Why the West Indies' trouncing hurts the nation

Dr Nigel Camacho, of Trinidad, is the original Convenor of the "The Trini Posse", a group of West Indian cricket supporters who travel around the world with the West Indies team. In the first of two letters to CricInfo, he laments the present state of West Indies cricket in the aftermath of the team's trouncing by Australia.

"To sit down and watch what is taking place Down Under has gone from painful, to cynical, to unbearable, to just plain ridiculous. How difficult it must be for past West Indian cricketers, who helped build a once proud reputation, to endure what is currently taking place. I am certain, even for West Indians who do not like or understand the game of cricket, this must affect them as well. Any endeavour, be it sporting, cultural or otherwise, which is representative of us as a 'people', ultimately affects us all, both in the good times but moreso in the bad times. Right now we are a hurting 'nation'.

I can recall while attaining a tertiary education in North America, anything Trinidadian, or West Indian for that matter, that arose in the print or electronic media, referred to in a classroom or just mentioned in passing conversation would bring a boyish smile to my face. I was and am proud to be West Indian; this is something no one can take from me, my birthright. I would pounce on any opportunity to proclaim my heritage, my West Indianness. I felt it was my responsibility to be a Trinidadian and Caribbean ambassador. This is why I believe what is going on now affects me so much. One does not have to be a cricket fan to feel the pain!

I am sure every Trinidadian felt proud to be a Trini in 1976, when Hasley Crawford sprinted to gold at the Olympics in Montreal, Canada. Yet you ask the average Trinidadian who Hasley Crawford was prior to 1976 and you know what the response would have been. So it was not the fact that Hasley Crawford, an athlete, won gold in 1976, which was important. What was important was that he did this, representing us, the people of Trinidad and Tobago. We got world recognition and we were proud.

The same can be said for Penny Commissiong, Giselle La Ronde, Wendy Fitzwilliam , Dwight Yorke, Ato Boldon , Brian Lara, Derek Walcott, the Mighty Sparrow, David Rudder, Machel Montano, Stephen Ames, steel band music, Leslie Stewart, Gene Samuel, Peter Minshall, Russell Latapy, Jean Pierre, Lord Kitchener and countless other famous ambassadors of Trinidad and Tobago.

Manchester United are now a favourite team of many Trinidadians and Tobagonians, and there is only one reason for this (all respect to true Man Utd fans) - a son of the soil is among their ranks. When Dwight Yorke takes the field, he not only represents himself, he represents us all - we feel a collective pride. When he scores, we all score; when he misses, we feel the anguish.

This is why, with the debacle taking place in Australia, we feel so much pain. To compound this pain, because we live in an era of globalisation and the information age, more people worldwide are aware of woes, moreso than when we were a dominant force in the eighties because information was hard to come by in those days.

Now with the internet and cable TV, everyone knows almost instantly. Cricket, despite dwindling crowds at Test matches, is more popular than at any time in its history. And this is when 'we chose' to be bad.

Many people who know me well tell me I am a sucker for pain, that I should switch off my television (current series vs. Australia), but I can't. That will not make things better; the stark reality is that West Indian cricket is at its lowest ebb in its history. Unless we the people speak out and do something, one of our most traditional and perhaps most powerful modes of international recognition will fade into oblivion.

These are indeed sad times for West Indian people. So I don't care if you hate cricket; what is going on now will ultimately affect you at some point. This is a regional crisis!

Recently I wrote a piece on my version of a cure for the current crisis in West Indies cricket and I was horrified by some of the responses I got. It's only because of my passion for the game and true understanding of what the game represents, that I had the courage to say what I said. People who cannot see this are only fooling themselves.

My focus was on West Indies cricket, not on Brian Lara. He is the greatest cricketer to emerge from Trinidad and Tobago, a national icon and we must rally around him at all times, and respect him as he must respect us. Brian Lara is my favourite cricketer bar none. However, blind, non-constructive praise is not what he needs at this time; rather informative guidance and assurance to help him mature as a human being. Remember, even for Brian Lara, there is life after cricket.

I urge every West Indian to do their part and help West Indies cricket recover. Even if you don't care for the game, it's your social and moral responsibility."

Dr Nigel Camacho, Trinidad, West Indies