Richard Williams is right – “the result in Bridgetown will bring a light to the eye of anyone who thinks a strong West Indies team is important to the overall health of Test cricket” (Back to the future, 29 January). However, it is not, as Williams asserts, that “the way that the game is being run in the Caribbean” is responsible for an “entirely white and British” crowd. The problems run deeper. The International Cricket Council (ICC), which distributes funding, is dominated by Australia, England and India in terms of both cash rewards and control, reinforcing inequalities between richer and poorer nations. The West Indies don’t have the money to promote and subsidise “local” crowd attendance, invest in junior player development – much needed given the competition from mainly “black” US sports – and prevent senior players sacrificing national identity for individual rewards in white-ball cricket. Beyond the boundary, these are the reasons why the result at the Kensington Oval was remarkable – not that any of us could watch the match on free-to-view television.
Mike Stein
Pudsey, West Yorkshire
• Why does Richard Williams imagine “the ranks of the Garrick Club” might resent the overwhelming victory by the West Indies cricketers against England in Barbados? As it happens, many members were delighted to recall the great players who have worn the maroon cap, and their famous deeds. One of them remembered bringing Clive Lloyd, one of the most illustrious West Indies captains, into the club bar. It was the only time members burst into spontaneous applause to greet a famous guest, and the Garrick has welcomed quite a few.
Michael Henderson
London
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