[EXCLUSIVE] "No one gave the West Indies a chance of even being competitive against Australia": Fazeer Mohammed

[MenInG]

In an exclusive interview for PakPassion, acclaimed Trinidadian cricket commentator and journalist, Fazeer Mohammed chats with Saj Sadiq about:

- West Indies thrilling victory over Australia at the Gabba.
- What the win means to West Indies cricket.
- Will the emerging talent in the West Indies get sidetracked with franchise cricket?
- To what extent did the West Indies take inspiration from Pakistan's tour of Australia.
- The lack of equity in world cricket.
- Is this a turning point for West Indies cricket? And much more.

 

[Champ_Pal]

The importance of a match winning paceman in the side is invaluable. Shamar Joseph is a star. His pace and accuracy are a breath of fresh air coming out of West Indies.
Shamar gave us the glimpses of what Curtly Ambrose used to do to opposition batsmen in his glory days.

 

[MenInG]

There is a part in Fazeer's interview where he talks about how his late father would have been proud of watching Windies win - just shows how long Windies have waited for this feeling!

 

[MenInG]

And this was Fazeer's fear when Saj asked about the future for Windies after this win.

"You've got a situation where, if it hasn't happened already, Shamar Joseph and maybe a couple of others will already be getting offers for T20 franchise contracts which will pull them away from West Indies duty and will pay them much more than they could earn playing for the West Indies."

 

[Asad T]

On one hand i'm super excited to see him play in the PSL, on the other hand, I'm scared it will the start of his decline

 

[MenInG]

And this was Fazeer's fear when Saj asked about the future for Windies after this win.

"You've got a situation where, if it hasn't happened already, Shamar Joseph and maybe a couple of others will already be getting offers for T20 franchise contracts which will pull them away from West Indies duty and will pay them much more than they could earn playing for the West Indies."

Fazeer Bhai - guess nothing to worry about!

 

[Asad T]

Fazeer Bhai - guess nothing to worry about!

Let's see—when the USD 400k contracts come in, I'm not so sure he will be able to resist the temptation! We are all humans afterall.

 

[gani999]

Pakistan should ask WI for advice on how to win tests in Australia.

 

[The Bald Eagle]

Pakistan should ask WI for advice on how to win tests in Australia.

It's a pity that Pak couldn't beat Australia.

 

[Saj]

Surprising that Zalmi picked Joseph given he's only played T20 matches in his career.

 

[Saj]

West Indies need a good run of results.

Too often it's been a flash in the pan followed by poor results.

 

[FearlessRoar]

CWI CEO Jonny Grave criticizes ICC, calls for financial support for West Indies cricket

Grave alleged that the cricketing world is actively working to prevent the growth of cricket in the Caribbean. Grave's comments follow two significant events in West Indies cricket in the past year.

Last year, WI suffered a major setback by failing to qualify for the ICC Cricket World Cup for the first time in history. They were defeated by the Netherlands, an associate member of the ICC, in the tournament qualifiers.

The absence of the West Indies team, which had previously dominated the World Cup, was noticeable in India, where West Indies cricketers are immensely popular due to their participation in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

However, the West Indies team bounced back with impressive victories in ODI and T20I series against England, the reigning champions of the ICC T20 World Cup.

Another significant moment in West Indies cricket history occurred when 24-year-old pacer Shamar Joseph delivered a remarkable performance, taking 7/68 and leading WI to their first Test victory on Australian soil in 27 years.

During an interview on the Wisden Cricket Monthly Podcast, Grave expressed his frustration with the notion that "world cricket needs a strong West Indies team" while seemingly working against their progress. He emphasized the need for increased financial support from the cricketing world to help West Indies cricket regain its strength.

Grave highlighted the decline in the Windies' revenue share under the current ICC revenue model, which has dropped to just five percent. He questioned whether the cricketing community is truly acting as a united entity and prioritizing the quality of the sport on the field.

Grave stated, "This frustration stems from the patronizing tone that lan Bishop has mentioned. If we genuinely want a strong West Indies Cricket, it shouldn't be so difficult to provide a little more support. The ICC may claim to be providing more funds, but our percentage of revenue has decreased from seven percent to five percent, which is difficult for us to comprehend."

He concluded by raising the question of whether the cricketing community is solely focused on individual interests or if they are truly working together as a community to deliver the best cricketing experience.

West Indies' next challenge is the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup, which they will co-host with the USA starting from June 1.

They recently competed in a white-ball series against Australia in February, where they faced defeat in both the ODI and T201 series.

In the 2021 T20 World Cup held in Oman and the United Arab Emirates, West Indies managed to secure only one victory and failed to advance the Super 12s stage in the most recent tournament in Australia.

In the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup, West Indies has been placed in Group C alongside New Zealand, Afghanistan, Uganda, and Papua New Guinea. Their first match is scheduled against Papua New Guinea on June 2.

TOI

Cricket West Indies CEO criticizes ICC for lack of financial support | Cricket News - Times of India

Cricket News: Cricket West Indies (CWI) CEO Jonny Grave criticized the International Cricket Council (ICC) for not providing financial support to the board. Grave alleged that the cricketing world is actively working to prevent the growth of cricket in the Caribbean.

www.google.com

 

[BouncerGuy]

Quicks buying in as culture evolves for new-look West Indies

Confidence is building within the West Indies' fast bowling group, according to coach Daren Sammy.

West Indies coach Daren Sammy has praised the efforts of his bowling group following another impressive display on the opening day of the second Test against Australia in Grenada.

The West Indies' pace attack combined to take all 10 Australian wickets on a rain-interrupted day at the National Cricket Stadium on Thursday, with the visitors eventually out for 286 in their first innings before another shower saw stumps called early with the ICC World Test Championship contest evenly poised.

It was the third time this series that the West Indies had dismissed Australia for a below par score and Sammy believes confidence is rising within his bowling group.

"I more look at it like the homework we've done and our bowlers keep challenging the top-order," Sammy said after the opening day's play in Grenada.

"I mean (bowling coach) Ravi Rampaul ever since he has come in the culture we tried to change and it's more importantly the way the bowlers are buying to it and we could see the results out there.

"Like I said, 30 wickets in three innings I mean so many times you would have a declaration or in the first innings against our attack.

"The bowlers have done their homework and one when they put the ball in the right areas. It's not just Australia, they would have worried any batting top-order (in the world)."

It was towering pacer Alzarri Joseph that led the way for the West Indies on the opening day in Grenada, with the right-armer collecting four crucial wickets that included the key scalps of Australian duo Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja.

Joseph was well supported by Jayden Seales (2/45) and Sammy believes the West Indies are well placed for victory at stumps with four days remining in the clash.

"If you start the day with the opposition winning the toss and batting, and you restrict them to 280 you would take that," Sammy noted.

"We have played three innings against the No.1 team in the world and we've got them 30 wickets probably 37 if you count all the dropped catches.

"They had patches after lunch (today) where we let them get away with it but I think the session after that when we got five wickets...kind of made up for it."

Beau Webster (60) was one of two Australian batters to score a half-century on the opening day and the all-rounder thinks there is plenty of assistance in the pitch for the bowlers to take advantage of as the match progresses.

"The wicket is still offering enough, definitely with the new-ball it looked like it swung around quite a bit that morning session so hopefully we take advantage of that (on the second day)," Webster said.

"I would have liked to put a three in front (of Australia's score) no doubt, but 286 I think is a relatively good day."

ICC