Dear Editor,
When in 1975-76, I endured sleepless nights huddled by a Cathy radio along with my father as Australia drubbed the West Indies match after match, there was still a feeling deep within me and millions of West Indians that it was only a matter of time before West Indies started to win.
Jeff Stollmeyer and others at the helm of the then West Indies Cricket Board of Control (WICBC) had a few years prior to that made the bold move and appointed Clive Lloyd as West Indies captain and Dereck Murray from Trinidad & Tobago as his deputy. It was a decision which the Trinidadians did not take easily, but as time proved, the West Indies team graduated to become the world champions and members of that team were the foundation on which their invincibility was built.
Despite all the mediocrity I have seen espoused by the WICB over the years and the fallacy of the so called militancy of WIPA, I have never felt such helplessness and hopelessness as I feel now about West Indies cricket. That the WICB and the selection panel can spew such rubbish to the West Indian public to justify their ridiculous selection of what they call “A West Indian Team” is tantamount to disrespect of the highest order and to say the least, it stinks of arrogance.
I will refrain from individual attacks on the panel of selectors, but it is difficult for me to proceed without really questioning their ability to be logical in their analysis, in particular, Mr Clyde Butts, whom I know personally, and respect as a cricketer and an individual.
No one can question Mr Darren Sammy’s commitment and discipline as a West Indian player, but unless the selectors have experienced special divine guidance from above, I dare say that his appointment as West Indies cricket captain is merely an experiment, since they are lost for options and know not what to do.
Frankly speaking, if the WICB and selectors really wanted change, then they should have taken a firm stand on Gayle and Bravo’s decision not to sign central contracts, by not including them in the tour party. As such, it would have opened the way for young players like Darren Bravo and company from the ‘A’ team to be included in the Test team and bat around Chanderpaul, Sarwan and Nash.
Let me hasten to add, that Sarwan’s non-selection is scandalous, and Butts, Gibson and others can say what they want, but cricketing fans and administrators around the world know that they are only making themselves look foolish.
The argument was made over and over again that a player should make the Test team first before he should be considered for the captaincy. The appointment of Darren Sammy as captain runs contrary to that argument and basically legitimizes the Trinidadians’ previous call for Darren Ganga to be appointed captain.
With a Test average of 25.71 (better than Devon Smith and Darren Sammy), with him opening the innings and his known leadership abilities, he would have been a better option than Sammy. The fact of the matter is that with Sammy as captain, it further weakens the already weak bowling and batting and as a consequence further weakens an already weak team.
What change is there when we have to recall Devon Smith to the West Indies team, presumably to bat at number 3 and Carlton Baugh to keep wicket when we all know that they are failures at Test level? The only change has been the exclusion of Sarwan from the West Indies team.
The WICB talk of injury policy is interesting. Adrian Barath played two Test matches on the Australian tour and got injured in the second Test. He has not been fit enough to play another Test match for the West Indies since, even though he had a stint with the IPL. But he was given a central contract. Ramnaresh Sarwan got injured in a one-dayer against South Africa, but has since, like Barath, played in the West Indies T20 tournament, the Champions League in South Africa and the recent 50 overs competition without incident. The public has not been informed if he failed a fitness test, yet fitness was the pillar used for his non-selection. It does not take rocket science to conclude that fitness and the so-called fitness policy was not the reason for his non-selection. Is it unreasonable to assume that there was a deliberate policy to exclude Sarwan, opening the door for Darren Sammy to be appointed captain much to the satisfaction of his countryman and WICB president Julian Hunte? The action of his predecessor readily comes to mind.
Let’s cut to the chase. Sarwan was not excluded because of any so-called ‘fitness policy’ or any ‘change,’ and as such the West Indies team should have comprised Gayle, Barath, Sarwan, Darren Bravo, Chanderpaul, Dwayne Bravo, Nash, Deonarine, Roach, Best, Benn, Shillingford, Russell, Pascal and Sammy. Best seems to have benefited from his stint at Yorkshire and his extra pace would have given the attack some more firepower. I agree to rest Ramdin, but hasten to add that he is the best wicket-keeper we have.
With a Test batting average of 19.40 and bowling average of 27.74, Sammy could not have made the Test team for the other Test cricket-playing nations ranked 1 to 7, but he can be appointed captain of the West Indies team based on his attitude and commitment to West Indies cricket. We must be the laughing stock of Bangladesh and others.
However, an attempt to select a proper team from the selected bunch of players will put you in a conundrum. You have no choice but to start from the bottom and at the same time determine if you will play two spinners. As we know, Benn will not play the first Test, so Shillingford is a sure pick.
Scenario 1
With one spinner your selection is likely to be Benn or Shillingford, Roach, Pascal, Thomas, Sammy, Nash, Bravo, Chanderpaul, Bravo, Barath and Gayle. There may even be the temptation to include Russell for Pascal, which still leaves the batting depending on Gayle, Barath, Darren Bravo, Chanderpaul, Dwayne Bravo and Nash. Of this bunch only Gayle 40.31 and Chanderpaul 49.28 are the players averaging over 40.00.
Scenario 2
With two spinners your selection is likely to go with Shillingford, Benn, Roach, Pascal, Thomas, Sammy, Nash, Dwayne Bravo, Chanderpaul, Barath and Gayle. If you choose to omit Pascal then the team should read Shillingford, Benn, Roach, Sammy, Thomas, Nash, Bravo, Chanderpaul, Bravo, Barath and Gayle. It will mean that either Bravo or Sammy will share the new ball. My question to the selectors is, can this attack bowl out a Sri Lankan team twice to win a Test match?
We should hope for the sake of whatever little pride is left that Jayawardene and Sangakara run into a bad patch during their Australian one-day series and it continues during the West Indies sojourn. If not, Brian Lara’s record may be under threat. I cannot see anything but a mauling for the West Indies of enormous proportions.
I, like thousands of other West Indians, will not be paying any money to see West Indies play cricket in the West Indies as many demonstrated at the recent South African tour. And I call on all loyal West Indians to boycott all WICB cricket until the WICB directors and executives resign en bloc and a new executive comprising past players such as Lloyd, Richards, Greenside, Dujon, Holding, Harper, Larry Gomes and others take over the administration of West Indies cricket.
We should be uncompromising in our stand. This confounded nonsense must stop.
Yours faithfully,
Eric Whaul
