ST JOHN’S, Antigua – West Indies Cricket Board’s (WICB) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr Ernest Hilaire said that while the Board has a policy of exposing more players to international cricket, there has been no move to axe any player permanently from playing for the West Indies. “The selectors have a Selection Policy and are moving forward and building a broad pool of international players. The first action is to expose more players. And that does not mean that the WICB is abandoning older players,” Dr Hilaire said as he participated in an exclusive interview with regional commentator Andrew Mason for the Mason and Guest radio show on the Starcomm Network.
“Having established in your mind what the core of your team is that you will build around, you now need to find the other players who will fit into the squad and that is what the selectors are seeking to do and in the application of the policy we expect that players will be rotated from time to time,” Dr Hilaire said.
“I have read sensational stories in the media about players being sacked and axed but I would appeal to the public to understand that this is about building a pool of players for the future. We are exposing players at the international level to see how comfortable, competent and capable they are.
If you go back to October 2010, the Board had set out a Selection Policy to guide the selectors moving forward. We had set the 2015 World Cup as a target for when we should have a team which will challenge as World Champions,” the CEO outlined.
“The selectors have not said that they are axing, dropping or dismissing any particular player permanently. They are pursuing a policy of exposing newer players and giving other players an opportunity to play. I would not go down the road of saying that any player will not play for West Indies again,” Dr Hilaire clarified.
“We expect that there will be public criticism because we are a diverse region and there are always some people who believe that some players must always play and there will be some people who believe that we need to try new players,” Dr Hilaire said.
“But there is no indication that any player has been axed or will not play for West Indies again. The selectors will speak to each of the players to explain what the plans are and how they fit into the plan. The players will not always be happy but there is a bigger picture which is West Indies cricket and we expect that confidential discussions between players and selectors will remain as such.”
Speaking specifically about opening batsman Chris Gayle, Dr Hilaire explained that Gayle has not yet undergone a fitness test following his injury sustained during the Cricket World Cup.
“(Chris) has not yet been invited to do a fitness test and I am sure when the Team Management is ready they will decide on his undergoing a fitness test,” Dr Hilaire said.