Dear Editor,
I admit there might be a possibility of selfishness at play because I did purchase a flight from Toronto to Antigua, primarily to see the two games against India. A few days on a nice beach constitute a back-up of sorts, but seriously is there no way to get the WICB to relent and give West Indian fans and the Indian cricketers and fans a chance to see the West Indies put on the field for the upcoming series a squad somewhat similar to the one that won the first ODI against India in India a few years ago?
These are the sort of cricketers who have actually won games, and entertained Indians in the recent past supplemented by a handful of promising youngsters. Will such a decision destroy the very fabric of West Indies cricket? Why is it so difficult?
Why does the process of reviewing the wrong-headed selection decision of which Jimmy Adams spoke, take so long? Does the defeat at the hands of lowly Afghanistan mean nothing to these ‘big’ men?
As I suggested in an earlier letter, Hope looks like he could be a good one, and there are other promising cricketers. The interests of these youngsters are best served by having them blooded in a squad with some seasoned cricketers. Further, it is not as clear-cut as some would have us believe that 20 over specialists like Badree cannot be effective 50 over cricketers.
This sport reeks of untested beliefs with dubious theoretical foundations. I heard the number 50 used in describing the attendance at one of the recent games against Afghanistan.
Is that not outrageous when used about a game that has made the West Indies famous in the latter half of the 20th century? Is Darren Bravo’s apparent refusal to apologize for an emotional outburst caused by the reckless ignorance of the Chairman enough to justify a ban of this length in addition to the loss of income that he would certainly have earned without the ban? Have a heart Mr Cameron! The cricket world deserves a respite from the heavy hand of the WICB.
Yours faithfully,
Romain Pitt
