As has long since become the norm, the fifteen-member squad to represent the West Indies at an International Cricket Council global marquee tournament has finally been announced, mere hours before the established tournament deadline for all such submissions. The West Indies’ fifteen-member squad for the Australia-hosted ICC 2022 T20 World Cup was officially announced on Wednesday, September 14, at approximately 11:34 a.m. just hours before the ICC’s established deadline for all participating countries to submit their respective squads.
The fifteen-member squad that has been announced by West Indies Selection Chair, the Most Honourable Desmond Haynes following the extended deliberations by himself and his panel members, head coach Phil Simmons and Jamaica’s Robert Haynes, contains at least three contentious and surprising selections. Those of the Trinidadian leg-spinner Yannic Cariah, the advancing-age-recovering-from-injury Sheldon Cottrell, as well as the Barbadian all-rounder Raymon Reifer.
The announced squad is as follows: Nicholas Pooran (captain), Rovman Powell (vice- captain), Yannick Cariah, Johnson Charles, Sheldon Cottrell, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Evin Lewis, Kyle Mayers, Obed McCoy, Raymon Reifer and Odean Smith. There were no names of any reserves mentioned in the Cricket West Indies (CWI) Official News Release of the announced squad.
The inclusion of Cariah, Cottrell and Reifer will have come as somewhat of a major surprise to most ardent West Indies cricket fans. Aged 30, Cariah only most recently made his ODI debut for the West Indies in the just concluded Home Series against New Zealand, his returns during which were a country mile distant of any valid description as having been spectacular. In the three matches he played against the Kiwis, Cariah bowled 35 overs, captured three wickets for 152 runs at an average 50.66. More importantly, the economy rate for his overs bowled was a highly unimpressive 6.08.
Cariah is also yet to make his T20I debut for the West Indies. His experience to date in the T20 format has been limited to four matches the last of which was played as far back as six years ago, for the then St Lucia Zouks against the Trinbago Knight Riders on August 04, 2016. Cariah’s four T20 matches to date have produced a solitary wicket at a cost of 42 runs from 7.2 overs bowled at a highly expensive economy rate of 8.40.
Despite his total lack of T20I experience and far from impressive overall statistics, Cariah has somehow managed to be the preferred World Cup squad choice over the now obviously out-of-favour Haydn Walsh who had been the West Indies wrist-spin first option within recent months. Walsh’s overall T20I statistics of 31 wickets, captured at the cost of 831 runs at a very reasonable average of 26.58 from 155.3 overs bowled at an economy rate of 7.93, are far more impressive than anything Cariah has produced to date. By further comparison to Cariah, who has not as yet featured in any of this year’s matches, Walsh has so far produced 2022 Caribbean Premier League (CPL) returns of 2/56-8 overs; Avg 28.00; Econ Rate 7.00. Not that bad at all for a constantly wicket-seeking left-arm spinner.
In contrast to Cariah, who during the Kiwi ODIs rarely if ever bowled any googlies, Walsh also produces “wrong-uns” at will. Often with a skiddy pace that might have proven to be a very productive wicket-taking asset for the West Indies on Australia’s bouncy pitches.
As surprising as Cariah’s squad inclusion will now be, undoubtedly, it pales by comparison to that of the ageing, 33 years-old Sheldon Cottrell whose last appearance in a T20I for the West Indies was this past February against India. Cottrell had been recovering from injury since then and even though he recently returned to active duty as a front-line left-arm seamer for the St Kitts Patriots, his performances to date at this year’s CPL have been unimpressive.
Cottrell’s 8 overs bowled in the three CPL matches he’s played to date have produced returns of 2/73 at an average of 36.50. The economy rate for his 8 overs bowled has also been a most unimpressive 9.12. With Obed McCoy already in the squad as a much younger left-arm seamer, the selectors choice of Cottrell over Romario Shepherd is particularly and extremely baffling.
Aged 27 and six years younger than Cottrell, Shepherd’s 2022 CPL performances to date with the ball have been almost on par with those of Cottrell. 3/109-10 ovrs; Avg. 36.33; Economy Rate 10.90. Whereas Cottrell is at most times a liability with the bat, Shepherd’s renowned late-order power-hitting can be a game-changer at times. Furthermore, his strike rate whenever he’s at the crease is invariably above 150.
In the 9 T20I innings he’s batted so far for the West Indies; Shepherd has already incredibly struck 17 sixes and 7 fours. Couple those with his T20I bowling statistics of 21/650-92 overs and it, therefore, becomes very difficult to understand how and why the West Indies selectors could have ever chosen Cottrell in preference to Shepherd. Not to mention the especially important consideration of the very valuable experience the much younger Shepherd would have gained in terms of the West Indies’ near future 2024 World Cup involvement, at which he would be far more likely to be a participant than the by-then 36-year-old Cottrell
Much less controversial than the selections of either Cariah or Cottrell, but still nonetheless eyebrow-raising, has been the Haynes-led panel’s squad inclusion of the Barbadian all-rounder Raymon Reifer. Yet to appear in a T20I for the West Indies, Reifer has so far played 62 matches in the format, producing batting returns of 779 runs from 53 innings for an average of 19.47. His runs have also been scored at the very modest strike rate, certainly in terms of T20s, of 109.41. As a left-arm seamer, the third along with McCoy and Cottrell to be included in the squad, Reifer’s overall T20 statistics to date have been 56/1136-197.5; Avg.20.28; Econ 8.62.
Reifer’s squad inclusion has undoubtedly been decidedly influenced by his outstanding performances at this year’s CPL. Playing for the Jamaica Tallawahs he has so far scored 171 runs from 4 innings batted for an impressive 57.00 average. His runs have also been scored at an equally impressive strike rate of 143.69. With the ball, Reifer has also chipped in with figures of 2/28-1.5 overs, although his associated economy rate of 15.27 has been decidedly astronomical.
The inclusion of Johnson Charles as the back-up wicketkeeper and fourth opener option, along with Evin Lewis, Brandon King and Kyle Mayers, might not have been on the radar of many, if any, of the legions of West Indies Word Cup squad armchair selectors as recently as a month ago. Since then, Charles has, however, bludgeoned his way to contention and eventual highly justified selection by virtue of his outstanding performances as the St Lucia Kings’ opening batsman during this year’s now still on-going CPL.
227 runs scored from six innings batted for an average of 45.40 and at a strike rate of 136.74. Those have been Charles’ 2022 CPL batting returns to date. As a result of which he currently ranks second in the tournament’s overall batting ratings for the most runs scored. Only Kyle Mayers, with returns of 285 runs from 6 innings batted; Average 47.50; Strike rate 164.73, is currently ahead of Charles in the CPL 2022 Highest Run Scorers standings.
Except for the dubious choices of Messrs, Cariah, Cottrell and Reifer, the merits of which will undoubtedly now be feverishly debated in all quarters, the Desmond Haynes-led West Indies Selection Panel can be viewed as having chosen an otherwise largely expected 15-member T20I World Cup 15 squad. 7 out of 10 might now be a justifiable grade for their efforts in having done so!
About The Writer: Guyana-born, Toronto-based, Tony McWatt is the Publisher of both the WI Wickets and Wickets/monthly online cricket magazines that are respectively targeted toward Caribbean and Canadian readers. He is also the only son of the former Guyana and West Indies wicket-keeper batsman the late Clifford “Baby Boy” McWatt.
