'Our generation also did not get too much money' - Joel Garner reacts to poor performance of West Indies in World Cup Qualifiers

West Indies (Source: Twitter)

For the first time in the history of Cricket, West Indies will not be playing in the main round of an ODI World Cup. The men in Maroon failed to qualify for the ODI World Cup as they couldn’t beat teams like Zimbabwe, The Netherlands and Scotland in the qualifiers. A lot of former West Indies Cricketers have revealed their disappointment with West Indies’ campaign in the tournament. Former World Cup winners like Joel Garner and Gordon Greenidge have mentioned their disappointment as well. 

The former West Indian opener and a World Cup winner said “See! I don't watch too much cricket these days, especially the white ball ones. Earlier a West Indies defeat used to hurt a lot but now it doesn't that much as our standards have fallen over the years. But yes, a World Cup without the West Indies is quite unimaginable. We have no more depth to hit”. Gordon Greenidge asked for an improvement in the West Indies side. 

Joel Garner reacts to West Indies' campaign

The former West Indian pace bowler and a World Cup winner said “We are not what we were, right! Earlier, there used to be a lot of pride in playing for the West Indies. It was our motivation. Now, the young players are getting more attracted to T20 leagues. No blame on them as everyone looks around for security. Our generation also did not get too much money; it came mainly from County cricket. But now this generation of cricketers has many avenues to earn, and they cannot be blamed for using them. The pride of playing for the West Indies has to be brought back”. Joel Garner talked about the priorities of today’s players compared to that of his time. 

Under the leadership of Clive Lloyd, West Indies had won the first two ODI World Cup tournaments in 1975 and 1979 respectively. Gordon Greenidge and Joel Garner were part of the 1979 squad that won the tournament. The two West Indian greats were also part of the West Indian team in the 1983 World Cup that lost the final against Team India.