Cricket without a Cause: Fall and Rise of the Mighty West Indian Test Cricketers

This book is written by Professor Hilary Beckles, a brillant man who has pulled together a wonderful book about the history, fall and rise and slide but hopefully rise of West Indies cricket. He has placed the game of cricket in its political and economic context and through a nationhood and regional basis made up of the Caribbean. It is full of detailed description and backed up with clear evidence which is no surprise to me having read his other books. It is a sad story of the cricketing of the West Indies which the sport needs. It also is a great memory jogger of the greatest of Worrell, Weekes, Sobers, Richards, Holding, Marshall Clive Lloyd etc.The professor is a man of action having along with others developed a programme around sporting intelligence, technical support and understanding to help the West Indies rise again. It is a last great hope.However, the lure of the T20 game and the cash generated makes it difficult for the West Indies to be able to climb that cricketing Everest back to being consistently at the top of Test cricket the main form in my view.Cricket for the smaller nations are going the way of Rugby Union where it is now only possible for four teams to win that world cup.West indies cricket needs to look at how New Zealand All Black has become so good for so long, adapt what they can to fight back.This is a terrific book which I wish could be cheaper and those who like cricket shoulod read it