Logie calls for money, not talk

Gus Logie strongly feels that regional youth cricket teams are not adequately prepared for international tournaments.

To this end, the West Indies youth coach is making a strong call for more financial backing for the sport at under-19 level.

'We need to put more money into development,' Logie told Nationsport just before leaving for England with the West Indies team for the Costcutter World Under-15 Challenge.

If we are negotiating multi-million-dollar contracts for the senior team, something must trickle down to the young players.

'If it is not, we are not really moving forward.'

Logie, the West Indies Cricket Board's full-time junior coach since 1996, has carefully observed how regional youth teams have performed at international competitions.

One of his disappointments is the amount of pre-tournament preparation. He reiterated there was also not enough competitions at youth level.

'It is very difficult to take players up one week and send them to a tournament,' Logie said.

'When you go there and you meet teams which have been preparing for weeks, it is very disheartening for the young players.'

Mental preparation is also vital, said Logie, a Trinidadian, who scored 2 470 runs (ave. 35.79) in 52 Tests for West Indies between 1983 and 1991.

'It's all about the state of mind. If players are comfortable, chances are they will go out and perform well,' he said.

If they are not comfortable, it is always going to be touch and go.

We need to do more as a people. If we are thinking development, we need to put our money where our mouths are.

For many years some observers have said that while the annual Nortel three-day competition served an ideal purpose, there was little emphasis on the one-day game.

In recent years, however, a short one-day championship has been added to the schedule.

They felt that two or three games were better than none. But those are not enough,' Logie said.

'When we went to Pakistan in 1995, we played a three-Test series and a host of one-days and you could see that our players were at a disadvantage.'

He still, therefore, has concern over how much of the shorter game this West Indies Under-15 team has had ahead of their opening match on Sunday.

We are in a situation where we are going to be up against people possibly a bit more experienced in the one-day game, Logie said.

We are taking it as we see it. We want the players to believe in themselves and back their ability.

The conditions are going to be a tester for everyone, but we are hoping that with the kind of conditioning they had before going in, they will be able to have a positive outlook.

West Indies are in League `A' with Holland, England and India.

The two teams move forward to the semifinals on August 5 and 8, while the final is set for August 10 at Lord's.