KINGSTON, Jamaica — As the dust settles from the West Indies’ humbling defeats against Australia in both the Test and T20I series—losing 3-0 and 5-0 respectively—two of the region’s seasoned cricketers have stepped forward to voice a concern that strikes at the heart of Caribbean cricket’s ongoing decline: the lack of high-caliber coaching at both the local and regional levels.
Jimmy Adams, former West Indies captain and erstwhile Director of Cricket at Cricket West Indies (CWI), and Kieran Powell, who has donned the maroon in 44 Tests and 46 One Day Internationals, have issued a clarion call for urgent and strategic investment—not in tournaments or short-term fixes—but in people, systems, and foundational structures that can nurture talent from a young age.
“We need serious investment”: Adams on rebuilding from the bottom up
Speaking on the Mason and Guest radio program, Adams expressed deep concern over the trajectory of West Indies cricket, pointing not to a lack of talent, but rather, to a dearth of qualified coaches guiding youth development.
“I’m thinking that in about five to six years we will have a really good youth team and some really potentially good players,” Adams said. “We need to invest at the lower levels. We need to invest in a serious way at the lower levels, and we need to find good local coaches because from what I’m seeing, they don’t seem to be very many.”
The former Test captain, who represented the West Indies in 54 Tests and 127 ODIs, emphasized that continued failure to address the shortage of competent coaching could jeopardize the region’s cricketing future.
“If not, we have to go and look outside, and we have to use international best practices to develop our players,” he added. “It’s going to take money; it’s going to take an investment. It’s not going to take more competitions, which is what has been going on.”
He went on to stress that without structured, long-term developmental programs for youth—especially around the ages of 12 to 13—the sport in the region risks stagnation. “It’s going to take a serious, fundamental investment either regionally, or we’re going to have to find a base where we can have these youngsters over an extended period,” he concluded.
Powell echoes the call: “Our coaches are not equipped”
Backing Adams’ assessment, Kieran Powell didn’t mince words when he criticized the coaching landscape in West Indies cricket. For Powell, the problem is not a lack of discussion—but a failure to listen to those with hard-earned insight.
“I think what Jimmy is saying is nothing that any other past cricketer wouldn’t have said,” Powell noted. “But I don’t think that our voices are particularly welcomed.”
Powell, whose international career spans over a decade, directly linked the West Indies’ struggles at the elite level to the limitations of the region’s coaching infrastructure.
“I personally think that the coaches at the regional setup right now are just not exposed enough or equipped sufficiently enough to develop players,” he said. “An investment into the youth structure, especially the types of coaches [we hire], is critical.”
A coaching renaissance or continued decline?
Both Adams and Powell agree: without a renaissance in coaching—grounded in modern techniques, exposure to international standards, and meaningful developmental pathways—the Caribbean will continue to produce flashes of brilliance but no consistent excellence.
Their collective appeal is not merely about technique or tactics, but about vision. It’s a call for leadership—of minds and mentors—who can mold the next generation of West Indies stars not only to compete, but to dominate on the global stage once more.
