#BTColumn – Selectorial square pegs

The views and opinions expressed by the author(s) do not represent the official position of Barbados TODAY.

by C Marshall

I have never played cricket beyond the Barbados Cricket League and played in a time when there was nothing called Twenty20. In fact, the team on which I played had a very few youngsters, some guys in the far 30s and two or three in the 40s.

The most exciting part of the game was the drinks after the games and the talk we used to give each other during the games. But I know my cricket well.

The Twenty20 World Cup is not for swansongs . . . it is serious competition with much pride, glory and money at stake. Thus, we should be selecting the best possible team to defend our title and to give their all on the field. But what have we done?

We are taking Jason Holder as a substitute player to Asia which seems even crazier having seen him perform in the ongoing Indian Premier League.

We are leaving home Sunil Narine on the grounds (officially) of fitness when he is considered arguably
the best spinner in Twenty20 cricket who can also give you runs in quick time.

Yet, in a tournament where fitness and athleticism in the field are considered vital, we are taking 42-year-old Chris Gayle whose form has been non-existent over the past two to three years in this format. And to get him on the team our selectors gave him an undeserved fitness pass.

We are also taking Ravi Rampaul for whom fitness has seemingly long taken a backseat to the tasty Trinidad and Tobago food.

This team should have included Romario Shepherd for Rampaul, Odean Smith for Oshane Thomas, Sherfane Rutherford for Chris Gayle and Narine for Andre Fletcher who has been a consistent failure whenever he puts on a West Indies cap.

One keeper will suffice and there are at least two others in the squad who can keep wicket. The placement of Darren Bravo on the reserve list also seems to be as a result of some Port 0f Spain accord that had nothing to do with performances in the Caribbean Premier League.

Surely the next move should to be to give Roger Harper a tray and let him sell fruit and vegetables in the Georgetown market . . . but anything to keep him from around the cricket.