Following closely behind the assertion from outgoing International Cricket Council (ICC) Chairman Greg Barclay that the West Indies should probably “break up into each of their islands” has come another foreboding sign for cricket in the Caribbean.

This time, the apparent threat has arrived via Jay Shah, the current ICC chairman, alongside the cricket authorities of Australia and England. The proposition is to divide the Test-playing into two divisions, with the top tier featuring seven nations: India, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The second tier will have five: West Indies, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, and Ireland. The intended effect of this venture, I imagine, is to increase the frequency of the top cricketing nations playing each other, thereby enhancing revenue and viewership.

Predictably, this proposed demotion of the weaker nations has caused consternation in some quarters. Former West Indies captain and cricketing legend Clive Lloyd, for example, has come out against this move. “I am very disturbed about this.” Lloyd said, “and I’m hoping that something is done, that it must be stopped now.” He went on: “I’m very disappointed. We have been in ICC for nearly 100 years. We are one of, if not the most successful Test team over the years. We worked hard for what we achieved. The effect it would have is we would not be able to produce the type of cricket that we have over the years because we will be playing in a second tier.”

One can easily understand the great man’s concern. He was the person most responsible for conceptualising and deploying the West Indies four-pronged pace attacks which led to a sustained period of world domination. He was captain of the Caribbean side from 1974-1985, winning the 1975 and 1979 World Cups and losing only two Test series, 1975-76 in Australia when they were battered 1-5, and the controversial 1980 New Zealand series when they were beaten 0-1.

During his tenure the West Indies stood unchallenged as the best. Led by the majestic Sir Vivian Richards, their batting could dismember any bowling unit, while the skill and electric pace of their four fast men intimidated batters, dismissed sides cheaply, and ruined careers.

Consider, then, Lloyd’s distress upon learning that the side he led to greatness, that had lorded it over all others, had fallen so far that it is no longer feared or respected and could soon be relegated to second-class status.

The regent who once ruled the kingdom is now a beggar at the palace gates, foraging for scraps and pleading for handouts. Meanwhile, those comfortably ensconced within its walls are content to mingle amongst themselves, leaving the others to fend for themselves.

It is sad that West Indies cricket has come to this. But it is not that surprising. The descent has been steady. The West Indies had several world-class players within their ranks after the famous 1995 defeat to Australia, which many saw as a changing of the guard. But when they retired, and as cricket became less popular in the Caribbean, their replacements became less proficient. It took a few years to get to the bottom rung, but West Indies cricket has been hovering there for a while now and its prospects of climbing even a few steps upwards seem dim.

Lloyd was himself placed in charge of the team to try to make improvements. He achieved little in terms of performance on the field. Neither, for that matter, did coaches and selectors like Richards, Andy Roberts, Roger Harper, Desmond Haynes, Otis Gibson, and Curtly Ambrose, among others. None was able to inspire anything looking like lasting success. And it’s not their fault either. It’s just that the talent unveiled has dwindled to the point that moulding it into a winning team would be like turning water into wine.

Consider this fact: only one front-line West Indies batter averaged more than 30 in 2024 — Jason Holder, who played five Tests, scored 276 runs at an average of 34.5. Now place this alongside the performances of batters from other nations: Australia had seven batters averaging over 30; England had six; India had 10; Pakistan had six; South Africa had nine; Sri Lanka had seven: and Bangladesh had four.

The West Indies played nine Tests in 2024: two each against Australia, South Africa, and Bangladesh, and three against England. They lost all games against England and South Africa. They had a miraculous eight-run win against Australia in Brisbane after losing in Adelaide and won against Bangladesh in Antigua before being dismissed for 146 and 185 to lose by 101 runs in Jamaica.

If the win against Australia inspired some hope, the loss against Bangladesh at home was dismal and discouraging. But it could hardly have been unexpected. I mean no disrespect to Bangladesh (they lost nine of the 10 Tests they played in 2024), but that is the company the West Indies now keep. In fact, Bangladeshi fans might reasonably have been disappointed in not winning the series.

Talk about a two-tier system has been circulating in cricket circles for years. But now that it has taken on flesh, the minds of those likely to be relegated have become more focused on the issue. We hear that the aim is to start in 2027 if an agreement between the Big Three (India, England and Australia) can be thrashed out. They control the purse strings and therefore the direction of the sport.

Lloyd, and others, believe that it would surely be better to share revenue more equitably, instead of what now obtains with the better teams getting the lion’s share. “You cannot be playing among yourselves in a lower league and get up there,” said the former West Indies captain. “A better system would be to give teams the same amount of money so they can get the tools to improve.”

The silver lining here is that reports are that nothing is yet set in stone. For certain, the six nations set to be demoted would agree that the preferred course of action would be to inject more resources into their infrastructure and work alongside their organisations to try and bring them up the ladder. Shunting them to the side will not help them to get better. It will likely consign them to permanent mediocrity instead.

Garfield Robinson is a Jamaican living in the US who writes on cricket for a few Indian and English publications. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or garfield.v.robinson@gmail.com.