Barring, maybe, Daren Ganga, Ramnaresh Sarwan, the Guyanese batsman, is the most articulate and sensitive of the current crop of mostly out-of-touch West Indian cricketers.

However, like most of his colleagues, who have for several months been on strike to press their demand for more pay from the regional game's governing body, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), Sarwan, it seems, is not immune to self-absorption.

Sarwan was in Jamaica last weekend to play in a celebrity charity organised by Chris Gayle, the Jamaican opening batsman and captain of the West Indies team, until he led the walkout by the strikers.

A big crowd, several thousand people, turned out for the 15/15 match at the St Ann Bauxite Oval. Part of the reason for the turnout, we believe, was the presence of Usain Bolt, our champion athlete, who was to put on display his cricketing prowess and provenance. The teams also included former great West Indian players from the days when the team used to win. Apart from supporting a worthy cause, it was to be a day of fun and nostalgia.

Sarwan's interpretation

What is interesting about the episode is Sarwan's interpretation of the crowd. They were there because of the presence of the crop of current West Indian players, himself included.

"It shows that they still love us and want to see us succeed, no matter what," he said.

Therein lies a significant chunk of the arrogance that has led West Indies cricket, long in a chronic state of disrepair, into the deeper end of a sorry pass.

The other element of this equation is the proven incompetence of the WICB which, even with the evidence of declarations like Sarwan's and the juvenile and confrontational leadership of the players' union by Dinanath Ramnarine, has been unable to articulate a credible cause and win public support for its action.

It is true that Sarwan softened the tone of his pronouncement with his remark about it is to "represent the six million people around the Caribbean". Yet, there is no misplacing that sense of entitlement that permeates the West Indies Players' Association and the current crop of underperformers, who constantly demand more regardless of their achievements.

Decade of losses

If Sarwan casts his mind back and concentrate in a fashion that is seemingly beyond the capacity of most of his teammates when they are on the field, he might recall that losing as a West Indian habit did not start with the makeshift team during Bangladesh's tour of the Caribbean or the Champion's Trophy tournament in South Africa. We have been losing for more than a decade with the highly paid crop.

The West Indian cricket fan has demonstrated a tolerance for this poor performance, in part because of inherent distrust for authority, which has been reinforced by the blubbering and blundering performance of the WICB, the deep emotional and psychological investment in the team and perennial hope for a new maturity by the players.

We, like Sarwan, hope that the current situation in West Indies cricket "will never happen again". However, about the maturity thing, we have our doubts.

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