments in the Barbados and Grenada Tests where they looked capable of pinching an upset but lacked a world-class batsman to steer them to victory in a fourth innings.
“Every game has been fairly tight and then we’ve managed to get away from them at the end,” said Australian skipper Pat Cummins. “It’s a bit hard to make [out] how they went, but for most part I thought we played pretty well.”