Roland Butcher, the Barbados-born former England cricketer and recent West Indies selector, has delivered a sobering assessment of West Indies cricket: “We’re struggling, and the struggle is not over. We haven’t hit rock bottom yet.” His concerns center on the drastic changes to the team’s structure, particularly the concentration of power in the hands of Daren Sammy, who now serves simultaneously as coach and sole selector for all three formats of West Indies cricket. Butcher warns this move could push the team even further into decline.
Butcher’s understanding of Caribbean cricket is extensive. He spent 15 years as head coach at the University of the West Indies sports academy, served on the national team’s selection panel alongside legendary Desmond Haynes, and has been a keen observer and commentator of cricket in the region. Despite his vast experience, he was dismissed as a selector after only one year, when full control of selection was given to Sammy.
He criticizes the decision to place so much authority with one individual, describing it as “madness” for someone to coach three teams and be the sole selector. He also highlights the impact of abolishing the senior and youth selection panels. Previously, selectors like himself and Haynes would attend regional tournaments and youth games to spot emerging talent firsthand a task no longer feasible under the current system, where territorial chairmen act as talent scouts but lack a formal selection process or the time to monitor players consistently.
During Butcher’s tenure as selector, West Indies enjoyed their best results in 25 years, winning 51% of their matches across all formats the only time this century they have achieved a winning record over a calendar year. He proudly states, “We were a success,” a rare achievement for West Indian selectors, who often lose their positions when the team struggles. Yet despite this success, the cricket board chose a different path, which Butcher believes will hinder progress.
He also points to the damaging effect of the global proliferation of franchise leagues. West Indies players have long been drawn away by lucrative domestic T20 competitions, which have weakened the international side for over a decade. Butcher notes how other countries, including England, are now experiencing similar challenges as their players prioritize franchise commitments. “Not many countries looked at what was happening with West Indies and thought, ‘This’ll happen to us too,’” he says. “For 10 years West Indies have been weakened by this, and people called them mercenaries. Now it’s coming home to roost for others.”
After spending the winter in Barbados, Butcher has returned to England to focus on cricket commentary and promote his new book, Breaking Barriers. His life story is compelling: growing up in poverty raised by his grandmother on Barbados’s east coast, relocating to Stevenage to join his parents, and blossoming into a star player for Middlesex before becoming England’s first black international cricketer. His playing career was cut short by a serious eye injury, and although he briefly pursued coaching, he found the English system too rigid and bureaucratic.
Interestingly, Butcher also explored a career in football coaching. He worked with a young Brendan Rodgers at Reading’s academy but ultimately left the game after Rodgers moved on to Chelsea. Butcher realized that even well-known former players like John Barnes were struggling to break into coaching roles, which discouraged him from continuing.
Now 71, Butcher remains deeply involved in cricket, particularly in Barbados. He serves as president of the Barbados Royals girls cricket club the region’s first all-female club and is a patron of the Ace Programme, a UK-based charity promoting cricket participation among underrepresented communities. “While I’m still capable physically and mentally to do something, I think I’ve got a lot to offer,” he says. “I’m a cricket man and cricket has been my life.”
Butcher’s warnings about West Indies cricket come from a place of passion and expertise. As the region faces structural challenges and the impact of global cricket’s evolving landscape, his voice is a reminder that the road to recovery will require careful stewardship, experience, and a commitment to nurturing talent at all levels.
