THE West Indies Cricket selectors are in shambles as they are trying to take directions from the Chief Executive Officer Dr Ernest Hillaire, and the power drunk coach, Ottis Gibson. The West Indies Cricket Administration took an insular decision when they appointed Darren Sammy as captain of the West Indies Cricket Team, along with Brendon Nash as vice-captain. Neither of these two players can be selected in the West Indies Team automatically because of their performances.
Sammy is certainly a liability and Nash is not an established player in the Jamaica Cricket Team.
The team to play in the first Test match is giving the selectors a nightmare. Thirteen players are selected. One batsman and a bowler will have to be left out from the squad to have the final eleven. Given the reality of the situation, the batsman to be omitted will have to be Nash, while the bowler to be axed will definitely be Sammy. 
However, with Gibson as the coach and the powerhouse in the dressing room, both these non-performers will certainly be in the final eleven because they are designated captain and vice-captain.
Lendl Simmons will certainly open the batting and it seems obvious that Devon Smith will partner Simmons to start the West Indies innings. Smith is bound to fail.  He will not score runs against the Pakistan spin bowlers. Gibson and his favourites allowed Smith to play against a team that did not have any spinner at the Demerara Cricket Club Ground.
As a result, Smith was given an opportunity to score heavily and force the selectors’ hands.  However, these favourites will have to prove themselves in the Test match.  Let us in the interest of West Indies Cricket wish Devon Smith well and hope that he scores runs against a side with better quality bowlers.
Young Darren Bravo must bat at number three while Ramnaresh Sarwan and the reliable Shivnarine Chanderpaul will bat at number four and five respectively, as it looks possible that Brendon Nash will take the number six position at the expense of Marlon Samuels who will most likely sit out of the first Test match.
Ravi Rampaul and Devendra Bishoo seem to be two certainties in the bowling line-up.  However, the selectors will have a difficult choice between Fidel Edwards and Kemar Roach.  One of these better players will have to stand down because Sammy must play in the team.
It is a blessing in disguise that Dwayne Bravo chose to play in the IPL and is therefore not available for selection. If Bravo was available, then the selectors would  have had to seriously drop Sammy so as to find a place in the team for him.
In the rebuilding process, and particularly as we are preparing for the 2015 World Cup, Heaven knows it that Sammy and Nash will be nowhere around West Indies cricket.
These two players are liabilities and the Caribbean people will have to voice their opinions about Ottis Gibson and Ernest Hillaire.

Welcome to Guyana
The Manager of the West Indies Cricket Team, Richie Richardson, will always be remembered in Guyana for his magnificent century at Bourda.  ‘Richie’ was just great with grace and superb timing. Richardson was captain of the West Indies team in 1994 when Shivnarine Chanderpaul made his Test debut at Bourda, against England, and scored a solid half-century.
The skipper at that time, Richardson, must be very proud today of Chanderpaul’s performance and achievements in West Indies cricket.  Chanderpaul always talks great about Richardson.

OTTIS GIBSON
Ottis Gibson and Chanderpaul, both of them, played for Durham in English County Cricket. Chanderpaul also encouraged Gibson to apply and take the Coaching job with the West Indies. Chanderpaul and Gibson played for the same West Indies Cricket Team. Chanderpaul personally has tremendous respect for Mr Ottis Gibson.
Hence, something is seriously wrong with the administration of West Indies Cricket.  I travelled out of Antigua and had an interesting discussion with Gibson and I wrote in favour of him to coach the West Indies team.
However, after reading and listening to what Gayle and others said about Gibson, I am now wondering how this simple Samaritan turned into a power-drunk coach.
The Administration of West Indies Cricket must circulate the criteria for selection of players and captain. Further, they must produce a short-term, medium-term and long-term development programme and release it to the public.
Gibson must understand the social dynamics of life. Gibson is like some University students who went through the University doors. They receive a certificate and cannot string two sentences together. Hence, they are always job-hunting.
Gibson’s record is not encouraging. As a cricketer he played a mere two Test matches, took three wickets, average 91.66.  He managed to gain selection and played in 15 One Day Internationals; luckily he took 34 wickets.
As a coach with the English Cricket team, that team was never highly rated with him. Gibson has some coaching qualifications.
However, he must understand that in life you have to learn to speak to people and as coach he must be able to cajole and motivate the senior players to get the best out of them. As for the younger players he must be able to nurture their strength and correct and build their vulnerability and weaknesses.
Mr Gibson, I know that Chanderpaul encouraged you to apply for the job you now have. It is time for Gibson to wake up and count from one to ten before he starts speaking especially when he is with a losing team.
The best West Indies Test Team today must include Christopher Gayle, Jerome Taylor, Denesh Ramdin and Dwayne Bravo – three of whom are currently playing in India in the IPL. West Indies Cricket comes first and the administrators must put systems in place to field the best possible team at all times.
The time is most opportune for the Caribbean Cricket Administrators to get their act together and resolve all their problems.
The selectors, including our own Clyde Butts, must assert themselves and take cognisant of the fact that cricket means so much to the Caribbean people. 
We must never forget the fact that only recently several countries spent hard-earned tax payers’ money to build international cricket stadiums. We must take note that the One Day International match that was played in Guyana recently attracted more spectators than the other four put together.
Guyanese love our cricket. We have great pride in our cricketers. Our Clive Lloyd, Rohan Kanhai, Lance Gibbs and present-day Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan and most recent Test debutant Devendra Bishoo are proud Guyanese. Guyanese have a passion for cricket.
Cricket brings our nation together, our people, when they are at our Guyana National Stadium at Providence, give their unflinching support to our players while they are rallying behind the West Indies Cricket team.
Come on, Ottis Gibson, you are drawing a very big pay packet every month. You must shape up or you will have to make space for a better and more reasonable cricket coach. Down with favouritism and insularity! Up with a winning West Indies cricket team!