The Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) yesterday wrote its parent body Cricket West Indies expressing concern over remarks made by Cricket West Indies’ Chairman of Selectors, Roger Harper.
CWI issued international retainer contracts earlier this month with three Guyanese, Shimron Hetmyer, Keemo Paul and Romario Shepherd missing out.
The GCB subsequently wrote its parent body CWI on the issue seeking an explanation of the issue.
However, Harper in an interview stated that the GCB directors were present at the meeting when the subject of the contracts were discussed.
“We write to you with great astonishment and much disappointment on the media statements by the Chairman of Selectors of the CWI as they relate to the issue of the non-retainer by CWI of male Guyanese cricketers,” the GCB wrote.
“We, at GCB, thought that we were doing the proper and decent thing by first, writing to CWI requesting the criteria which was used for the retention and/or non-retention of our male cricketers, prior to making any public statements on their non-retention,” the GCB added.
“It is most unfortunate and quite disappointing that while we are still patiently awaiting the submission of the said criteria, the Chairman of Selectors thought it best, whether on his own accord or with the support of the CWI, to make the comments in the media that two of our directors were present at the meeting when the matter of retention and/or non-retention was discussed,” the GCB continued.
Harper, who is a GCB technocrat member, is reported in sections of the media as saying both GCB President Bissoondyal Singh and vice-president, Hilbert Foster, who are CWI directors, were presented with the contracted list prior to its announcement and had a chance to make their concerns known.
“Before the contracted list is made public, it is presented to CWI Board of Directors and the Board of Directors includes two directors from each territory,” Harper said.
“Reasons are presented for the awarding of a contract to each player and there is a reason presented for each player who did not get a contract that was contracted the year before and Guyana had two directors at that meeting as well. I think you need to ask the Guyana Cricket Board the question directly,” he added.
The GCB said that Harper should not have made those statements.
“Of all persons, the Chairman of Selectors ought to have been aware that there was no `handing over of the mantle’ to the current directors of GCB by the two former directors.
“Further, it was the first meeting of the CWI that the two new directors attended and the issue of the retention of the players was more in the form of a report after the decision was already made.
“Additionally, the two directors could not have commented and/or usefully participated in the report in relation to the retention of the players without the two directors knowing or being fully apprised of the selection and/or non-selection criteria,” the GCB continued.
According to the GCB, it also has a responsibility to the public and will therefore follow the trend set by the chairman by making their letter to the CWI public.
“We are still patiently awaiting the criteria and report on the non-retention of our male cricketers and we fervently hope that CWI sees it best to provide those to us urgently,” the GCB stated.
Harper while appearing on Kaieteur Radio said, “I think as a new board what you need to do is try and get au fait with how things work with criteria and other things in place and then take it from there. There is no quota system which says each territory should get a certain amount of contracts.”
