CHANDRAPAUL Hemraj’s exclusion from the West Indies first Test squad to face the visiting England team tomorrow in Barbados was arguably the biggest surprise and has raised debates on the selection criteria being used by the Cricket West Indies selection panel.

Chief selector, Courtney Browne and company announced a 13-man squad last week with eight Barbadians, a policy which has come under fire in recent years with many blaming the selection panel for their “unwillingness” or “inability” to bring the right blend of players together for any one series.

However, the selectors’ insularity selection policy saw only one Guyanese, Shimron Hetmyer, making the cut.
However, for the 25-year-old Hemraj, his aim for the remainder of the first-class season is for the bat to do the talking. Speaking with Chronicle Sport, Hemraj, who played six ODI’s, said he is not disappointed because he has no control over the selectors nor the selection process.

“I’m not disappointed because I don’t have control over the selectors or [the] selection process. My aim is to continue scoring runs and to be consistent as possible,” Hemraj said.
He made a huge impact at the first-class level, the region’s premier tournament where players’ performances are used to select the Windies team. Hemraj has piled up 777 runs from his last 11 games for the Guyana Jaguars, including his maiden first-class ton– 144 against Barbados Pride earlier this year.

Hemraj’s non-selection is not the only anxiety; the snubbing of his Guyana Jaguars’ teammates Devendra Bishoo, Keemo Paul, Veerasammy Permaul, Anthony Bramble, and even Raymond Reifer, are also questionable.

Meanwhile, the disappointment has prompted the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) on Friday last to issue a statement, questioning the selection policy of Cricket West Indies (CWI), highlighting specifically the 13-man squad selected for the first Test.
The West Indies have recalled batsman Darren Bravo, as well as adding uncapped pair John Campbell and Shamarh Brooks.

Bravo, 29, played the last of his 49 Tests in November 2016, and has been handed the chance to restart a once-promising career interrupted by disputes with the Cricket West Indies. Alzarri Joseph has also been recalled.