The Editor, Sir:

I submit that Mr. Becca is out of touch. In this age of globalisation, it is important to shed the baggage of history. The 'West Indies' does not exist as a single entity except in cricket. The question of national/racial pride should not be a consideration in who coaches the West Indies.

England, cricket's originator, benefited from coaches from Zimbabwe, a country that can barely play the game. South Africa had Woolmer. Both Pakistan and India, which can be extremely jingoistic, benefited from foreign coaches (neither Wright nor Woolmer, incidentally, were Austalian). I have been a great fan of West Indian cricket for decades and like many followers of the game, it greatly saddens me to see how far it has sunk.

Forget about Constantine, Worrell, Sobers,Lara, etc. They are history. I think I speak for all of us lovers of cricket and the Windies. Get the best you can for the job of coach, someone who is not mired in petty parochialisms that have plagued the Windies, be he black, white, red, blue, or green. Then you will see the pride restored and the youngsters fighting for a place in the side again.

I am, etc.,

RAMESH NARAYAN

rmsh99@yahoo.com

Bangalore, Karnataka

India

Via Go-Jamaica