Was Regional Super50 performances used to pick Windies team?

Feb 19, 2014 Sports

Why no Guyanese included?

Asks Sean Devers
The 2014 Regional Super50 cricket tournament is now done and dusted with Barbados emerging Champions and according to the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) performances in this competition would be taken into account when selecting West Indies teams.
It’s an insult to those who followed the Regional 50-overs competition to expect us to believe that none of the performances by any Guyanese in that competition merited selection on the West Indies team for the two T20 and one ODI in the home series against Ireland which starts today in Jamaica.
Under a WICB rule which has been in place for over three decades, players must take part in regional competitions to be eligible for selection to the West Indies team, barring “injury, illness or exceptional circumstances”.
The rule has, however, been relaxed in recent years with the advent of the Indian Premier League and other Twenty20 tournaments around the world.
The selection of Kirk Edwards who was selected for Barbados but was sent home because he refused to sign for his uniform, could have been excused due to ‘exceptional circumstances but the inclusion of 23-year-old West Indies ‘A’ team pacer Miguel Cummins ahead of Guyana’s Ronsford Beaton has raised eyebrows.
Cummins was not selected for Barbados in the Regional competition and has never bowled a ball for Barbados in 50-over cricket which begs the question how was Cummins picked without participating in the Regional competition ahead of fellow West Indies ‘A’ team pacer Beaton.
If espouser was the reason, then Beaton, who impressed many including former Test pacers Michael Holding and Colin Croft with his genuine pace in the Regional tourney, should have been picked.
Beaton is two years younger than Cummins and had an impressive showing when Guyana played Ireland. Performance must remain important criteria for Chairman of selectors Guyanese Clyde Butts, Barbadian Courtney Browne and Jamaican Robert Haynes.
Of course things like exposing new talent and attitude must be also taken into account but not selecting any Guyanese in either squad is shocking especially since two Guyanese were among the top five run-scorers and two more among top four wicket-takers. Guyana Captain Christopher Barnwell, who has played six t20 matches for the West Indies, was among the top all-rounders on show.
Even if age was a consideration, Shiv Chanderpaul, who is needed in this present ODI team which many times failed to last 50 overs, is as fit as most others in the tournament and scored 144 runs from just two innings; missing two games because of the ‘flu’ illness.
But how can the selectors justify the non-selection of 33-year-old Ramnaresh Sarwan who scored 151 runs including two fifties from three matches? Sarwan is experienced and looked in top form, unlike when he was brought back for the ODIs last year.
Barnwell seems to be a better player after his IPL exposure last year and his batting has improved tremendously. Barnwell who turned 27 last month, was very consistent and his positive batting is well suited to limited overs cricket.
Barnwell played the first of his six T20 Internationals in 2011 against Pakistan and his last also against Pakistan last year. So what has he done wrong since then? Not selecting him in the World T20 squad is even more baffling.
Left-arm spinner Suleiman Benn had the second most wickets in Trinidad but for some strange reason he seems to have fallen off the selector’s radar. While Nikita Miller who only had three scalps was preferred to 24-year-old Guyanese Veerasammy Permaul who played his last ODI only in November last year.
Only two bowlers had more wickets than him in the Regional tournament but he was dropped. The selection of Andre Fletcher ahead of Sarwan and Bajan Jonathon Carter, who scored the second most runs in the tournament including a century, is also surprising as is the selection of Kieron Powell ahead of Dwayne Smith in the ODI team.
Apart from two T20 matches and one ODI against Ireland in Jamaica this month, West Indies will also play England in three ODIs (in Antigua) and three T20 Internationals (in Barbados) between February and March.

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