Roland Butcher: ‘West Indies are struggling – we’ve now not hit all-time low but’

After West Indies secured a one-day collection draw towards Ireland on Sunday their captain, Shai Hope, was once requested concerning the crew’s coming near near discuss with to England. “We played them at the end of last year and we won that series so we know they’re going to be coming at us even harder this time,” he mentioned. “We’re looking forward to it. We know they’re going to be a tough, tough opponent but we’re always ready to play anyone.”

Roland Butcher, kid of Barbados, as soon as of England and extra lately a West Indies selector, has a much less constructive outlook: “We’re struggling, and the struggle is not over. We haven’t hit rock bottom yet.” The focus of energy throughout all 3 codecs within the palms of 1 trainer and selector – Daren Sammy – is what Butcher fears “is going to finally push us to the bottom”.

Butcher’s wisdom of Caribbean cricket is extensive and deep, with 15 years as head trainer of the University of the West Indies sports activities academy, one serving at the nationwide crew’s variety panel along any other acquainted identify in Desmond Haynes, and plenty of commentating on fits across the area. He was once appointed as a selector in December 2022 however brushed aside a 12 months later, with complete regulate of the crew ultimately passed to Sammy, who choices and likewise coaches the senior facet throughout all codecs as of April this 12 months.

“In Desmond and myself you’ve got over 100 years of experience at the highest level, still capable, still wanting to contribute,” Butcher says. “I’ve moved on and Desmond has moved on as well, but we’ve got this knowledge, we want to help and they’re struggling.

“It was a very left-field change, and not a change that I agree with. Not because I’m no longer a selector, it’s just not suitable for somewhere like the West Indies. In 2023, they had the best run they’ve had for 25 years in terms of results and for some reason they decided to make Daren the only selector and coach. I mean, madness. And it’s going to be tested already because they’re over here and then in a couple of weeks Australia is arriving for a Test series. I mean, how can you coach three teams? How can you be the only selector for three teams? It’s just absolute madness.

“What they’ve done is they’ve said the chairmen of selectors in the territories – so in Barbados or in Trinidad – now becomes a talent scout as well. But there’s no selection process for them. The selector in Barbados, he’s a man in a full-time job. When does Sammy watch regional cricket? Desmond Haynes and myself, that’s all we did, watch cricket, all over the place. I was a youth selector as well so I’d be at the regional tournaments, under‑15, under-17, under-19, and I got to see all the young talent coming through. The talent scouts can’t do that. And they didn’t just get rid of the senior men’s selectors. The youth selectors as well, they changed that.”

In Butcher’s 12 months as a selector, the West Indies males’s facet received 51% in their video games, the one time this century they’ve received the vast majority of their fits throughout all codecs in a calendar 12 months. “When I left, I said to Desmond: ‘We were a success.’ There’s no other West Indian selector that has left and can say they were a success, they were always let go because the team failed,” he says. “We were a success. So that will always stay with me. The powers that be, they wanted to move to a different situation. But we were a success and we were on the right path. There’s no question about that. They can’t take that away.”

West Indies had been suffering from the proliferation of profitable franchise leagues and their dependancy of distracting – or simply taking – global avid gamers. “But I think England have started to experience what West Indies have experienced for the last 10 years,” Butcher says.

“I don’t think many countries looked at what was happening with West Indies and ever thought: ‘You know what, this’ll happen to us too.’ For the last 10 years, West Indies teams have been weakened by domestic leagues and everybody was sitting back saying: ‘Oh, West Indies, they’re mercenaries.’ They didn’t think it would come home to roost.”

After a iciness in Barbados, Butcher is settling again in to lifestyles in England sooner than a summer time of statement and selling his new e-book, Breaking Barriers. It no doubt doesn’t need for fascinating tales: being introduced up in poverty by way of his grandmother on Barbados’s east coast, being uprooted to enroll in his folks in Stevenage, hoovering up trophies in a good looking Middlesex facet, changing into England’s first black participant sooner than having his global ambitions beaten by way of a significant eye damage, and going into and hastily giving up on cricket training. “I found the English system too rigid. It was all from a book. I didn’t feel confident enough that I would be allowed to do what I thought should happen.” He grew to become as a substitute to soccer, met a then-unknown Brendan Rodgers whilst finding out for his Uefa B licence and was once recruited by way of him to enroll in Reading’s academy, sooner than being left at the back of when Rodgers was once headhunted by way of Chelsea and from there introduced on a stellar training profession.

“If he hadn’t gone I think I would have stuck it longer,” Butcher says. “What pushed me out eventually was the fact that I knew John Barnes very well and he was having it really tough. He couldn’t get interviews, couldn’t get shortlisted, couldn’t get nothing. So after Brendan left, it dawned on me if guys of that level are struggling to make it professionally, it’s gonna be tough for me.”

Now 71, Butcher has no purpose of drifting clear of cricket. He could be very lively because the president of Barbados Royals ladies cricket membership, the area’s first all-female membership, and a patron of the Ace Programme, the British charity looking to power engagement within the game amongst underrepresented communities. “While I’m still capable physically and mentally to do something, I think I’ve got a lot to offer. I’m a cricket man and cricket has been my life.”