Dave Cameron blames "female PE teachers" for lack of development in Jamaican cricket
Cricket West Indies president Dave Cameron has raised fingers at female PE teachers for the poor state of cricket in Jamaica and stated that they don’t know about the game. He also added that cricket faced a problem because of the need for space and equipment in comparison to other sports.
Jamaican cricket has a history attached to it and the place has been a hotbed for talents for West Indies cricket. However, in recent times, the game has suffered enormously as they are not being able to produce international cricketers aas they did in the years gone by. And Cameron pointed out the problems which they faced in the recent times and made a controversial statement by saying that because of the female PE teachers cricket is not promoting and developing in Jamaica.Â
"Firstly, we only have female PE teachers, which is a problem. They don't know cricket. The game of cricket is very complicated. They don't know the history and neither are they interested," Cameron told the Sunday Gleaner.
"That becomes an issue. When we went to school, most of our PE teachers, if not all, were male. So they coach cricket, football, track, and field, and we're not getting that anymore," he added.
The place has been home to West Indian legends like Michael Holding, Jeff Dujon, Courtney Walsh, and Chris Gayle, but in the recent times, people have not been preferring cricket because of the logistical problems. In the other sports like basketball and football, they don’t need extra space or equipment while in cricket a player needs a proper kit and a big stadium. Cameron pointed out that and stated that cricket is suffering big-time.
"In football, four-a-side scrimmage can be played in a little two-by-four space; on the road, you put a hoop on a light post and you can play basketball. Cricket suffers from needing space and specialised equipment, and all that kind of thing, to operate.
"So we're continuously looking at different ways and different types of the game that can be played without that huge fanfare of a big field and specialised pitches."