Roger Hasfal
Tongues continue to wag across the region following the high profile exclusion of Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard from the West Indies 15-man squad, for next month’s Cricket World Cup.Views differ regarding whether the players merit a place in the squad for cricketing reasons, and the ring leader roles they played in walking off the ill-fated tour of India. This has left the West Indies Cricket Board facing a $42 Million dollar lawsuit from their Indian counterparts.For me, walking off in the middle of the tour was an insult to the people of the Caribbean, and for that they cannot escape without paying a price.While the board has subsequently denied that was the reason for the players exclusion,their stated position that they were left out as its time for re-building, is open to debate. If we look at cricketing reasons alone, both players were not kicking down the door either.Let us compare the players in the squad who, it is argued, are there at the expenseof Bravo and Pollard — Andre Russell and Jonathan Carter.
POOR BRAVO
Russell deserves achance to prove himself once and for all. He is averaging 28.68 with the bat and 30.78 with the ball after 38 games. When you compare that with Bravo’s average of 25.36 with the bat and 29.51 with the ball after 164 games, it could be justified that 28 year old Russell should be rewarded,especially in light of the fact that Bravo, at 31 years old, has played in two World Cups already with nothing to show. Bravo is also averaging a very poor 8.2 in his last six games.Twenty-seven year-old Pollard, who was controversially selected for the 2007 Cricket World Cup when he also never played a game for the West Indies at the time, is currently averaging 25.20 with the bat and 38.11 with the ball after 91 games–nothing to write home about either. In his last seven games, Pollard is averaging a disgraceful 5.3 too.
PROVEN FAILURE
While Jonathan Carter at 27 years old has not yet played a One Day International, he has played 42 List ‘A’ games, averaging 32.85 with the bat and 28.15 with the ball. I don’t necessarily agree that this was the platformon which to groom a player. However, when you look at Pollard’s averages, I have no problems if the idea is to have a player who is averaging higher in limited overs cricket get his chance too.Contrastingly, the selectors cannot escape my wrath for the inclusion of Dwayne Smith. Smith,31, has been playing for the West Indies since 2004 and is averaging 18.32 Mas an opening batsman. This suggestshe is not good enough, and there is no justification for him being in the squad at this time.If the idea is to re-build,then Smith should not be there as he is a proven failure. It would have been better if chairman of selectors,Clive Lloyd had come clean and told usthe truth that both Pollard and Bravo have paidthe price for their unconscionable act, of walking off the Indian tour.What both Bravo and Pollard must do, is to take the advice of a former Jamaican Prime Minster who once told some dissidents to: “light a candle, sing a Sankey and find their way back home”.
