– WICB excludes players who made themselves unavailable for Bangaldesh Series from Champions Trophy team
In a move guaranteed to undermine the ongoing mediation process between itself and the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) as well as devalue the standard of the tournament, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) yesterday excluded all those players who made themselves unavailable for the recent series against Bangladesh in their team for next month’s ICC Champions’ Trophy in South Africa.
Floyd Reifer, the 37-year-old left-hand batsman who was recalled after a break of nine years from international cricket when the originally chosen 13 withdrew three days before the first Test against Bangladesh, again leads a squad of 15 that was named five days before the ICC’s deadline.
All but two of those involved in the whitewashes against Bangladesh – 2-0 in the Tests, 3-0 in the ODIs – are included.
The exceptions are fast bowler Daren Powell, 31-year-old veteran of 37 Tests and 55 ODIs who had initially made himself unavailable for the Bangladesh series, and Royston Crandon, the 26-year-old Guyana all-rounder who is yet to play for the West Indies.
Fast bowler Fidel Edwards, included in the WICB’s provisional squad of 30, has not been chosen. It is not clear whether the reason is a back injury that affected him during the ICC Twenty20 Championship in England in June or the WIPA’s directive.
The WICB’s decision to stick by those players who defied the WIPA’s call for a boycott of the Bangladesh series because of the long-running contractural dispute between the two had been already flagged by vice-president Dave Cameron and director Joel Garner, the former West Indies player who is Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) president.
Cameron said the WICB was not obliged to pick the players who refused to play against Bangladesh in spite of a clause in the memorandum of understanding in the mediation agreement between the two bodies, brokered by Caricom chairman, Guyana president Bharat Jagdeo, that “all players will make themselves for selection”.
The appointed mediator, former Commonwealth Secretary General Sir Sridath Ramphal, issued a statement on the matter last week.
“For the removal of doubt and avoidance of misunderstanding, I make clear that the mediation process…in no way affects the obligation of WICB to select the best West Indies team available for the ICC Champions Trophy …and that the WICB has at least until August 22 to do so, including any changes to lists earlier supplied – notwithstanding the ongoing mediation process,” he explained.
He may want clarification of the WICB’s position when he next meets with its facilitator in the mediation process, management consultant and Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) member, Gerard Pinard.
The West Indies were runners-up to South Africa in the first Champions Trophy in Bangladesh in 1998, won the tournament by beating England in the final at the Oval in 2004 and were runners-up again, to Australia, in the last tournament in India 2006.
The tournament was reduced to the top eight teams in the International Cricket Council (ICC) ODI rankings in which the West Indies are eighth. Bangladesh, in ninth, were not included.
Whatever the circumstances, the choice of a below-strength team is another blow to West Indies cricket and to the tournament as a whole.
Although the ICC has not openly intervened, its general manager, Dave Richardson, the former South African wicket-keeper, said when the players withdrew that the world body was “concerned.”
“We will be contacting them (WICB) soon to ask them if we could offer any help,” he told the website, cricinfo. That contact has reportedly never materialised.
“Certainly if the West Indies [board] does not sort out their relationship with their players, it is a concern because we need a strong West Indies team coming to the Champions Trophy,” Riuchardson added at the time.
“West Indies have had a proud record and it would be a pity if they cannot maintain it but cricket is a mirror-image of a bigger social environment,” he said.
He also took a scarcely veiled swipe at the board.
“The islands in the Caribbean are finding it tough financially and that might be reflected in the cricket as well,” he said. “Having said that the best performing countries are the ones that are best administered and the West Indies’ administration, I wouldn’t say is bad, but hasn’t been consistent. It keeps changing all the time and that is not good for the game.”
The team for the Champions Trophy: Floyd Reifer (Captain), Darren Sammy (Vice Captain), David Bernard, Tino Best, Royston Crandon, Travis Dowlin, Andre Fletcher, Nikita Miller, Daren Powell, Kieran Powell, Dale Richards, Kemar Roach, Devon Smith, Gavin Tonge, Chadwick Walton. Coach: David Williams. Manager: Lance Gibbs.
The 13 who withdrew from the series against Bangladesh after their original selection: Chris Gayle (captain), Denesh Ramdin (vice-captain), Adrian Barath, Sulieman Benn, Dwayne Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Narsingh Deonarine, Runako Morton, Brendon Nash, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Ravi Rampaul, Andrew Richardson, Jerome Taylor.
