Published 21 August 2017
Buckie Got It, St. Kitts and Nevis News Source
Geoffrey Boycott: West Indies a ‘ cricketing tragedy’
Cricket legend Geoffrey Boycott has called the West Indies cricket team ‘the worst Test match in the last 50 years’, adding that their most recent defeat at Edgbaston was ‘embarrassing’.
According to a report from Cricbuzz, the former English cricketer and commentator said the team’s slide is a ‘cricketing tragedy’.
“This West Indies lot are the worst Test match team I have seen in more than 50 years of watching, playing and commentating on cricket.”
“They can’t bat and can’t bowl. I take no pleasure out of saying this as I played against some of the greatest players the world has ever seen wearing the maroon cap of the West Indies. ”
“It is a cricketing tragedy to see the West Indies like this and there is no gloating over them losing. We all want England to win Test matches but we should not be euphoric about this. It is just sad to see a once-proud cricket Test team lower than any I have ever seen before,” Boycot said
The team lost against England in the Pink Ball Test at Edgbaston in less than three days, with England winning by an innings and 209 runs.
Boycott said it was “painful to watch” as the team showed “no aggression” and simply appeared to be waiting for England to make mistakes.
“What concerns me is that I do not think these players know what West Indies cricket means to West Indians and followers of the global game. I was with the team for two years as bowling coach and we tried to educate them about our heritage. I tried to tell them what West Indies cricket meant. I talked about the pride and passion in representing the region and our people.”
“I could talk to them all day but once they stepped over that rope they were on their own and if they were not prepared to listen, it was simply a waste of time. It does hurt. And it has reached a point where it is very embarrassing,” the former batsman and OBE said.
The West Indies team suffered a dismal loss, losing 19 wickets on the final day of the match.
The team survived just 392 minutes with the bat across both of their innings.
