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by Keith Holder
In responding to questions at a media conference on Wednesday relating to the selection of the 15-member West Indies squad for the Twenty20 World Cup in Australia next month, lead selector The Most Honourable Desmond Haynes was frank.
Coming as it did a couple hours after a live television interview with Ian Bishop, the former Trinidad & Tobago and West Indies fast bowler, during the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) match between Jamaica Tallawahs and St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots at the Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad, Haynes no doubt braced himself for all sorts of deliveries.
As an outstanding former Barbados and West Indies opening batsman, he stroked the ball with confidence.
International television commentator and former New Zealand pacer Simon Doull said Haynes was “outstanding in his answers and forthright policy”.
“It took us about close to three hours or so to select the side and obviously we had some very good, healthy discussions regarding the squad,” Haynes said.
“The World Cup is a big event and it is not a situation where that you can just sit down and hide behind zoom or something like that to select such a squad.
“What we tried to do is get everybody face-to-face. It is a bit unfortunate that we didn’t get Robert (Haynes) who is the interim co-selector, but it was decided that we would do it face-to-face and make sure that we get some healthy discussions.
“So it was a long process and I am happy with the selection of the squad and I hope that the general public would be happy.”
The inclusion of opening batsmen Evin Lewis and Johnson Charles and leg-spinning all-rounder Yannic Cariah, who is uncapped in T20Is, sparked debate.
Lewis came under the microscope in recent months mainly due to fitness issues, Charles last played an international six years ago and Cariah has a mere four T20 matches – all in the CPL between 2013 and 2016.
“Someone like Evin Lewis, we all agree that he’s our best one-day cricketer, he’s done well for us over the years. We had a meeting with him, and he’s committed to West Indies cricket, and I believe he should be given the opportunity,” Haynes said.
“I think with Evin’s case, Evin has met with coach Phil Simmons, also director of cricket Jimmy Adams. I obviously didn’t get the chance to be at the meeting. And Evin indicated at the meeting that he is committed to West Indies cricket. I think that we have to give people a chance. I think if someone says that they are committed to play cricket for West Indies especially in the white-ball format, we have to give them a chance.
“Sometimes you have to move on and we have to really appreciate when people could come to us and explain their position and if we agree we give them a chance.”
In 50 T20Is, left-hander Lewis has 1423 runs including two centuries and 10 half-centuries at an average of 30.93, and a strike rate of 155.51.
Charles’ form for St. Lucia Kings in the ongoing CPL was unquestionably a key factor in his selection. He is the second highest run-getter with 227 in six innings at an average of 45.40 and a strike rate of 136.74.
Haynes pointed out that Charles, a member of West Indies’ T20 World Cup winning teams in 2012 and 2016, would fill the role of reserve wicketkeeper behind captain Nicholas Pooran.
“Judging from his performances in the CPL, he is experienced as well, he had a tour of Australia, he’s done well down there, and also we are looking at someone who can be the second keeper,” Haynes said.
Cariah’s inclusion is interesting when one looks at his very limited T20 career and the fact that Hayden Walsh Jr has been the preferred option as leg-spinner in recent months with his fielding being a plus.
Walsh has played 38 T20Is, taking 31 wickets at an average of 26.58 and an economy of 7.93.
“When we look at consistency, we don’t feel that Hayden is consistent enough,” Haynes said. “We don’t write off anybody, because Hayden is somebody we have invested in, and we believe that he still stands a chance of playing for the West Indies, and we hope again that he is another one that will continue to do well in the CPL and give himself a chance to be selected.”
Haynes was confident that Trinidadian Cariah, who made his One-Day International debut last month in the home series against New Zealand, could do a job in T20 cricket despite his limited experience of the format.
“I think Yannic has impressed us from the time we picked him for the A team,” Haynes said. “And then we gave him the opportunity to play against New Zealand in the 50-overs competition, and I think going to Australia, I know we’ve got a lot of confidence in him, we think that he’s bowling well enough that [he] can play in the T20 format. It’s a bit unfortunate that he’s not in the CPL, we have no control over that, but we think that he is a guy who we feel can do a job for us. I don’t think you can underrate his batting either.”
Haynes also addressed the exclusion of all-rounder Andre Russell and another veteran, off-spinner Sunil Narine, both of whom are playing in the CPL for Trinbago Knight Riders.
Russell last played in a T20I in the World Cup last year, while Narine has not turned out in a T20I since 2019.
“We had a meeting with Andre Russell earlier in the year. We’re still not convinced yet, he’s not performing as well as we would like to see him in the competition. I think in the situation with Andre Russell, we’ve just decided to move on, and look for someone who’s in form, and doing well in the T20 format,” Haynes said.
Haynes also disclosed that he wasn’t sure if Narine wanted to play after conversations Pooran was having with him.
“I did not get any notice from Narine regarding his availability to play. There were conversations that the captain was having with Narine, and from all reports, it seemed that he was not interested. Yes, again, the captain told me he’s reached out to Narine, but I’m not too sure he wants to play.”
Apart from Cariah, there is one other uncapped T20I player in Barbadian all-rounder Raymon Reifer.
Prior to the selection of the team, Reifer had scored 171 runs at an average of 57 and a strike rate of 143.69 for Jamaica Tallawahs in the current CPL.
Addressing the issue of fitness, Haynes said: “I think that going into the World Cup, a big tournament like that, everybody has got to be assessed because we don’t want people to go as far as Australia and then we hear that they can’t play and have to come back.
“I think we have got a lot of time that these guys will go through fitness assessment and hopefully they will all be well in order to represent West Indies.”
West Indies squad: Nicholas Pooran (captain), Rovman Powell (vice-captain), Yannic Cariah, Johnson Charles, Sheldon Cottrell, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Evin Lewis, Kyle Mayers, Obed McCoy, Raymon Reifer, Odean Smith.
Keith Holder is a veteran, award-winning freelance sports journalist, who has been covering local, regional and International cricket since 1980 as a writer and commentator. He has compiled statistics on the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) Division 1 (rebranded Elite in 2012) Championship for four decades and provides statistics and stories for the BCA website (www.barbadoscricket.org). Email: Keithfholder@gmail.com
