The pride of playing for the West Indies has to be brought back: Joel Garner

Joel Garner (Photo by Ritam Banerjee/Getty Images)

Former West Indies cricketer Joel Garner has voiced his emotions on the turmoil being witnessed in West Indies cricket following the loss against Scotland in the ongoing ODI World Cup Qualifiers. Notably, the Windies will not be a part of the 2023 ODI World Cup in India, following their dismal run in the Qualifiers.

After enduring a seven-wicket defeat against Scotland, the West Indies attained the lowest point in their cricketing history, as they can no longer qualify for the marquee event in India. Former Windies cricketer Joel Garner, who won the World Cup in 1979 under the leadership of the great Clive Llyod, opened up in an interview regarding the current status of the national team and highlighted the reason behind the downfall of the team from the Caribbean.

“We are not what we were, right! Earlier, there used to be a lot of pride in playing for the West Indies. It was our motivation. Now, the young players are getting more attracted to T20 leagues. No blame on them as everyone looks around for security,” Garner was quoted as saying by NDTV.

“Our generation also did not get too much money; it came mainly from County cricket. But now this generation of cricketers has many avenues to earn, and they cannot be blamed for using them. The pride of playing for the West Indies has to be brought back,” he added.

Doesn’t hurt as our standards have fallen: Gordon Greenidge

Arguably one of the finest batters produced by West Indies cricket – Gordon Greenidge, who was also part of the interview, passed on a rather hard-hitting statement regarding the Men in Maroon’s recent performances.

“See! I don’t watch too much cricket these days, especially the white ball ones. Earlier a West Indies defeat used to hurt a lot but now it doesn’t that much as our standards have fallen over the years. But yes, a World Cup without the West Indies is quite unimaginable. We have no more depth to hit,” Greenidge remarked.