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Cricket West Indies (CWI) has announced a series of 'immediate and long-term reforms' to revive West Indies Cricket after an emergency meeting of the Cricket Strategy and Officiating Committee held earlier this year in August, which was attended by several legends of the sport, including Brian Lara, Clive Lloyd, Viv Richards, Desmond Haynes, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and current head coach Daren Sammy.
Why did CWI call an emergency meeting?
Cricket West Indies (CWI) has announced a series of urgent and long-term reforms aimed at rebuilding and improving West Indies cricket, following a major meeting in August that included some of the sport’s biggest legends. The emergency meeting of the Cricket Strategy and Officiating Committee was called after a series of disappointing results, including a crushing home Test series loss to Australia in July. The low point came at Sabina Park, where the West Indies were bowled out for just 27 runs while chasing 204, the second-lowest total ever recorded in Test cricket. The team went on to lose the series 3-0 at home.
Ten Major Problems Identified
The Committee highlighted ten major challenges facing West Indies cricket, such as:
- Poor quality of regional competitions
- Weak technical, tactical, and mental skills
- A struggling franchise cricket system
- Poor infrastructure and training facilities
- Lack of specialist coaching
- Financial challenges due to limited ICC revenue
- Broken player development pathways
- Low fitness and conditioning standards
Immediate Reforms (Next 0–6 Months)
Cricket West Indies has already approved a set of short-term actions to address the most urgent issues.
Hiring Specialist Coaches: A world-class batting coach will be brought in to work across all levels. The senior men’s team will also get a full-time sports psychologist/performance coach. A similar full-time role will be added for the women’s team.
High-Performance Centre at Coolidge: Plans are underway for a modern training facility at Coolidge Cricket Ground, featuring top-class nets, a gym, and rehab centre.
Improved Accountability: Franchise teams must now submit Individual Development Plans and meet new fitness and performance standards. A regional fitness leaderboard will track player conditioning.
Long-Term Goals (Beyond 6 Months)
CWI is also laying out bigger plans for the future, including:
A National Cricket Development Framework to connect grassroots cricket, schools, academies, and elite programs.
Reforming the Franchise System to focus more on player development and possibly introducing new professional models.
Academies for Young Players aged 11–18 to feed into the high-performance setup.
Completion of the High-Performance Centre in Antigua, which will become the main hub for elite player training.
More Financial Stability, including pushing for a fairer share of ICC funding and building partnerships with governments, sponsors, and philanthropists.
A Mentorship Program connecting current and former players with young, upcoming talent.
"These reforms represent decisive action to strengthen our systems, raise standards, and provide the next generation of players with the tools, facilities, and mentorship they need to succeed. While challenges remain, our commitment to cricket development across the region is unwavering, and all efforts will be made to prioritise the execution of these initiatives," said CWI's Director of Cricket, Miles Bascombe.
Notably, the West Indies recently suffered a 2-0 T20I series loss against Nepal and with that win Nepal registered their first ever series win against Test playing nation.
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