What makes a West Indian West Indian?
28.10.25, 20:45 Updated 28.10.25, 20:46
I was born in Jamaica and moved to the UK when I was 3 years old. I moved back to Jamaica when I was 16 to do my A Levels, before coming back to the UK to complete my university education.
Follow West Indies cricket for long enough and you wonder if someone like me, a son of the soil but without the authentic accent and struggle to match, would be welcomed.
If that reads as being a little ridiculous, it’s because it is. Yet ask yourself how many diaspora people of Caribbean descent, whether born or through parental heritage, are currently playing for representative cricket sides in the region. The answer is none.
Conversely, the Reggae Boyz’ national side, who are currently top of their World Cup qualifying group with two games to go, is made up of 90% Jamaican diaspora players. If they make it to World Cup 2026, they would be the first Caribbean nation to make it to two World Cup finals, besting Trinidad and Tobago 2006, Jamaica 1998, Haiti 1974, and Cuba 1938.
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