The gloom of the West Indies fan on World Cup eve

I'm getting pretty darn tired of the World Cup.

Every single day, across cricketing media, it seems as if the only topic on peoples' minds is how things will play out over the next few weeks. Will Australia or New Zealand be able to emulate India and win a home tournament? Can South Africa banish their bogey? Does any subcontinental team have what it takes to shake things up?

Give me a break! Mention of the World Cup leaves me disillusioned and upset, gnashing my teeth and rolling my eyes, because through sun and rain, I am a West Indies supporter.

If a script were to be written about how not to build momentum towards a major world tournament, West Indies of 2015 would be the inspiration for it. The lead-in for this competition has been a miserable drag through the mud for the Caribbean fan.

Have a nibble on what the West Indian supporter has had to endure over the past few months: the abandonment of a tour, potential administrative bankruptcy, bitter he-said-she-said from all quarters, supremely controversial squad selection, an untested (and likely unprepared) captain, the lack of a permanent coach, a Test series thrashing, an ODI series bashing, the withdrawal of the team's best bowler, and the pitiable form of the biggest "stars". To add insult to injury, there was hardly any standout player with bat or ball in the recently concluded domestic ODI competition.

Maybe it is just me, but the calamities that have faced the team seem amplified by the fact that a World Cup is in the offing. This is the big stage. The Super Bowl of the gentleman's game. The culmination of many months of build-up. Squads are busy fine-tuning their strategies and personnel, and there is an understandable sense of giddiness and hope. For teams that are in disarray, though, the excitement of others only serves to enhance their own disheartenment.

It reminds me of school: on one hand, there are the students who are clearly ready for the big exam, neatly aligning their perfectly sharpened pencils, admiring their clean erasers, and exuding an aura of readiness for the test. On the other end of the spectrum, there are those who frantically asking to borrow a spare writing implement, fretting about forgetting the date of the exam they are about to take, asking about what they were supposed to study, and somehow hoping that a fire drill might be called to rescue them from forthcoming embarrassment. The outcome of the exam is not entirely predictable - the genius of the unprepared student could propel them to a fantastic score, and the fastidiousness of the prepped planner is no guarantee of success. Nevertheless, one can hardly argue with the old adage that failing to prepare is preparing to fail. The strategy and organisation involved in getting ready for a challenge certainly puts the person who is prepared in a better position to succeed.

The cricket pitch is a capricious place and the brilliance of cricketers can make wondrous things happen on any given day. A Chris Gayle hurricane or a Marlon Samuels scything, some Kemar Roach brilliance or some Andre Russell flair could all potentially swing matches in no time at all. But the odds are certainly not in West Indies' favour. So much has happened and such a sense of disturbance has pervaded that the countdown to the World Cup feels more filled with fear (of being the victim of an upset loss to a lower-ranked nation) than hope (of creating an upset win against a more powerful side). It is a sentiment that has been echoed by pundits, and even if it isn't admitted by those in and around West Indies cricket, it is a feeling that seems inescapable for many.

The countdown to the Cup is meant to be a time for great excitement, anticipation, and hope. The various previews and predictions that have populated media across the cricket universe reinforce that positivity. While every team has question marks over it as it heads into the competition, stumbling blocks and setbacks generally don't diminish promise all that much. It takes a lot to relegate a team to hopelessness.

I will not say that the West Indies team that is heading into the 2015 World Cup is hopeless. But being a fan of theirs at this moment is hardly glamorous. Cricket is still "the game of glorious uncertainties", but for West Indies the forecast is still grim. So please, can we tone the World Cup hype down just a tad?