West Indian cricket selection is not based on a fair approach

Feb 26, 2017 Letters

Dear Editor,
The news that Dave Cameron and Emanuel Nathan have been unopposed for President and Vice President of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) raised eyebrows in several quarters because the two were severely criticized by some players, administrators, and fans for their failure to improve the summer game in the region.
The question was asked why no one has come forward to oppose the Jamaican and Dominican. Some say people are losing interest since there is too much of “cliquism” and “partialism” and the right people for the jobs are not forthcoming. Clive Lloyd and Joel Garner who should have been at the helm did not throw their hats in the ring for obvious reasons.
In the meantime fans are losing interest because of the poor performance of the players and the constant conflict between the players and officials and the unfair selection of players in the senior team. It is not a secret that the turn out at games is poor and one wonders why the Board officials fix so many matches in the small islands which do not attract many spectators.
Emphasis should be placed in the four big countries, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and Barbados as well as Antigua which have proper facilities and attract large crowds. Fans can hardly keep track of the players because of the constant changes. One of the most reliable players, all rounder Marlon Samuels, has been omitted from the 15 man squad to oppose England next month. This is unbelievable. Samuels played 71 tests and 187 ODIs, and was recently cleared by the ICC to bowl following a 12 month suspension for illegal action. Moreover the Indian Premier League and other high paying tournaments attract our players and have an adverse effect on the teams’ performance.
There is confusion in some member countries among local officials. In Guyana for instance, the same office bearers have been in office for a long time and there is so much conflict that the issues have reached the Courts and even then the problems continue.
The Berbice Cricket Board – an affiliate of the Guyana Board – also has its problems and as a result nothing much is being done to promote the sport in the ancient county. This is so unfortunate since Berbice is known as a cradle of international cricketers starting with John Trim and later Rohan Kanhai, Basil Butcher, Joe Solomon, Ivan Madray, Roy Fredericks, Alvin Kalicharan and others.
Oscar Ramjeet

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