Poor preparation: Ramnarine

A lack of proper preparation is the key to West Indies' dismal performance in the World Cup. But the players must also accept some responsibility for their poor showing in the world's premier cricket event.

That is the view of Dinanath Ramnarine , the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) president and CEO.

Ramnarine believes the failure of the team to engage in a well-planned programme of preparation in the months leading into the World Cup was one of the major reasons why the regional team failed to play competitive cricket in the Super Eights, leading to their elimination from the tournament after four straight huge defeats.

Ramnarine acknowledged the players' part in their demise at this stage of the tournament, but said it is not completely their fault. "Ultimately, the players must accept some responsibility for their performance in this tournament," he asserted, "but there were issues raised by the players through WIPA about the state of preparation for the World Cup and other issues that contributed to their poor performance."

As an example, Ramnarine noted that Stephen Fleming, the New Zealand captain, had boasted about his team's 12-month programme leading into the global event being responsible for their commendable display to date.

Ramnarine said the regional team had to make do with a tour of India, which he said was part of a bilateral agreement between the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the Indian cricket board for an extra Test India played last year. Ramnarine identified the impotence of the WICB president-commissioned Win World Cup Committee, the last minute completion of stadia, the failure to replace physical trainer Bryce Cavanagh and to appoint a bowling coach and the protracted negotiation of contracts for the World Cup - only settled two weeks into the competition - as the major concerns that would have affected the final performance of the West Indies squad. "What happened to them (the Win World Cup Committee)? What were their role and recommendations?" he asked rhetorically. Ramnarine added that the West Indies' home advantage was neutralised since many of the stadia were only completed at the 11th hour.

Cavanagh, an Australian, resigned during the Pakistan tour in December and was never replaced, while an arbitration panel, headed by Barbados Chief Justice Sir David Simmons-after being called in to decide how the US $11 million from the International Cricket Council (ICC) should be split-only resolved the matter two weeks into the world event. "Despite deviation from certain agreed provisions, we advised the players to sign the contracts and we would allow the disputed sections to be referred to further arbitration so as to avoid distracting the team," he revealed.

Ramnarine said he is disappointed that the contract negotiations for the upcoming tour of England, scheduled to start on May 17, is still outstanding, despite WIPA's efforts to resolve the matter since last September, asserting that the WICB was employing a deliberate tactic of last-minute arbitration for this tour, which is outside the ICC's Future Tours Programmes and therefore requires agreement from WIPA to proceed.

"Up to this moment, we're a few weeks away and the WICB has not responded to daily correspondence and communications from us concerning the matter." Questioned about the call in a Daily Express editorial for the resignation of the WICB and its president Ken Gordon, Ramnarine said: "I'm not going to make any such comment but the governance of cricket needs to be looked at."

Pressed further, Ramnarine joked: "If the organisation in which Mr Gordon was CEO and chairman asks for his resignation, who am I to question that?"

Ramanarine ended by striking a conciliatory note, saying that he hoped that WIPA, the players and the WICB could now come together to work out these many issues for the betterment of West Indies cricket.