by D. Victor

Created on: December 07, 2008

The West Indies is an interesting anomaly in the cricket world. It is not a country or federation, but an assembly of tiny English-speaking Caribbean nations that are united primarily by cricket. The West Indies entered Test cricket in 1928; at a time when all of the islands were under the colonial rule of Great Britain.

Up to the early 90's, cricket was a medium through which the specks on the world map could consider themselves a true force. Cricket was even part of the culture of the Caribbean people. A few social commentators have even opined that the mood of a West Indian is indexed to the fortunes of the cricket team.

While cricket in the West Indies has been in the doldrums since 1995, the legacy is remembered by many older regional citizens. After all, many West Indian heroes were forged from this sport. Names like Headley, Ramadhin, Sobers, Richards, Walsh and Lara are widely known and referenced in the cricketing world.

Even the cricket grounds in the West Indies have a rich history and legacy. The Queen's Park Oval, Kensington Oval and Sabina Park have all hosted matches since the entry of the West Indies into test cricket.

Before West Indians grew weary of the trite state of the regional game, cricket was undoubtedly the number one sport in the Caribbean. The prominence of other sports (namely football and basketball) and the post-independence reality led to a new generation of West Indian cricketers emerging.

This breed of cricketers lack awareness of the West Indian cricket history and disrespect the legacy through their indifference and apathy. This translates into indifference that is one of several factors in the on-field misfortunes of the team.

The support for Test cricket in the West Indies is also rapidly declining. Normally when the West Indies plays England or Australia, the oval or park would only have standing room. Now, spectators can select their seats at will and have space for coolers, umbrellas and teddy bears. Only when the shorter versions of the game are played is the hidden support is revealed.

The perception of the West Indies cricket team is that it is the Brazil of cricket. The West Indian style is stereotyped as debonair and carefree. Crowds, not only in the West Indies, enjoyed watching the cavalier style of West Indies batsmen. The West Indies was popular among fans of the traditional powerhouses- England and Australia. Of course, when the West Indies dominated world cricket from 1976 to 1995, they had a few detractors. However,

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