A sign of deteriorating West Indies cricket

Kieron Pollard's decision to play for Somerset instead of touring with the West Indies A team to England is an indication of how much the significance of playing for West Indies has been lost on many young players, says an editorial in the Trinidad and Tobago Guardian.

But the distressed West Indian supporter would also turn on the board and inquire about a developmental programme to nurture the likes of Pollard, not merely to enhance obvious natural ability but to give him the capacity to play vintage Test innings and aspire to more than fast 30s and 40s. We are creatures not only of our genes but of our socialisation and environment, of the culture and civilisation into which we are born and nurtured. Had Pollard and the generation after Lara and Chanderpaul been nurtured in such a crucible created by the board, there would be no issue about choice. Young players would have had inculcated into their beings what it is to be a West Indian cricketer playing for their nation.