CricketViewer.com

West Indies pace legend says there are a number of reasons for the decline of the present West Indies cricket team.

“We lost a lot of players over the years. We did not have a structure in place. With the 2007 World Cup around the corner, things are looking up. We have a young and talented team,’’ said Walsh, who finished his Test career with 519 wickets — a world record at that time.

On his secret for playing for a long time without breaking down owing to injury, Walsh said there was a lot of preparation before hand. “Preparation is the key. I never compromised on it. It’s important to maintain yourself. I tried to get ready well before,” he insisted.

What does it take to be a world record holder? “Determination, hard work and discipline. You got to persevere, stick to your task, and do a good job for team. So it’s a combination of factors.”

“The benchmark is getting higher and higher (with respect to world records) and it’s going to be much harder in years to come. The standards have gone up as well. But even if you have potential to get to a world record, you need to have discipline to get you there,” he stated.

Walsh agreed pitches have slowed down everywhere in the Caribbean, saying, “I think we haven’t done much work in relation to infrastructure. As a result our pitches have suffered, and our cricket suffered. Everyone needs to be blamed from top to bottom. Not just groundsmen or administrators.”

He said Brian Lara could lead from the front, saying the batting genius has got the team behind him and the youngsters have a chance to learn something from him. Asked whether India, on the current form, start as favourites for the forthcoming series in the Caribbean, Walsh responded, “They (India) are a strong opposition. They have some talented players. But we are rebuilding for future and it will be a good contest.”

“I wouldn’t put India as favourites as the West Indies are playing at their home and they can be very good if they get their balance right. India probably have a slight edge in one-day game but things are very even in the five-day arena,” Walsh opined.
Source:The News