First Word: Well done, and farewell, Mr. Walsh

Why is Courtney Walsh telling us he is available for the tour of England'?

For too long, West Indies players - and Walsh is the latest of them - don't seem to know when the time is ripe to quit.

Walsh has served West Indies cricket well. If Marshall, Holding, Roberts, Hall and Ambrose are in a higher class, none has been more durable than Walsh, but it is clear that the tall, affable Jamaican is now on his last knees.

No one at the age of 37 should be announcing he is available for a major tour such as England when he is past his best and is playing only because he is within sight of Kapil Dev's world record.

When Walsh collects those nine elusive wickets, hopefully against Zimbabwe, he should simply be told 'thanks' for his years of yeoman service.

The West Indies have lost nine of their last 11 Tests; it can't get any worse than that. If we are going to continue to lose, let us lose with the young players who have a future. Certainly the fast-improving Reon King and Franklyn Rose should have the new ball for the imminent future.

Astonishingly, West Indies and England are the only ones who have sent nobody to Denis Lillee's coaching clinic in southern India in the 12 years since it was set up.

In that time, Lillee has helped fine-tune the likes of Glenn McGrath, Chris Cairns and Shaun Pollock.

That's the kind of investment we need to make if we are to wriggle free of the most depressing period in West Indies' cricket.