West Indies all-time bowling great Sir Curtly Ambrose recently set off a firestorm by suggesting that the team would never return to the days of dominating world cricket.

The all-conquering West Indies were the source of Caribbean pride for the better part of 20 years.  During this time, the team claimed back-to-back ICC World Cup titles and devoured all who came before it, creating scenes of jubilant fans who stormed the field in rapturous celebration as common occurrences.

Were we to be bold enough to apply a term like ‘things have changed’ to describe the current scenario, we would be guilty of uttering a massive understatement. 

For instance, let’s consider that since the year 2000, the regional team has won just 17 of 68 Test series, making that around 25 percent of those matches.  By way of quick comparison between 1980 and 1995, the team won 21 of 32 Test series for a healthy 65.6 percent win ratio, with a solitary loss coming to Australia. 

Having suffered such a massive change in fortune and for what has now become a prolonged period, one could be forgiven for thinking we may never get back to the top of the mountain.

  It certainly isn’t the time to give up, however, and I think plenty of good advice has been making the rounds in regional and international cricket circles.

 First off, we need to start our development at the basic and primary school level.  If we are able to successfully hone our young talent from a tender age, we will eventually end up with a much bigger selection pool.

Secondly, our leaders must always be willing to take responsibility and accept that the task ahead will not be an easy one. They must find a way to create a winning culture, supported by adequate incentives that combined makes players feel financially and emotionally secure.

 We want our players to choose West Indies cricket in a heartbeat.  To be fair, the current Cricket West Indies administration has adopted a player-first approach, but there is much more work to do, a lot more.

Finally, a lot of responsibility must fall on the shoulders of the players and we must not be afraid to say so.  They are the ones that must dream of, and work towards, being the very best at what they do.  Especially as it relates to things like fitness.

 Failing a fitness Test has to be be a big, no-no, that is poor on their part and there can be no excuses.  The long climb back to the top will take more than a few guys to step up.  Cricket is a collective sport, and it will require a team effort, from all of us.