While recognizing that players must earn a living from their craft, legendary West Indies cricketers believe that performances at the international level should also reflect passion and commitment toward the success of West Indies cricket.
Michael Holding, Sir Curtly Ambrose, and Sir Vivian Richards all emphasized that during their playing days, motivation came not just from individual achievements but from team success, even when financial rewards were far less than what players earn today.
However, they believe that the rise of franchise cricket and the T20 format has shifted many players’ focus from team-first to an individual mindset, which has negatively impacted West Indies cricket.
Holding, the Jamaican pace bowling great nicknamed “Whispering Death”, took 249 wickets in 60 Tests and another 142 in 102 ODIs. He said his primary goal was always to get the West Indies team over the finish line, rather than focusing on personal milestones.
“People always ask me why I stopped at 249 Test wickets. What’s the difference between 249 and 250? That doesn’t help anybody. If that one extra wicket would have won us a Test match, then fine, but the important thing was and continues to be West Indies team and what we can do to win and to help West Indies team and West Indies cricket; not so much the individual because the individual glory comes along,” Holding said on the Good Morning Jojo Sports Show recently.
Antiguan Ambrose, who terrorized batsmen for over a decade and finished his career with 405 Test wickets in 98 matches and 225 wickets in 176 ODIs, echoed similar sentiments.
In fact, while he acknowledged that players should take advantage of financial opportunities, he warned that personal wealth should not outweigh the honour of representing the West Indies.
“I don’t mind guys making money now, but if it’s only about the money and you don’t care about the performances, then I have a problem with that. You must take pride in your performances and in representing your country. If it’s all about the money and you don’t give a damn about the results, then I have a problem with that,” Ambrose said.
Meanwhile, Richards, one of the greatest batsmen and most successful captains in cricket history, credited the team-oriented mindset of the dominant West Indies sides of the 1970s and 80s for their long reign at the top.
From an individual standpoint, Richards scored 8,540 runs in 121 Tests at an average of 50.23, breaking Sir Garfield Sobers’ record as the leading West Indies run-scorer at the time. He also amassed nearly 7,000 ODI runs.
“At any particular time, when the team was down, anyone could have brought it back. What I think we should all think about is the fact that it was such a team effort; everyone made a contribution, and when you have that, its good,” said Richards, who captained West Indies to 27 Test wins in 50 matches, losing only eight.
“Sometimes you look at individuals and expect that this one is supposed to be doing more and whatever, but this [work] was shared around, which was so important to the team, and this is what I think it was all about,” he added. Sportsmax
