Roger Harper has shown anti-Guyanese prejudice in the non-selection of Verasammy Permaul

Jun 24, 2020 Letters

Dear Sir,

Kindly allow me some space in your newspaper for this letter. After the uproar caused by the omission of Verasammy Permaul from the West Indies team to tour England for a three test series, Chief Selector Roger Harper in an interview on the radio show “Mason and Guest”, when asked about the non-selection of Permaul, said that the conditions in England do not favour spin bowling, but are conducive to fast bowling and that is one of the main reason Permaul was not selected.

I consider that statement by Harper as pure garbage and nonsensical and lacking in honesty. I wonder how he must have felt when his own assistant coach Roddy Estwick, in an interview in England, recently said that with the present prevailing conditions in England he expect Cornwall to do well and even be a match winner. So there you have it – Harper is saying one thing and Estwick the opposite. The fact is Harper is not truthful to the Guyanese people.

Let me state the facts. There are nine Bajans in the fourteen man squad and four in the eleven man reserves. That is thirteen Bajan in the twenty-five man touring party. Even if Permaul could not find himself in the fourteen man-squad, he should have been in the eleven-man reserves before Warrican. Warrican picked up a mere 16 wickets in six games this season, while Permaul took 50 wickets in eight matches while also being the leading bowler for the past six years. Yet Warrican was selected before him. And let’s not talk about Kraigg Brathwaite who has been a failure for the last ten tests averaging just 12 and many others who only after one season is in the team. The truth is, it is clear Roger Harper does not have much say in the team selection, Jason Holder calls the shot as he has been doing for the longest while now. Imagine there is no Guyanese in the team after Hetmyer and Paul withdrew, yet Harper did not see it fit to pick Permaul. If Jason Holder gets an opportunity the entire team will be Bajans.

I again call on the Guyana Cricket Board to withdraw from Cricket West Indies Inc. and apply to the ICC to be an Associate Member so that more of our cricketers can get greater opportunities.

Yours truly,
Imtiaz Baccus.