00:00Stopping the news tonight, well James, I've heard the West Indies set a new unwanted record today.
00:05Give us all the details.
00:07Well, not the stars I'd like to get out of the crease of it, as it will be a day to go down in infamy,
00:13as it was an absolute humiliation for the West Indies cricket,
00:16as the Maroon men were bowled out for a jaw-dropping 27 runs.
00:20If you heard correctly, 27 runs in front of their home fans in Jamaica today.
00:25Well, look on, if you dare, as the dramatic collapse saw them score the second lowest total in test history
00:32and the worst game that the game of cricket has seen since 1955,
00:38as Australia sealed a 176-run victory and the series whitewash in Jamaica.
00:44Well, the carnage was led by that man, Mitchell Stark, who turned his 100th test into a personal highlight reel
00:50as he ripped through the batting lineup with a rootless spell of 6 for 9,
00:54grabbing five wickets in just 15 balls.
00:58Stark's brutality was the fastest 5-4 ever recorded in test cricket,
01:02as he also cruised past the 400-wicket milestone while barely breaking a sweat.
01:09Well, as to the West Indies, this isn't just a bad day at the office,
01:12as it's evolved into a full-blown crisis,
01:15and from 27 all-outs, a series whitewash at home, questions are being asked.
01:20To answer some of those pressing questions, we have former TV6 morning show host and cricket analyst Fazir Mohamed.
01:28Now, Fazir, in your own words, can you describe, if you can, what we saw today?
01:32I suppose an accident waiting to happen is the best way to describe it,
01:37because you fared for a number of factors that something like this could happen.
01:40Maybe not 27 all-out, but you look at the quality of the Australian bowling,
01:45the lack of experience and quality in the West Indies batting,
01:49the nature of the pitch at Sabina Park, and the pink bowl.
01:53And all of those factors, together with Mitchell Stark in his 100th test match,
01:57looking to do something special, as I said, it was almost the perfect storm
02:02as far as the West Indies being blown away for 27 today.
02:05Well, from what I heard you saying, it seems like something that you saw coming,
02:09or was this a performance, an anomaly?
02:12I wouldn't say it's an anomaly at all, because, James, you know,
02:14if we look back on West Indies' recent history, certainly from the 2000s onwards,
02:20many people will look back and ignore the fact that with the great Brian Lara,
02:24Shibnirin Chandipal, Ramnari Sarwan, Chris Gale,
02:28the previous record was set in the same Jamaica in 2004, 47 all-out.
02:33Just before that, the West Indies, 51 all-out against Australia,
02:3761 all-out against England, 61 all-out against the same England.
02:42So there's a string and a thread here, James, that goes beyond just the players.
02:47And yes, people will cuss and get on about the players and the coach and so on.
02:52But indeed, as I said before, in the same way that we talk about success being a process,
02:58consistent failure is a process as well.
03:00And this is the inevitable result.
03:03I've heard so many variables being discussed.
03:05What do you think are some of the pressing questions and concerns
03:07that must be immediately answered?
03:11Fundamentally, James, it's the same thing that many people have been talking about
03:14for about 30 years.
03:15The quality of our domestic cricket.
03:18We continue to fool ourselves into believing that with ordinary standards,
03:22poor performances, we can somehow be competitive in test match cricket.
03:26Look, Craig Brathwaite has just played his 100th test match as a batsman, averaging 32.
03:33It's the lowest average by anyone who would have played 100 test matches as a batsman.
03:38And that really tells you the story of our cricket.
03:40It's got to be asked, Fazio, of course, you mentioned that not enough domestic cricket,
03:44but it's got to be asked, Darren Sami, what is his rule, if any, in this debacle that we saw today?
03:51Well, he'll have to own up to it.
03:53Because remember, he's talked boldly about a new, positive, bold style of cricket.
03:59And basically going by the data, jettisoning some players like Alec Athanese and Kavim Hodge,
04:06who have been in the West Indies team for the last year and a half to two years.
04:10And now that we've had this, not just losing the series 3-0,
04:14but being humiliated in a world record way, in a way that we don't want today,
04:19he'll have to answer some questions.
04:21Does it mean that he should be sacked automatically?
04:23No, because that doesn't achieve anything.
04:26The question is, are we really going to see a situation where people are going to put their hands up
04:31and own up to the fundamental flaws in West Indies cricket?
04:36I've got to ask as a fan, Fazio, you know, we're looking at the result today.
04:39We're quite concerned.
04:41How long can we take in terms of reconstruction, in terms of getting West Indies at a competitive level?
04:47We've seen the bowlers do well, but 27 not out, or 27 all out, in fact.
04:52It's a new low for West Indies cricket.
04:54How long are we looking at in terms of getting some sort of reconstruction and rebuilding?
05:00Well, you know, James, that has been a question that has been asked since you were in short pants,
05:04probably in pampers as well.
05:06And we're still waiting on the answer.
05:07Because, again, whenever something like this happens,
05:10the usual phrase is, well, we can't get any worse.
05:14And invariably we do, because we are not addressing the problem.
05:18And that's the issue, James.
05:19Until we keep playing this game of PR and pretending that things are well.
05:24For example, the T20 series starts on Sunday.
05:27If the Westerners were to win that series, all will be forgotten about this humiliation.
05:31And then it's going to happen again.
05:33So we basically need to get back to the nuts and bolts of Caribbean cricket,
05:38or else this is going to remain the norm.
05:40People keep talking about a revival and turning the corner.
05:43That's not going to happen anytime soon, once we continue this way.
05:47Well, it doesn't fill me with optimism.
05:49Thank you so much for your thoughts and insights, as always, Fazir Mohamed.
05:56Well, tell you what, I'll send it back to Disha, and we've got more news for you.
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