To say that West Indies cricket is in a mess right now is a gross understatement.
Low has been followed by low over the last few years, culminating last month at Headingley in the Second Test with the worst defeat in West Indies history. It has reached a point beyond embarrassment.

Former Jamaican fast bowling great Michael Holding recently said: "The pain is not as sharp as it used to be. Defeat doesn't stab me as much as it once did. When you get so much punishment, you almost become immune to the hurt. It's like I've been taking painkillers for the last few years and they've had an effect on me."

Nobody alive has watched more West Indies Test matches than white Barbadian commentator Tony Cozier. Following in his editor father's footsteps, he has charted the rise and fall of Caribbean cricket with authority.

The 30 year Test Match Special veteran said: "The people of the region are getting more and more depressed about our cricket and it's a question of how much patience they have before they look for something else. Time is running out."

Howeve, both Holding and Cozier see a glimmer of hope. They believe West Indies cricket has reached rock bottom and could be ready to take the first tentative steps towards recovery.

By all accounts the atmosphere among the players is much improved. There is more team unity now, with everybody working together. The players are now focused on a future without the flawed great, Brian Lara, who departed before the current tour of England.

"I firmly believe the team is better off without Lara," said Holding.

Cozier puts great emphasis on a review of West Indian cricket currently being compiled by former Jamaican premier PJ Patterson.

"It will be very wide-ranging and is due to be submitted by the end of the June," said Cozier. "It will look at how things can be turned around. There will also be a call for more government investment in establishing academies throughout the region."

Both Holding and Cozier also bring up the name of Allen Stanford, the Texan businessman who perhaps provides the biggest hope for a renaissance for Calypso cricket. Stanford has considerable investments in Antigua and unlike many entrepreneurs, is not viewed suspiciously by the two esteemed cricket observers.

Last year Stanford staged a highly successful inter-island Twenty20 competition on his own ground in Antigua, which produced the traditional Caribbean cricket atmosphere that was so lacking at the World Cup.

He has also put 17 Antiguan players on professional contracts and recruited Eldine Baptiste from his successful coaching career in South Africa to show them the way.

His huge wealth is having an impact and he is slowly being accepted by the West Indies board, who are still financially fragile. Stanford has some great names from West Indian cricket advising him and he has created a first world business and entertainment complex on a third world island."

One of the big-name advisers is Holding. "What Stanford is doing can only help West Indies cricket," he said. "He has not just rewarded the players, but he is putting a lot of money into the infrastructure of cricket on a lot of islands. And everything is accountable. This is not just a rich joker having fun. He is working for the future of the sport in a proper
manner."

It would be some achievement if Stanford can get cricket in the West Indies back on track, but he just might.