Dear Editor,

The Jamaica Observer editorial of Monday, July 10, 2017 on West Indies cricket is very interesting. It has brought back some memories and has triggered certain thoughts.

1. I remember a president of the West Indies Cricket Board jumping on a flight to London to discuss pay issues with players bound for a tour of South Africa. An agreement was arrived at. The players went on the tour and were severely walloped.

2. I remember a West Indian cricket captain arriving in London a mere 48 hours before a Test match at Lords. He had stayed behind in South Africa, or some place like that, to play for his franchise. West Indies lost that Test match by a mere 10 wickets.

3. I remember Coach Ottis Gibson being chastised by West Indian cricketers for his strict training regime. He returned to England and resumed his position as England bowling coach — a very successful one at that.

I have been thinking that West Indian Test cricketers are the only ones among the Test-playing nations who feel they ought not to be required to play in their domestic cricket set-up.

I have been thinking that many West Indian cricketers feel no sense of pride in playing for the region.

I have been thinking that some prime ministers in the region are more interested in the management of West Indian cricket than in managing the economies of the region.

I have been wondering why those prime ministers do not demit state office and stand for election to the board managing West Indies cricket. Better still, they could form a competing league and demonstrate their administrative skills.

While I watch the scene, I will continue to hope that the players will display professionalism in their approach to their work and a sense of decency and pride in their conduct and utterances. Money is not all.

Seymour Panton

srp@cwjamaica.com