ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – Ernest Hilaire has tried to allay fears that senior members of the West Indies team have been sidelined permanently.
The comments from the chief executive officer of the West Indies Cricket Board come following selections of squads for the Twenty20, and first two One-day Internationals against Pakistan later this month in his homeland of St. Lucia.
Experienced batsmen Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan, as well as left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn have been excluded from the squads, leading to speculation about their short and long term futures in the game.
“I have read sensational stories in the media about players being sacked and axed, but I would appeal to the public to understand that this is about building a pool of players for the future,” said Hilaire an interview with a Barbadian radio talk show.
“We are exposing players at the international level to see how comfortable, competent, and capable they are.”
He added: “If you go back to October last year, the WICB had set out a selection policy to guide the selectors moving forward. We had set the 2015 World Cup as a target for when we should have a team which will challenge as World champions.
“The selectors have not said that they are axing, dropping, or dismissing any particular player permanently. They are pursuing a policy of exposing newer players and giving other players an opportunity to play. I would not go down the road of saying that any player will not play for West Indies again.”
Hilaire stated categorically that there was no deliberate attempt to abandon “older” players
“Having established in your mind what the core of your team is that you will build around, you now need to find the other players who will fit into the squad,” he said.
“. . .That is what the selectors are seeking to do and in the application of the policy we expect that players will be rotated from time to time.”
He said: “We expect that there will be public criticism because we are a diverse region and there are always some people who believe that some players must always play and there will be some people who believe that we need to try new players.
“But there is no indication that any player has been axed, or will not play for West Indies again. The selectors will speak to each of the players to explain what the plans are, and how they fit into the plan.”
Hilaire said that the players will not always be happy with their decisions, but there is a bigger picture which is West Indies cricket, and he expected that confidential discussions between players and selectors will remain as such.
Speaking specifically about opening batsman Chris Gayle, Hilaire explained that the long-standing opening batsman has not yet undergone a fitness test, following a groin injury sustained during the World Cup, which required corrective surgery.
“(Chris) has not yet been invited to do a fitness test and I am sure when the Team Management is ready they will decide on him undergoing a fitness test,” said Hilaire.