Letter to the Sports Editor
WOULD Justice ever occur in West Indies Cricket? And one is left to wonder if the people who are in charge of the game in the Caribbean are really committed to its development. Performance on the field along with discipline and commitment should be the basis for selection to the West Indies Cricket Team. The selection of Kieran Powell to the West Indies Cricket team for the series against Australia is quite strange after his complete failure against the visitors in the one-day series when he had scores of 8, 0 and 12.
Playing for the Leeward Islands he looked out of his depth and failed miserably and was unable as a Test cricketer to inspire the listless Leeward Islands team. Selected to play for the WICB XI he again failed to register a half-century but for some strange reason he was rewarded with a selection to the Test Team.
Assad Fudadin to date has the second highest total of runs for the 2012 first class season and is the only batsman to score two highly impressive centuries.
Fudadin was one of the main reasons why Guyana’s performance improved in 2012 and his average was just under 50.
One is therefore left to wonder why Powell was selected in front of an in-form Fudadin when the Leeward Islands opener was not only out-of-form but lacked confidence in the middle.
I am quite aware that critics would say that Fudadin’s time will come and that he must wait his turn but isn’t the basis for selection to the regional team, performance at the WICB first class season?
Poor Veerasammy Permaul must wonder what more he must do to make a senior team when players like Nikita Miller, Sulieman Benn, Gary Mathurin, Anthony Martin, Tino Best and others had their chances. Leg-spinner Samuel Badree of Trinidad has been our best bowler at the T20 regional level but still cannot find a place in the Caribbean team.
Players like Lendl Simmons, Ryan Hinds, Devon Smith, Jason Mohamed, Danzan Hyatt, Dale Richards, Xavier Marshall, Derwin Christian, Andre Fetcher, Chris Barnwell, Nkrumah Bonner, Anthony Martin and many others have been selected to play for the West Indies on far less performances.
The West Indies selectors under the Clyde Butts panel must pick the West Indies team on performance and let us not forgot that both Fudadin and Permaul are still very young and have the potential to become outstanding players for the Caribbean.
I am also confident that both of them would be committed to West Indies Cricket unlike some IPL-bound players who only make themselves available when there is no cash tournaments and are still selected.