BCA must think of moves - Best of strokes

It is not enough to do something; it is more important to do it right. According to an article on the Back Page of the Sunday Sun, October 22, the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) has decided to implement the covering of pitches in Division 1 cricket and starting play on weekends at 10 a.m.

Needless to say, these are monumental ambitions for the BCA, which, if not properly conceptualised, could be the biggest embarrassment in the history of cricket in Barbados.

It would appear that the authorities have thrown caution to the wind and seem prepared to hope for the best. They must however remember that you cannot build a solid structure on what I see as a weak foundation.

Firstly, we must admit that not all the poor batting performances in Division 1 cricket are due to impaired pitches. There are generically weak teams in the competition, a problem that first has to be resolved.

Secondly, there is the poor preparation of pitches across the country at all levels, and even for the regional tournaments as proclaimed by The Management of the Barbados team which recently returned from the Red Stripe Bowl in Jamaica. That problem too, has to be properly dealt with.

Thirdly, there is the big question.

Can the local clubs and the BCA acting on the behalf of the two school teams, finance the covers on such meagre budgets?

This also leads to other logical questions: who will be responsible for covering the pitch during the game? and what kind of supervision will be in place to protect the integrity of the game?

Finally, what guarantee does the BCA have from the clubs that they [the clubs] are committed to supporting these new initiatives and have made, or are making the necessary provisions to ensure a successful Division 1 competition?

Mention was made that the changes would give future Barbados players the experience of playing longer hours, and with an earlier close to the season.

The move would also make more time available for the national team to prepare for the regional first-classseason. These are reasonable observations, but they are materially insufficient.

There are, however, two things drastically wrong here. It appears the BCA had not done a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis of the situation and seemed to be ill-informed on these critical matters.

The article did little justice to the BCA's public relations, much less for the confidence of the key players in this exercise.