Hogg: Cricket in the West Indies is Gone Forever!

FORMER Test paceman Rodney Hogg has slammed international and West Indian officials for failing to use the World Cup to begin rebuilding there and said the game was so far gone in the region that it could never recover. Link here..

"For me, though, the West Indies are the disappointment. They are a shell of what they used to be. It's been a very long time since they showed anything remotely inspiring.

"They don't get crowds, so the kids aren't playing the game. It is hard to see how they will get themselves back because there is just nothing there to build on."

The plight of the West Indies reflects the dwindling popularity of cricket with local youth. Most young athletes prefer soccer or basketball to cricket, with the lure of US university scholarships a major factor.

Hogg, 56, was scathing of the game's administration for allowing the situation to deteriorate to such a point, with the World Cup there this year proof of where priorities lie for many officials.

"The World Cup was the last chance they had to grab the public's imagination and do something special," Hogg said.

"Instead, they turned it into a blatant money-grabbing venture. Ticket prices were out of reach of fans, so attendances were terrible. There was none of the traditional Caribbean atmosphere. Those games could have been played anywhere in the world."

Sad to say, but Hogg may be right. Certainly. he has identified the root causes which our administrators have failed to do. He is correct about CWC 2007 although officials there continue to blow their own trumpet.