Projecting the remainder of Windies' 2025 | SportsMax Zone

It's time. Everybody coming in. [Music] >> For the last time ever, we're beginning the Sports Max zone with cricket. It is no secret that the West Indies have found themselves in a bit of a rut ahead of the next two major white ball competitions. That's the ICC men's T20 World Cup which will be hosted by India and Sri Lanka uh next February and the 2027 ODI World Cup to be held across South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia some 21 months later. The Caribbean side has also had a poor start to the current cycle of the World Test Championship so far losing both games to Australia in their ongoing three match series. On the women's front, the Caribbean side failed to qualify for the ODI World Cups slated to be held later this year and will remain inactive until 2026. Since we won't be here to provide you with analysis, we've decided to bring in the big guns to pinpoint areas the region's international teams can target to change their fortunes. It may be a long discussion or it may be a short one. Right. So for one final chat on the zone, we welcome the captain for Zer Muhammad and our prediction guru. That must be a typo, Nikil Utam Chandani. Welcome to I'm sorry Nikil. Apologies. Sorry I had just to make that last gig. But how are you, Nicl looking forward to the rest of the year as far as West Cricket is concerned? >> Very sad. um sad that this is going to be the last time, but I think look um it just hearing you talk about the tournaments to come and and thinking about maybe the last 12 to 24 months in West Indies cricket, it's been tough and there's so many committed and passionate West Indian fans around this region who deserve to have something to celebrate. And if I look at every team within the West Indies, from the academy and under 19 teams to right up to the men's and women's senior team, it's been 12 months of disappointment for the West Indies. And I'm really hoping that those in in the requisite positions and they are trying with the advent of the West Indies Academy and the changes made to you know the first class setup and the breakout tournament coming in. I really hope that we can start to see a different trajectory for for West Indies cricket. >> Uh Faz what what are your thoughts on the matter in terms of the immediate outlook for West Indies? Uh what they have to to go through for the remainder of this year first of all >> well before getting I tend to be disobedient today. this is the the the final opportunity on sports zone. I intend to to behave bad in in in many ways and and therefore I'm going to ignore that question initially because I have something to do here because uh Lance had mentioned because you know we show different images of the of the Faz Mahal. He said he missed the goldfish from from the what the previous position where I was. So if if he can't come to see the goldfish I brought the goldfish that is small. So >> well done passde indeed >> well done well done well done yes >> indeed because that that's the regard I have for all the time at can radio for for my 30 years and and so so much else but but yeah as far as western cricket is concerned indeed it it's it the outlook it it really depends on whether you want to take a positive uh perspective on it whether they want to take a realistic perspective a pessimistic perspective I think it's a challenge for the West Indies and in all formats, uh, both genders, not so much in the T20 format for the women because they they've just beaten South Africa, for example. So, there's a lot of potential there. But I I think we we we haven't really changed much in the 14 years that Sports Max and the zone has been on as far as the West Indies achieving a level of consistent excellence that we can say with any confidence that by the end of the year we can see the West Indies in a much better position. I I really can't say that within with any degree of confidence. >> Yeah. And you know, Faz, as you you just mentioned the women as well, and and I think about the fact that, you know, for the rest of the year, the women actually don't really have any matches coming up. I don't think they have any tours and you know, we talk about the decline of West Indies cricket and I think that is one of the issues. If we're not playing cricket, then how do we expect the players to get better? And you know just to take it even further backwards because right now the West Indies under 19 tournament is being played. It's now been branded rising stars in keeping with the modern trend of public relations and cheerleading in in many ways but they they're just playing and I stand to be corrected 50 over aside matches. They're not even playing two-day matches. um uh they are they're going to be in in a time back they would play three-day matches and and I think that dimmonition of the amount of cricket that our under 19s are playing male and female is obviously going to impact on our ability to be consistently competitive to say not to say even less about being successful at the higher levels of the game. So whether it's sponsorship, whether it's a a recognition that the abbreviated form works in our favor, I I don't think necessarily the the think tank is thinking in the right direction. >> Yeah, Nikl, now that I won't have to like um fight with Ricardo for you or like cut him short to save you anymore, which is tough. Um your take on, you know, the women not having any more games for the rest of the year? Yeah, Mario. Obviously, it's not what you know, many would have hoped for given that it's a very young crop. I do still think though what I've seen from the current group of West Indian players uh and especially the younger players for so long and and still is the attention on Haley Matthews and when she doesn't perform, the West Indies struggle to win cricket matches. But I I think with the advent of the western academy for the women for the very first time ever this year um and look that's going to take in itself an entire process to make sure that that is carried out to the best of its ability. But when I look around that team and I think about Gajnabi Glaxton Zeta James um you know so many others I think there's enough talent in the West Indies women setup that we can almost think in five to seven years what will an Ali Alen look like? Can we get her to her best? So, it's going to take a big effort from cricketes to be able to develop the title, which we've not always done in the past, but I think we're starting to see the raw materials in the women's game and and maybe the lack of qualification for the one international workup came at a good time where we could just focus on harnessing players. I know that there's no big series coming up, but next year there's a test match against Australia in March. You look at this year with the women's CPL. Um I'm even going to go a level down where you look at the Westies and 19 girls and Samar Ramnath and you know Na Lachman there are few that I that have already stood out and I'm looking forward to seeing how cricket West Indies develops them whether it's through the CPL as well as the academy >> and you say that and we think next year that's like six months away from now and I say to myself like fitness has always been an issue when we talk about Westnese women their fitness and you know their attentiveness they're fielding all these different things and I'm wondering now if these ladies cuz you have six months without cricket you know they have that discipline to of course you know go on their own and work on their fitness and stuff so again I I would question cricket West Indies as to you know putting things in place camps and all of that to ensure that the girls continue to gel together and work on those aspects of their game. All right. Nobody wants to comment. >> I don't know if that was for if that was for the legend or if it was for me, but >> I think I'll say >> well, he's captain and legend. And to be honest, I think this is only the second time I've ever been on this show with Fazer Muhammad. So, when I heard the news today, I thought I I feel privileged to be on with with a great but I think Mariah in terms of we've talked about player fitness and we talk about Kiana Joseph, Ricardo Chambers, favorite player. um we talk about her often and I think when all of the players in the West women's setup as m and and from what I hear and the reports is the western have put things in place with the academy with those on a central contract that you know there are facilities in place for these women to train and to improve their overall game but I still keep saying that a big part of this has to do with the player and their personal responsibility and I think we're going to find out in six to 12 months you know which are the players that really want this the most given how much they can improve and how they use the the facilities. >> Yeah, I will ask this one to Faz seeing that I I you know I was I caught both of you off off guard just now. Faz, I want to switch to the men now because they're in Jamaica and that's exciting. They're supposed to be training and all of that. We have the third test coming up. I'm hoping that you know Sabino will be filled. What do we expect for that one? >> Well, I mean as as we mentioned and and apologies if I didn't respond as expected. I thought the question was actually for Nikquil. By the way, I'm not actually hearing his contributions clearly at all. Uh so so I really wouldn't be able to comment on much much of what he would be saying. But uh as far as the West Indies, we mentioned it the last time when we were assessing the the aftermath of the the second test defeat. The West Indies beat Australia in a pingpole test match at the Gaba famously in January of last year. Can it happen again? Yes, it it can of course. But will it happen? We'll have to wait and see. the indications are that it won't happen. Uh because Australia are supremely motivated. They're playing for world test championship points. Remember now every test match is is a live test match even if the series is over because points are at stake. You've got Mitchell Stark five away from 400 test match wickets in his 100th test match. So there's a lot of motivation there. Yes, for for the West Indies it is going to be another tough challenge and even with some changes whether Craig Brawood is dropped whether someone like a Mikail Louie comes in the top order the bowlers have done a good job in dismissing Australia four times in the two test matches but if you don't get runs then it it really makes it an almost impossible challenge in in that regard. So the indicators aren't positive, but it really will require Mariah for the West Indies to play beyond what we've seen so far in this series for them to be competitive in the series finale. >> Gentlemen, let's talk about the type of cricket that we uh have noticed both the men's and women's teams are playing these last few months. Um and and Nicola, I start off with you, especially on the women's side where they are trying to go on a more attacking front. Same on the men's side in test cricket as well. Um and and I'm not sure if it has been clicking as well as we would have liked um for the for the men's team in in test cricket of course but for the women's team in the shorter form of the game they also want to to press home the advantage in a in an attacking way to try and either beat their way out of trouble or into ominous positions. Do you think that is a sustainable uh model in in how uh first of all the women's team should play Nikl it can be sustainable, but you have to have players with the skill with the requisite skill to be able to execute. And I can look at both sides of of the coin in terms of the men's and women's. And I I don't think it's very easy to just say, right, we're changing the mold and instantly we're going to start attacking and beating teams by powering them out of the game. I think as we've discussed previously on the show, it has to start from the system. So if it's in test cricket, I think you need to create, you know, conducive surfaces and conditions to encourage players at the first class 4day level to play that way. And same way in the T20, Blaze and the Super 50 for the women's and men's. I mean, we look at the last women's super 50 barely scores over 200. So it's hard for me to believe that you can't get over 200 consistently in the your domestic regional tournament, but then you expect to go against India and England and do it. So, I think it has to be, you know, from top to bottom down. Everything has to fall into place and it's going to take time. I commend something like a breakout league where I always thought we needed a domestic T20 competition to develop the younger talent that weren't getting the look in in CPL. But again, now that you've got the breakout league, what are the main focuses of developing players in that league? I think all those things have got to come together for the Westies across the board to to play this brand of cricket that we've heard them talk about wanting to play. But but faz and I'm going to bring you in on on another side of this discussion because I can remember a few years ago where there were so many complaints as to the type of pitches being produced you know and we were concerned that our fast bowlers weren't getting uh beneficial surfaces and that the pitches were a little bit too slow and because of that we weren't seeing the proper rise of fast bowling in the region. And now it's it's on the extreme end in terms of the type of pitches that we are producing and which now sees our batsmen being unable to to survive and to put into practice during the regional competitions. So where where do we go in that regard to get it right in order to play the type of attacking minded cricket on the men's team on on the men's side in test cricket? You know this thing about attacking minded cricket and this bold new selection as as I mentioned at the time that is public relations foolishness. The the fact of the matter is the and and we discussed it was yesterday talking about preparing pitches that have even pace and bounce that will encourage both quality bowling pace and spin and quality batting. And I don't see that as an impossible task. Yes. from the the first two test matches, the pitches have been weighted in favor of the bowlers. And indeed, the Australians have described it as as interesting cricket. They've actually I think Alex Kerry described it as enjoyable to be battling through to to get runs because they you value runs in those circumstances. But I think we would be deluding ourselves to think that if we were to prepare batting friendly surfaces that automatically our batsmen would do a lot a lot better because history and the evidence of history tells us otherwise with all of the scores and the results and the losses and so on. So it's it's a complicated situation that that goes back to the roots of our cricket. But but again it's it there seems to be so much preoccupation with public relations and and gimmickry rather than just the simple nuts and bolts of the health and welfare of the game. >> Yeah. Faz the T20 game has given West Indis fans more things to cheer about than than the other two formats. Currently ranked eighth and 10th in ODI and test cricket. So the T20 world rankings currently six but in the past year they had risen to to to number three but dropping now now to three. Um how do you see the immediate future of this T20 team building especially with the advent of Nicholas Puran leaving international cricket? >> Well as as I've said before and and I know I will be at at odds with with your own opinion. Nicholas Puran's numbers playing for the West Indies in World Cups suggest that his absence makes no difference and and therefore as as far as we move forward it's really up to these players whoever they may be whether it's a shakeup once again a lot of constonation about the removal of Roman Powell as captain but the West Indies had lost seven of eight T20 internationals towards the end of 2024. So there are many different variables there l but I think no one can question as far as the ability of western cricketers to play the shortest format to be much more competitive which actually has a downside because it attracts the majority of players towards that format because it's it's very lucrative and on the franchise circuit to the detriment of 50 overs and test match cricket as well. So I I think it's pretty much the same as with the other formats, Lance, in that you it really depends on which West Indies turn team turns up on any given day whether you'll actually believe that the team can prevail and again the the asset test is always a world tournament which comes up next year and we'll really have to see come India if the West Indies can get their act together to be a competitive force once again in this format. Yeah, and Nikil, you cover a lot of T20 cricket and Faz just addressed the declining fortunes of the team. They've won just three of their last 14 T20s, I think. Um, your thoughts on the T20 program and how coach Darren Sammy can get get better results from the team. >> I think Lance and I I'm fully expecting to see a difference in these next couple of series, especially coming up in the near future, Australia and Pakistan. I think intelligence is the big thing for me. We look when I think about West Indies East cricket and T20 cricket the World Cups that they won that brute force and power next to none. I mean for a region of such small population when it comes to just having the raw materials and and as far as says producing the ability I think we are right up there. But now with technology and with improved facilities and teams catching up to the West Indies, they're getting beaten by teams outsmarting them. I look at the England series the areas in which England scored all around the ground whereas the West Indies are still with the traditional V small that's a small example but I just hope that you know as Darren Sammy and I know he will if I know anything about Darren Sammy is he's going to fight back and he will be on them to be different and be better but I think they need to be smarter and look I think what I've seen from from cricket in the West Indies in in the past six months as with as much disappointment as there's been people want the Westies to do well especially the younger population and and it's going to be an ongoing battle as it is with many different international countries where there's a franchise circuit and there's an international circuit and we're already seeing some flexibility there I expect more players to deny contracts but I think when I think back to when the Westies were at their best 2012 to 2016 that golden era no matter what happened behind the scenes when that 11 players went onto the field there was uniformity and there was just a togetherness and I really hope that Darren Sami can find that again because I think that's going to be the only way. Being smarter and being uniform, that's going to be the only way that they have a chance to compete and win the next T20 World Cup. Nico, we're going to have have to leave it here. Um but uh thanks to you as well as Fazir. Um just a final thought on both of you. Fazir, you have been um simply amazing and and a legend for me personally. Um when I started in this business, I had the pleasure of actually seeing you uh do live commentary at Sabayana Park and that really pushed me to be being the journalist and commentator that I am today and um you have set a very high standard. Nikil, I'm especially proud of you uh for what you are doing in the space um especially in the social media space as well. I know that uh you'll be going really far and it has been an absolute pleasure and a privilege sharing the space with the both of you talking cricket. >> You're making me cry. >> Guys, >> well, let let me leave it to Aquil to to to say his his final piece. >> Yeah, I want to say um first of all, wow, I I didn't even know where to start. I never thought this day would come, but first of all to Sports Mats for giving a 18-year-old four years ago. Um, a chance that many people turned down. I mean, Sports Mats has given me so much. And I think there's not amount of words I could say. Uh, especially I want to thank Ricardo Chambers who was the first producer to reach out to me, someone who I enjoy, you know, who hosts the show for years and someone who I thoroughly enjoy learning from. um Lance Waka and Fazer Muhammad, two stalwarts of the cricket media industry that have inspired me to do what I to do what I do now today and and pave a pathway. And then of course people like Mariah and Donald who host the show and I think have the toughest job because of the balance they have to create um and and set the story up for so many. And I also want to give a special thank you to Gerard Moricilia and Monique Lea who I've worked with as producers for the last couple years have always believed in me and everybody behind the scenes at Sports Mask. We are just faces but I got the chance to come to Jamaica and see the production and without you guys man this would be nothing and and obviously the viewers as well who sports mass has gone from regional to global. Everywhere I go around the world now people are telling me you know we heard you talking about this. I think it's sports mats has brought an interest back in regional sports and it's going to be a huge loss for me but I think for for West Indies everything um that there's no more sports mats. long may the legacy live >> and and my my own final words u together with with my goldfish I I should add on behalf of of Lance especially is that it's been a privilege to be given this platform to to express perspectives on on western cricket particular and even broader issues in general but also I I you I mean Donald you talk about legendary I think you're across the the desk from the real legend in Lansloth Whitaker for all the time that he's been in the media and his commitment to the Caribbean and his real dedication to the Caribbean. All I can say in in saying my farewells and wishing all of you, those in in the control room and everyone associated with the work of putting this program together to wish you all the best and hope that you can move on to even brighter things. All I can say is that those in sporting administration in the region and their assorted lackey will be getting their balloons and horns in celebration of the end of one more stream of independent thought and unbiased perspectives which I think is in serious danger not just in sport but generally but because we're talking sport it's in serious danger here in the Caribbean because it seems that this this sort of perspective is running out of room and I want to thank Sports Max and all associated with it for allowing me the opportunity to express my views. Thank you very much and all the best to everyone. >> Well, thanks Faz. In the words of Michael Jordan, break [Music]