Blooding new talent’. It is a cute soundbite to chime whenever teams disappoint and emotions flare but it’s a move, if not properly planned and scaled out, that can cause the disintegration of past building blocks.
I make these comments following a number of recent calls by cricket pundits to fast track Guyana’s emerging players into the Guyana Jaguars team after their dismal showing against the Barbados Pride, just over a week ago in the eighth round of the regional four-day championship.
And with two rounds to go, that defeat saw the five-time defending champions pry their hands off the cup for a sixth consecutive title, prompting calls to use the remaining two rounds as perhaps an audition for the younger guys.
But let’s emphasise for context what Leon Johnson and his troops have achieved and whether it is fair and justified to just disregard their efforts after one disappointing season.
Disappointing in this circumstance, is them not not winning the cup since Guyana currently sits in fourth place on the points standing. Roughly, three points separate second from fourth. In my assessment, that’s not enough justification to ‘flood the team with new talent.’ There has to be more calculated reasoning.
Further, I wish to present a case for those older guys who may feel disheartened about the calls for their heads. I do so by asking a couple of questions.
What is the incentive for those players who would have given this country five titles? And now after a faint blemish, calls are being made to have them to be relegated into the sporting afterlife of retirement. That’s not how you treat national heroes.
I’ll sit on an altar for Johnson, Chris Barnwell, Vishaul Singh, Veerasammy Permaul and Raymon Reifer, all of whom have not had a spectacular season, with the exception of Permaul. The others showed glimpses of character. I make specific mention of these men since they are the ones most vulnerable if any changes are to be made.
I reiterate, and if my supposition holds any reason or weight, those guys should be given at least one or two more seasons to have a crack at redemption.
Further, I’m compelled to remind folks that there should be no haste to tweet a working methodology. Give Johnson et al, the opportunity to bounce back; in the meantime, let’s identify and prepare those we want to slot in during the next few seasons.
The other consideration hinges on the financial vulnerability of those players. For many, if not all of them, first-class cricket is their daily bread which supports their families and to arbitrarily make undue changes which will affect their earnings are quite cruel after they would have given you success.
Perhaps my position would have been different if the team was consistently performing poorly.
I want it to be pellucid that I’m not advocating against giving younger players the opportunity to savour the taste of first-class cricket. In fact, I’m impressed with players such as Ashmead Nedd, Joshua Persaud, Kelvlon Anderson, Kemol Savory, Tevin Imlach and Ronaldo Ali Mohammed but there should be some respite given to the current crop of “old men”. They deserve it. They ploughed the farmyards to deliver five consecutive titles and that should count for something.
Of more serious concern with regards to ‘blooding of Guyana’s emerging talent’ is the efficacy of their preparation for cricket several tiers about the club level.
Not much competitive first division cricket has been played in Guyana so putting ill-prepared young players in the heart of the storm could create self-doubt if failure is immediate.
In conclusion, I want to address the obscure lessening of players beyond their thirties in the region. We don’t value experience as much as other countries.
I strongly doubt that those most in danger of being axed or rested as some might want to put it – Johnson (32), Barnwell (33), Singh (31), and Permaul (30) – are not aspirants of reclaiming a rebirth in West Indies’ colours. Two rounds can make a difference, one season can make a difference in someone’s career.
And with West Indies’ new selection panel showing a clear propensity to select those who perform, one shouldn’t have to wonder if their career is going to be juggled because of their age, either side of the spectrum.
