Dear Editor,
It is not usual for me to respond to opinions and views on the selection of players to represent this country since I have been selecting teams from as far back as 1986, and I am of the firm conviction that every citizen is a selector. However in this instance I feel it necessary to comment on the article carried in the Stabroek News of Tuesday, March 24, 2009, captioned ‘Musical chairs continue with Guyana National Team’ by Calvin Roberts. Evidently Mr Roberts has been ‘put up’ or ‘primed up’ to write on a subject that he is obviously incapable of representing in a structured or sensible manner.
The article is fraught with inaccuracies and contradictions, making it difficult to understand his motive and what he is really trying to say, for instance, “But the teams selected for the matches only consist of two specialist bowlers”; and “with regards to Singh one would be wondering whether Raphael and company especially Evans is holding some sort of malice against the promising left handed batsman.” Roberts continued his assault by positing that Derwin Christian is fifth in the batting averages.
I would like to advise Mr Roberts to revisit his article and review the contents for accuracy and substance. His statement that retainer contracts are the sole criteria used for selecting a few players is unfortunate and borders on dishonesty, since it could not emanate from discussion with myself as the Chairman of the selection panel, the President or Secretary of the Board, who constitute the officials authorized to pronounce on such policy guidelines. As a matter of fact, Mr Roberts never took the time to enquire from the Chairman of the Selection Panel on any issue regarding the selection of the Guyana team. His particular reference to Mr Evans has no merit and is totally unacceptable, especially since both Evans and Raphael were not on the initial panel that selected the team which had Mr Singh as part of the stand-by squad. Mr Singh subsequently graduated to the team under our watch. I feel that it must be clearly stated that the present selection panel holds no malice against any player; we always try to select the best combination of players possible to represent our beloved country, taking into consideration the players’ performances, along with other variables such as the potential for upward mobility, the balance of the team, whether we are playing at home or away, discipline and form, etc. Discussions are held on a free and fair basis, with the decisions coming out of consensual agreement among all parties involved, including the captain and coach.
Maybe it would be more helpful if reporters could be constructive and not destructive where pronouncements on cricket matters are concerned; facts and not misguided emotions or directives from persons who are only concerned with their own narrow interests must be the order of the day. Our job is not easy, we may not always get it right in the eyes of many, but tell me, which selection panel ever does?
Yours faithfully,
Claude Raphael
Chairman
Selection Panel
Editor’s note
The article said that Derwin Christian was fifth in the batting list with an aggregate score of 284 runs, not that he was fifth in the batting averages.
Only two specialist bowlers, namely, Brandon Bess and Veerasammy Permaul were selected in the Guyana XI which faced both the Combined Campuses and Colleges and Leeward Islands respectively, as Trevon Garraway discharged water-carrying duties.
SN apologises for the fact that neither Mr Raphael nor alternatively the President and Secretary of the board were contacted for a response before the article was published. We regret too the imputation of malice attributed to the selectors in respect of their selection of batsmen.
