-fans express disappointment at omission of Sarwan
From patrons of bars to members of boards, all yesterday said they felt disappointed by the omission of Guyana’s middle order batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan from the West Indies team to tour Sri Lanka next month.
Some even ventured to say that they understood the West Indies Cricket Board’s (WICB) rationale for not offering the batsman a central retainer contract. All felt though that he should have made the team.
West Indies director and president of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Chetram Singh told Stabroek Sport yesterday that some of the players who were selected for the series do not possess the “calibre” of the stylish right hander, who averages over 40 in both Test and ODI.
The three-man selection panel of the WICB is headed by Guyanese Clyde Butts while the other two selectors are Jamaican Robert Haynes and Barbadian Courtney Browne. The Caribbean side will be opposing the Sri Lankan side in three Test matches and five ODIs.
Singh said he was disappointed at the news of Sarwan’s omission from the Caribbean side, which has seen sweeping changes over the past few months.
The WICB director believes that Sarwan should be “an automatic selection in any contemporary West Indies team.”
He also pointed out that when Sarwan was not considered for a central retainer contract he has seen the batsman putting in the hard work with the national team that is currently in Jamaica competing in the WICB regional limited overs tournament and when it was preparing for the Airtel Champions League in South Africa in September.
On the other hand, when the long standing administrator was asked whether there were any discussions at the board level during its last directors’ meeting earlier this month, he said that the WICB directors have no say as it relates to selection of the players but rather there is consultation based on recommendations on who should be captain.
Sarwan was among three high profile players who were not offered contracts – fast bowler Jerome Taylor and wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin being the other two. The major reason for the snubbing of Sarwan by WICB was his “depleting fitness level.”
In a release the WICB stated that “The team management, selection committee and the WICB are concerned about Sarwan’s extremely indifferent attitude and sporadic approach towards fitness, particularly in recent years. It is the considered view of the selection committee, following consultations with the specialists in the team management, that Ramnaresh’s less-than-satisfactory and fluctuating fitness levels have directly contributed to multiple injuries thereby causing him to be unavailable for selection to the West Indies team.”
More disturbing news came weeks after with Captain Chris Gayle, middle order batsman Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard refusing the WICB contract while indicating that they are still committed to West Indies cricket.
When Stabroek Sport solicited the opinion of former Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA) president Alfred Mentore he indicated that he believed that the WICB made a tough decision to exclude Sarwan. He also maintained that a “lot of thought would have been put into the decision by the Board.”
However, he wondered whether the decision will serve the best interest of West Indies cricket.
Demerara Cricket Board (DCB) selector and former national pace bowler Robert ‘Pacer’ Adonis also weighed in stating that he agreed with the decision of the WICB not to offer the player a contract after citing the body’s reasons. However, he does not share the sentiment of the board to exclude the batsman.
He also believes that while Sarwan is not in the best condition he has been working hard with the Demerara and the national team. Adonis added that he has been scoring runs ever since and more importantly Sarwan has not failed at the international level.
He pointed out that Sarwan has a good record and many of the players in the current side cannot boast of the right hander’s figures in international cricket.
