Internal strife left Scorpions struggling – McCarthy
Published:Sunday | December 3, 2023 | 12:12 AMOrane Buchanan - Staff Reporter
FOLLOWING THE Jamaica Scorpions’ horrible performance in the 2023 Regional Super50 tournament, which saw them finishing bottom of the table with six losses and a no-result from seven matches, senior player Andre McCarthy has sought to shed light on what he thinks impacted the team in Trinidad and Tobago.
“I think the planning wasn’t good and the coaching staff thought that they could just bring any squad and win. They (coaches) didn’t put anything in place, and some of the players weren’t comfortable and that wasn’t good for the cricket, as there was too much emotion,” he stated.
The 36-year-old McCarthy, who represented West Indies at the Under-19 World Cup back in 2006, said he was speaking on behalf of the younger players, who are fearful of speaking against the injustice within the Jamaican set-up, and added that players are left on their own to correct struggles.
“The players aren’t comfortable and a lot of coaching doesn’t take place. It’s about finding your way as they can’t tell you if you’re leaning too much to the left or right, and then there’s a curse word to follow. I’ve played for years and it was always an uphill task as I’m constantly fighting. The cricket can’t be like that, they (coaches) are too personal,” said McCarthy.
Throughout the tournament, McCarthy, who was selected following an injury to Brandon King, featured in five games, scoring 79 runs at an average of 15.80. While he has raised his hands for his struggles, the right-hander revealed that he’s worried about the players within the team who aren’t as strong mentally.
“To be honest, this year, I disappointed myself. However, I’m used to the fighting and at times I got mentally drained. I wouldn’t say the internal problems caused my struggles, because I had the bat in my hand and could have put on a better show for myself. I’ve fought long enough and I can just imagine the players who aren’t as strong as me. How are they going to go through with people like those? It’s really tough,” McCarthy added.
When asked if he thinks calling out the coaching staff in public could hinder future selection for the national team, especially with the regional four-day competition on the horizon, McCarthy shared that while he’s aware of the possible backlash, he thinks it’s the right thing to do.
“I’ve reached a point where I don’t care, as I’m aware that the coaching staff doesn’t like me and they’ve displayed it numerous times. But I’m here to play cricket and that’s it. You can’t express yourself because, whenever you do it, you get marked. I’m not looking at playing four-day at the moment, I’m voicing for the youngsters in the team who can’t speak as they’re not comfortable. A lot of the players want to speak about their challenges but are afraid, and it’s affecting their game.”