Over the last 20 years, the West Indies Cricket Board has appointed and fired so many of their men’s team captains with so much frequency, that on the surface, it looks like whatever the Board is looking for in a captain, they have yet to find it.

Not only does it seem that West Indies cricket men’s captains are appointed and let go more frequently than those of other regions, it is also true that only a very select few have distinguished themselves with a winning record. Of the myriad persons given the captaincy over this two decade period, none of the test captains have won more than 30 percent of their games, only one ODI captain won more than half his games, and two T20 captains won more games than they lost.

So does this point to the West Indies region incapable of producing winning cricket captain material, with a dearth of leadership potential in West Indies first class cricket, or is the administration not very good at identifying captain material. What about captains not given enough time to become competent at the job, or individuals not being groomed for leadership roles.

Whatever the issue is, the lack of consistent leadership at the captain’s position has hurt West Indies chances of winning at the international level. Where that is most apparent is at the margin, the instances where opposing teams are of slightly lesser or equal talent overall with West Indies, but those teams managing to win more often against the West Indies.

And who would make a good captain? A great performer with either bat or ball, a player others are willing to follow, or a tactician capable of moves and counter-moves in the field of play. Or is it best to give the mantle to an all-rounder, someone who is capable of producing with either bat or ball. And once the mantle of the captaincy is given, should the captain then be given enough time to learn and to then apply the captain’s craft for winning results.

It still remains true that a cricket captain needs to contribute to the team consistently with either the bat or the ball, and occasionally deliver a captain’s inning to save the day when necessary. In the cricket arena, where the difference between a champion and a goat is often the result of single stroke or a single delivery, the captain not only has to have the necessary passion for the game, but also has to play the necessary stroke or bowl the necessary delivery, to steer the team to victory.

In theory, the idea of an all-rounder as captain seems to provide the greatest benefit but in actuality, one or the other, or both aspects of the all-rounder’s performance usually suffers upon assuming the captaincy role.

Although our recent captains have demonstrated an abundance of passion and enthusiasm, sadly, neither their batting nor their bowling have been brought along to their newly elevated status. Becoming the captain of the West Indies seems to invariably cause the batting or bowling performance to suffer.

Perhaps it is time for West Indies to identify cricket leaders early on in their cricket careers, nurture and enhance those leadership abilities and skills, and then eventually groom a select few of those identified leaders to become captains of our teams.