West Indies’ decline has been gradual, according to Ian Bishop, who claims they “haven’t played consistently good against top nations for a Decade”

The squad’s terrible performance in the recent ICC ODI World Cup Qualifier caused the team to miss the bus for the international tournament for the first time in their history, but former West Indies star Ian Bishop has refused to place the responsibility on the current group of players.

According to Bishop, the once superpower has been gradually deteriorating over the last ten years. West Indies established themselves as the finest team in the world by winning the first ODI World Cup in 1974 and successfully defending it in 1979.

However, they were disqualified from the competition after a seven-wicket loss to Scotland on Saturday, meaning they will not be competing in the 2023 ODI World Cup.

“Yes, the deterioration has been slow. I’ve always maintained that this is older than these guys. Since maybe a decade ago, we haven’t regularly performed well in one-day international cricket against the best teams. The T20 squad has slipped despite winning the championship twice, according to Bishop, speaking to ESPNcricinfo.

Bishop, 55, likened the collapse of the West Indies to a company’s demise brought on by a lack of vision.

The two-time world champion West Indies cricket team, who popularized the field for ODI cricket, has disappeared from the business scene, he said, “just like big corporations that were once at the height of their powers, and then, I suppose, through a lack of vision or whatever you want to call it, they disappeared off the business scene.”

To bring the representation back to where it needs to be, he said, “…we need all hands on deck.”

Bishop acknowledged that even if West Indies were to return to their previous level, it wouldn’t be similar to how they played in the 1980s and 1990s.

“We won’t ever be as dominant as we were in the 1980s and the early 1990s. I believe that other international teams are just too good. The authorities throughout the globe need to consider our major economic issues in the Caribbean, according to Bishop.

“But I still think we have enough there to do even better next time around, if there is synergy,” he said, “when I look at, for example, where Zimbabwe were, the difficulties they have gone through, and how well they have played in this tournament.”

According to Bishop, players’ motivation has shifted, and West Indies cricket will need to adjust.

“I believe that the times have changed. Globalization has kind of eroded the motivations that drove Sir Vivian Richards, Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, and Clive Lloyd. Therefore, the incentives have changed, and I am okay with that,” Bishop added.

“If it is more financial and economic, then we have to ride with that time and provide experiences and platforms where the players gravitate towards that,” he said.

Bishop, who played 84 ODIs and 43 Tests for the West Indies between 1989 and 1997, believes that although the desire to represent the country is there, the quality of the players isn’t.

“There is still a desire to play for West Indies, as I speak to players,” he added. “But there may not be as many of that calibre as there may have been in times past.”

Bishop also wants the West Indies to stick with captain Shai Hope and head coach Darren Sammy despite their disastrous world cup performance.

“Our coaches and captains have been replaced. The incumbents must now be supported, given time, and provided with support personnel. Why can’t West Indies, if they focus on their pool, accomplish what Zimbabwe did in this tournament with minimum playing resources? he asked.