Patterson: Change the static culture of cricket

Former Prime Minister of Jamaica, Percival James
Patterson, as he delivered the 18th Frank Worrell
Memorial Lecture on Tuesday, October 8, at the Errol
Barrow Centre for Creative Imagination in Barbados.

A call to change the static culture of cricket in the Caribbean came from former Prime Minister of Jamaica, P.J. Patterson, as he delivered the 18th Frank Worrell Memorial Lecture on Tuesday night (October 8). Using the Errol Barrow Centre for Creative Imagination at the Cave Hill Campus as his backdrop, Patterson duly stated his case in his lecture entitled ‘Building on our unique heritage for the full release of abundant talents’.

Described by Prof. Hilary Beckles as an elite member of Caribbean master politicians during his introduction, Patterson began his address by waxing eloquent of Sir Frank and his achievements, calling him one of the finest cricketers and leaders of all time. Referring to Worrell as the Apollo of the sport, Patterson recounted several of his great performances inclusive of a Test against Cambridge University at Fenners in 1950 and one against Australia at Sabina Park, which he ranks among the most impressive innings he had ever seen in his lifetime.

Stating that Worrell never played a false shot in his promotion of those ‘blessed with his melanin’, Patterson hailed him as a pioneer as he was one of the very first regional players to ask to be paid for playing. The leader of Jamaica, from 1992 to 2006, explained that Worrell was excluded from the team to India during the 1948 tour because he asked for a modest fee. He then went on to represent a Commonwealth side in 1949 to 1950 and did extremely well, scoring over 600 runs. He then said that Sir Frank’s stand was an important one in paving the way forward for players in the region.

“Frank Worrell had struck the first blow for professional cricketers in the Caribbean. He insisted on his entitlement to earn a reasonable live-lihood in return for his innate gifts and superb talents as a cricketer. WIPA should make Frank Worrell their patron saint,” he said.

Stating that a greater level of respect needed to be given to the athletes, Patterson explained that a middle ground needed to be found between the West Indies Cricket Board and the West Indies Player Association if the sport was expected to move forward.


“We have to remember that the players are the most valuable resource of West Indies cricket and the ‘big stick’ approach, either by the Board or WIPA, is deleterious to West Indies cricket. We who constituted the commission, expressed the view that a change of culture is required and we have noted recently, indications of an encouraging move towards that end,” he said.

Also noting that with the changing times, there was a shift in focus from traditional industries, Patterson urged territories within the region to make the most of the unique cricketing heritage and culture to take it to the next level.

“It is in this scenario, I envisage the urgency of regarding cricket in the Caribbean as more than a sport or pastime. It is, as we have been reminded, an essential aspect of our heritage and cultural identity which must be exploited in the clusters of creative skill and services to generate greater levels of growth in jobs, earnings of foreign exchange as we seek to diversify our economies and capitalise on those areas where we enjoy a competitive advantage.”

Going on to say that there were new emerging markets with cricket being played seriously in non-traditional countries such as Israel, Italy, Geneva, Morocco and Dubai, Patterson said that the onus was on the Caribbean to take the reins over the region designated by the International Cricket Council and take the lead in establishing an Americas league built on the CONCACAF model, perhaps using the shorter version of the game.

“Since we are the only test-playing nation in the Western hemisphere, we have the responsibility for expanding the geographical scope of cricket to include all the countries of the Americas, USA, Canada, and Argentina for which the ICC has designated the WICB to be the focal point,” he said. (MP)