By Sean Devers

FORMER West Indies opener, Barbadian Desmond Haynes, and his selection panel are again under fire from the West Indian public for the non-selection of 34-year-old Daren Bravo for the three-match ODI series against England which commences on December 3 in Antigua.
Haynes, who played his last ODI when he was 38, told reporters that it was a tough decision to make, adding that Bravo has proven not only this year but also last year that he can perform at this level.

Haynes further explained that his panel has invested in younger players, adding that in selecting this team they had to take into consideration that the World Cup in 2027 was in their mind.

“We have invested in these players and we want them to get the opportunity to play against a strong team and that is why Daren was not selected” informed the chief selector.
The left-hander followed up his good showing from last year’s tournament with 416 runs from nine matches with a highest of 139 in the final and three fifties at an average of 83.20 to help Trinidad & Tobago lift their 14th Regional 50 overs title.
While Bravo (who along with Shai Hope are arguably the best all-formats batters in the West Indies) will be 37 by the next World Cup, the team must win matches and accumulate ODI ranking if West Indies hope to qualify for the 2027 World Cup.

When Australia beat India in the 2023 World Cup to win their sixth title, West Indies, for the first time since 1975, were not a part of this premier ICC Event. We must not forget that.
While we need to build a team for 2027, we have to win matches and must play our best team…and Bravo has to be a member of our best team presently.
But while Bravo was not selected due to how old he would be by 2027, the Trinidadian is in a small pool of batters who demonstrates batsmanship, plays spin well and his presence and ability could have helped the team to get some ODI wins under its belts as it heads to World Cup which is still far away.
If age was a factor in not picking the best batter in the Regional Super50, then it’s a contradiction to that ‘age policy’ to select 33-year-old Kjorn Ottley and 32-year-old Shane Dowrich, who, like Bravo, will be too old for the next World Cup.

Ottley, who turns 34 on December 9, has played just two ODIs and none in three years and Dowrich has played a single ODI. They have both been selected for the England home series.
Haynes defended the decision to pick Dowrich in the squad by talking about his Test Match credentials.
Dowrich, who has an average of 29.07 from 35 Tests, has not played a Test match since 2020 when he prematurely left the New Zealand tour.
The young players will see that players who dominate a tournament which was used as yard stick for selection to international cricket were not selected and players with a string of failures and who were even dropped by regional teams gain selection.
It should not be a surprise when those players show little interest in West Indies cricket and gravitate towards the lucrative Global T20 leagues.