Dyson slams Caribbean domestic game

	Chris Gayle struck two centuries against Pakistan, but it was a familiar story of wasted chances for West Indies © AFP

West Indies coach John Dyson has criticised the standard of their domestic game after Pakistan completed a 3-0 whitewash of the one-day series in Abu Dhabi.

Dyson watched as West Indies let strong positions slip in all three matches and doesn't think the inter-island tournaments in the Caribbean are producing players ready for international level.

"Unfortunately the frustrating part is that international sport is about winning, the frustration as coach is that the newcomers don't have the basic skills for this kind of cricket," he said.

In the final ODI on Sunday, Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan put West Indies into a promising position with a stand of 151, but West Indies then fell apart and lost nine for 74. It followed their final-over defeat in the opening game - where Jerome Taylor conceded 17 in the last over - and a batting collapse in the second match as Shivnarine Chanderpaul was left stranded on 107.

"If you look at the Australian system, by the time a player comes into the Australian team he has played umpteen number of matches in the Sheffield Shield cricket which is very good quality...so he is ready to play internationally."

Dyson added that the quality of regional West Indies cricket was "nowhere near" the standard of the Australian structure, and was generating players that "are unprepared to play against international teams."

Of the new faces tried by West Indies during their week in Abu Dhabi, the most encouraging performances came from fast bowler Lionel Baker who took five wickets in the three matches. But Dyson said there is a lot of hard work ahead if the players are to catch up with the standard of other countries

"At this level it's about trying to win matches, it shouldn't be about trying to teach the players how to play international matches. Our newcomers will have to learn the basics of international cricket, other countries have strong systems and have very very strong basics, so they are doing well."

West Indies' next international commitment is a month-long tour of New Zealand which starts in December and includes two Tests, two Twenty20 internationals and five ODIs.