Cricket: West Indian glue

k Cricket is a unique binding force in the West Indies and the fortune of the regional cricket team is a good indicator of the social health and sense of common identity of the people they represent.

The link between the form of the WI cricket team and the sense of purpose and unity of the people should not be underestimated. It reflects the shared history and aspirations of the Caribbean people.

Cricket is the unifying force that made the world sit up and notice us because our team, from only about six million people, dominated world cricket for 15 years and showcased our skill, ingenuity and fighting spirit.

Indeed, such was the value of cricket as a social force that the glory days of WI cricket coincided with our individual nations freeing themselves from colonial shackles and forging their own identities.

The richest era of social, political and economic success of WI nations occurred while our cricket team dominated all others. Therefore, our team's recent failures might be a reflection of our nations' current challenges.

Our team's recent failures have seemingly damaged our cricketing dignity and impacted our spectatorship. Our team performs best T-20 cricket, so that version now has the biggest attendance.

The WI versus Pakistan test match in Dominica has generated much interest in cricket and related issues. As such, The Sun has produced this special supplement to explore the current state of local and regional cricket.

We believe it will help to provide some clarity about the strengths and weaknesses of local and regional cricket, as well as what hope exists for WI to become the premier team in the world again, ideally with a strong Dominican presence.

Let's rally round the West Indies, now and forever more!