Throwing West Indies cricket under ‘Pybus’

Tough decisions require strong character and people who know that the popular choice may sometimes be the most ill-informed one. 

As West Indies cricket is brought to reality after the double success at the World T20 Cup, we must continue to fix cricket in the region and while we focused on the composition of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) in the hope of a quick dissolve, it is clear that the Dave Cameron led WICB will not disappear easily.

Cameron and his team believe that they have contributed positively to the recent success which is further from the truth than Mars is to the earth.

However, there is a problem that is larger and affects players, coaches and most importantly the people as it seems our culture which we share from territory to territory is about to be trampled on.

And while it has to do with systems being adopted in West Indies cricket, the system alone is not the problem, but rather the persons who have the responsibility for these system,  Richard Pybus. 

This is not the first time that Pybus has been negatively associated with West Indies cricket, as we have all heard of his many battles with leading players. 

If one did not know better,  it would be easy to surmise that Pybus was actually jealous of some West Indian players. Some suggest it could be the style, the dress, the wealth of the players or something as basic as their good looks, which is probably a more important criteria than most believe in light of how easy foreigners seem to be attracted to our West Indian stars.

So who is Richard Pybus?  And why did the WICB hire him? And what of the fact that coaches in the Caribbean squirm, when they hear his name?  Pybus was employed with both Pakistan and Bangladesh cricket associations, with little noticeable success during either term. 

Following is one report.

Dhaka: Englishman Richard Pybus has quit as coach of Bangladesh's cricket team over contract differences just five months into the job, officials said Wednesday.

Pybus, 48, told the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) of his decision on Tuesday night, just weeks before the team take on the West Indies in a home series starting in November.

“We have already appointed Shane Jurgensen, the national team's bowling coach, as the interim coach for the team,” BCB spokesman Jalal Yunus said.

Pybus, who had two spells with Pakistan, could not be contacted for comment.

In an interview with ESPNcricinfo, he said the BCB wanted him to spend 320 days a year with the Bangladesh team, a commitment he was not ready to make because of family reasons.

Yunus said differences over some terms in the agreement meant Pybus had coached the team since June without signing a formal contract.

Pybus turned to coaching in his mid-twenties after injury halted his playing ambitions. He coached in South Africa before taking over the Pakistan team between 1999 and 2001 and in 2003.”

Pybus was hired 

by the WICB in 2013

Richard Pybus, the former Pakistan and Bangladesh coach, has been appointed West Indies' director of cricket. Pybus will provide cricketing expertise to help develop West Indies' regional and international cricketers, over a three-year period starting November 1, 2013.

 WICB chief executive Michael Muirhead said Pybus was chosen after reviewing several applicants. “Securing the services of Richard is a major coup for the WICB,” Muirhead said. “I look forward to Richard joining us in Antigua and enhancing the work which we are doing, so as to ensure that all the necessary structures are in place to allow West Indian cricketers to develop and flourish. He has extensive knowledge in designing and managing successful cricket development systems both at the grassroots and elite levels, and we look forward to him building on the work we have already done.”

Pybus, who was set to fly out to the West Indies on Friday, said he was keyed up for the job. “I am particularly looking forward to working with the West Indies teams, the first-class sides, the High Performance Programme and the educational structures, to ensure a rigorous, competitive system that feeds through elite players to international level.”

As we are now in May 2016 (31 months into a 36 month contract), we can honestly look at the Professional Cricket League pioneered by Pybus and state it has failed. He did not understand and respect the cultural differences from Guyana to St Kitts to Jamaica to Antigua to Barbados to St Vincent to T&T to Grenada to Dominica to St Lucia. But this is not his fault. He is a stranger in a land, where there is a rich history of pride, reputation, style and not one of dogma and contempt. It has been difficult to make the necessary adjustment.  

Pybus should have been told that in this era, it was going to be difficult for territories to easily adopt his “order” to select non-nationals. This was not T20 cricket, this was COUNTRY cricket. Would Pakistan accept an Indian player on their national team?

And while Pybus may have been misguided, there can be no doubt that when coaches are not happy with you, you need to correct that because they are supposed to be the persons that you have to work closely with.

There is a belief, whether real or imaginary that Pybus is involved in selection of the West Indies team. That should not be so. The selectors, coach and  captain should pick our teams. This is another murky, blurry area that the WICB must clear.

Based on the above, a positive step would be to engage in discussion with all stakeholders and find out whether there is a ‘buy in’ to Pybus’ plans.

If the answer is no. We should wave goodbye to Pybus!