The resurgence of Barbados cricket
Does a strong Barbados mean a strong West Indies?
Between 1975 and 1995 the West Indies Cricket team only lost two test series.
The dominance of the men in maroon has been written about ad infinitum but perhaps what isn’t spoken of in as much detail is the parallels between West Indian dominance and that of Barbados cricket.
In that 20 year period of West Indian dominance Barbados won 10 of the domestic 4-day competitions, more than any other island. Dependent on who you speak to an old adage rings true in the Caribbean. A strong Barbados leads to a strong West Indies.
If that is true then the fortunes of the West Indies team are on a very healthy upward trajectory. Not only did Barbados comfortably win the 2020 four-day competition but nine of the 14 touring man squad to England are Barbadian.
Going further back, since the last time West Indies toured England in 2017 the core group of the West Indies cricket side has been Barbadian.
Kraigg Braithwaite
Jason Holder
Shai Hope
Kemar Roach
Shane Dowrich
Roston Chase
In that time West Indies have won 4 series, drawn 2 and lost 5.
For a test side that has experienced such poor returns for the majority of the 21st century this represents something of a genuine resurgence.
To that core group one can now add Shamarh Brooks, Chemar Holder and Raymon Reifer (in the context of the England tour).
In recent discussion with West Indies assistant coach Roddy Estwick he was in no doubt as to the reasons behind the Barbados resurgence. Having overseen the development of so many of the current squad at youth and senior level, Estwick believes this is the natural consequence of a coherent structure in Barbados cricket.
“A lot of it is down to the Barbados school system we have that allows promising cricketers to also play against some of our best cricketers in club fixture.
“If you are exposed to such high standards from early it is natural that your levels raise. It is entirely possible for an exciting youngster to play in regular fixtures against the likes of Kemar Roach.
“On top of that we have promotion and relegation within our domestic cricket that leads to higher standards. This is supported by our centre of excellence and the distribution of professional cricket coaches at all levels of the game”.
Bajan cricket commentator, analyst and journalist Nikhil Uttamchandani (@NikUttam) expands on Estwick’s comments below:
With four Bajans also in the reserve squad (Kyle Mayers, Sheyne Moseley, Keon Harding and Jomel Warrican) for the England tour the talent pool clearly shows no signs of abating.
For all West Indian fans, this isn’t something that requires island insularity or myopic calls of bias.
I myself write this as a proud Jamaican but that does not stop me accepting that the results speak for themselves. They are doing something right in Barbados that has led to not only an island resurgence but a West Indian one.
This is something for all other islands to learn from in the hope that it leads to the development of more international ready cricketers across the region.
After all it is actually a stronger regional game that leads to a strong West Indies.