Ali longs for changes to Windies team selection

FORMER West Indies Under-19 cricketer Zaheer Ali wants to see changes to the selection for West Indies cricket.

In a release, Ali said, “It is my humble view, that Cricket West Indies requires a unique structure which adheres to fairness and promotes democracy and equity in decision making especially in the area of ‘selection’.

“Over the years, the area of ‘selection’ is, and has always been, a sensitive matter and inherently attracts heated and controversial public debates perhaps, due to the lack of territorial representation and proportionality in the selection panel and which brings alive the element of perceived bias,” he said.

However, he said he was optimistic that the current selection panel would have strived for “fairness, exercised proper judgment and proffered reasonable explanations” for the selection of the West Indies’ team for the 2019 Cricket World Cup tournament in England and Wales which bowls off later this month.

He said unfortunately, but not surprisingly, public debates, opinions and expressions seem to suggest that the position of the election panel have not addressed, removed or cured public speculation of perceived bias in the selection of the regional side for the World Cup and future tournaments.

Ali pointed to the present composition of the Cricket West Indies board, saying it comprised representatives from each territorial board and others from affiliates, recognising the doctrine of proportional representation.

He asked, however, “The burning question is why the ‘committees’ appointed by Cricket West Indies board, particularly the selection committee, do not comprise a representative from each territory or a representative appointed by the respective territorial board similar to the composition of Cricket West Indies board?”

Ali said it was envisaged, with the current status quo, the selection of a regional team would always be “greeted by debates and challenges on many grounds in light of the completing social, economic, geographic, and political factors, among others”.