CATEGORY:SPORTS(CRICKET) ---------------------------- INSIDE GRENADA Tuesday April 03,2007 by Wallace J.A GRENADA: Many Grenadian nationals as well as LOC (Local Organizing Committee) officials were somewhat disappointed yesterday when only a handful of players from the West Indies cricket team showed up at the Point Salines International Airport in St. George’s. The entire West Indies cricket team was scheduled to arrive on the island yesterday (April 02, 2007). The Welcoming Committee must have felt somewhat short-changed when they showed up at the airport with dancers wearing national colors and all to greet the West Indian cricketers and demonstrate our Grenadian hospitality only to find out that there was no Brian Lara and about two-thirds of the team was absent.. The LOC would have had all the logistics is place and this will definitely affect their plans as it relates to transportation, accommodation, practice sessions and so on. The West Indian cricketers were expected to have practice sessions during the course of this week at some of the practice venues on the island. The team has been playing very ordinary cricket in recent times and the players have looked very flat, deflated and unmotivated in their last three games which they lost miserably. Many Caribbean nationals were expecting the West Indies, who are playing on their home turf, to be unbeatable in the tournament or at least put up a strong fight against opposing teams. That has not been the case thus far; the WI players seem to just roll over and die at the slightest sign of pressure from the opposition, which brings into question the mental fitness and preparedness of the team for such a major tournament – the third largest in the world. Many irate Grenadian as well as West Indian cricket fans have already began calling for the sacking of officials/ players, from members of the Selection Committee (Andy Roberts, Gordon Greenidge and Clyde Butts) to the Coach (Bennett King) to the Captain and some of the players. One very annoyed fan stated that “They can’t even bat for a plate of food and every minute you hear them cursing for more money.” It is hoped that the Grenadian environment will help the players to relax and regain focus ahead of their next match against the mighty South Africans at the National Stadium next week Tuesday (April 10). The West Indies still have a chance to make it through to the ‘Big Four’ round of the competition, but that will depend on whether they are able to ‘grow backbones’ and bring the fight to the teams in their remaining three matches.