KEY POINTS
- After a record-breaking low of 27 all out against Australia, West Indies summons legends for emergency strategy talks
- CWI forms a committee of past greats to urgently address the team’s spiraling performance and rebuild with intent
- President Kishore Shallow calls for patience
KINGSTON, West Indies: Cricket West Indies (CWI) has called on legends Brian Lara, Clive Lloyd and Sir Vivian Richards to help revive the team after a historic Test series collapse against Australia.
The move follows a 3-0 whitewash at home, capped by a record low score of 27 all out in Kingston. The former greats will join a new strategy committee aimed at rebuilding West Indies cricket.
These cricketing giants will join forces with Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Desmond Haynes, and Ian Bradshaw on the Cricket Strategy and Officiating Committee, in what CWI describes as a “critical intervention” to address the team’s spiralling performance.
In the final Test, the Caribbean side etched a new low in its proud history, skittled for a paltry 27 runs in just 14.3 overs.
That innings featured an unprecedented seven ducks, with the top six batters scraping together a mere six runs combined, the lowest top-order tally in the annals of Test cricket.
Only New Zealand’s infamous 26 in 1955 spared the Windies the record for the lowest Test total ever.
CWI President Dr. Kishore Shallow, visibly shaken by the outcome, spoke with raw honesty.
“Like every West Indian cricket fan, I felt the pain of our recent defeat. There will be sleepless nights. This hurts deeply. But we must not let this moment define us.”
Shallow emphasised that the presence of Lara, Lloyd, and Richards is far from symbolic.
“These are not ceremonial roles. These men defined excellence in our game. We want their experience, their unfiltered insight, and their tough love. This is about building again — wisely, deliberately, and with collective vision.”
Shallow stressed the importance of patience, reaffirming CWI’s long-term commitment to rebuilding. He acknowledged the glimpses of promise — particularly with the ball — but urged the batting unit to grow in maturity and precision.
“Progress is never a straight line. There will be bruises. But the talent is there — it must now be refined. Our young players have heart. Now they need the hunger.”
This emergency consultation of legends signals a serious turning point for West Indies cricket, long shadowed by the glory of its past and haunted by the inconsistency of its present.
As the team gears up to face Australia again in a five-match T20I series beginning July 21, followed by a white-ball face-off against Pakistan in August, the mood in the Caribbean is one of anxious anticipation.
Cricket fans across the islands – and the diaspora – will be watching not just for wins, but for signs of renewal.
