Australia vs West Indies: Omar Phillip's inclusion an indication of the West Indies deteriorating cricketing fortunes
When news broke that West Indies would bring in Omar Phillips as an emergency fielder for the second Test against Australia, there were precisely two reactions.
Omar Phillips was called up to as emergency fielder for the West Indies."Who is he?" would be one for younger cricket fans, and "Really, he's still playing?" would be how older fans would have reacted.
For you see, Phillips has previously played Test cricket for the West Indies. He played two Test matches – against Bangladesh - back in 2009.
He earned his call-up as Cricket West Indies were embroiled in a contractual dispute with their star players – sound familiar? – and had an impressive start to his career.
He scored 94 on debut but then managed 14, 23, and 29. That, and the fact that West Indies' star players like Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan, and Shivnarine Chanderpaul returned to the fold, meant Phillips's career primarily faded.
But it's not his age that makes his recall so shocking. No, it's the fact that the last first-class game he played came back in 2017.
Since then, he moved to Australia and continued playing the game as a club cricketer. His recall, even on an emergency basis, seems highly puzzling.
Did the West Indies have no one else fit for the job? Was there no player from the domestic system who could be called up at short notice? Or was this the easy way out? Whichever way you look at it, the answer is not a pretty one for fans of West Indian cricket.
If they had no one else in mind from their domestic system, it is a damning indictment of their cricket structure. It is very broken.
And yes, there are enough signs of that on the field, too – West Indies had to play the qualifiers of the T20 World Cup in 2022 and did not make the cut.
But the lack of squad depth to such a degree that a club cricketer in his late 30s was seen as your best option is a sign of worry.
It is also a sign that things don't just need to change in West Indies cricket – they need to change now, or there is no hope left.
Even if you want to be generous and say that the team took the easy option, what does that say about those in charge?
They would rather have a journeyman cricketer come into the Test side for an emergency instead of bringing in a young player who would benefit from at least being part of the Test scheme of things.
It also paints the picture of lazy administrators who are least bothered about what is good for the game's long-term future in their region.
As it is, this has been a tumultuous time for West Indies cricket. Some of their best players are guns for hire in leagues worldwide.
Others are either young or need to be more consistent for the elite level. And, to make things worse, there is no pipeline for future talent.
If West Indies cricket can't be declared dead, it can most certainly be declared terminally ill.