Fitness transparency needed

In this March 14, 2021 file photo, West Indies batsman Darren Bravo sweeps the ball for a boundary during the 3rd One-Day International against Sri Lanka at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium in North Sound, Antigua. West Indies won the game by five wickets.  -
In this March 14, 2021 file photo, West Indies batsman Darren Bravo sweeps the ball for a boundary during the 3rd One-Day International against Sri Lanka at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium in North Sound, Antigua. West Indies won the game by five wickets. -

BY BRYAN DAVIS

LAST Saturday, while watching the Indian Premier League (IPL) game between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings, I was happy to see Jason Holder emerge Player of the Match.

One has to perform a cut above the rest to attract that accolade. The former West Indies team captain picked up three wickets for 19 runs in his four overs and scored an exhilarating 47 not out.

That honour usually goes to a member of the winning team, for obvious reasons; this time, however, Holder’s team SH, lost the game. Nonetheless, the judges could not deny the Barbadian’s contribution.

One only had to witness the manner in which he approached his game, the enthusiasm he generated in all its departments, to appreciate the quality of the player and his strength of purpose.

He ought to have been in the 15 players chosen to represent WI in the forthcoming World Cup. The indignity handed down to him as one of the four travelling reserves, was unjustified.

In the same breath, why should Darren Bravo and Sheldon Cottrell make the reserve list? Those places should have gone to promising players who could benefit from the experience and return after the tournament with improved knowledge to help build up WI cricket.

Selectors of West Indies teams ought to recognise that the teams they have been delegated to choose are not to represent them, the selectors, but the entire cricketing region of the West Indies. Therefore, the job carries a huge responsibility.

While selectors enjoy a certain degree of latitude, it is not a licence to do whatever one feels, without restraint. Although free from the interference of administrative authority, integrity is required – it is an absolute necessity.

Although one does not have to explain one’s selections (from a cricket point of view), as those are confidential, and rightly so, when selections are made that are devoid of common sense and do not concern ability or talent but fitness, then we want to know what’s wrong with these players. When someone is injured during a game or before it, and it’s reported that Joe Blokes has a hamstring strain, or a pulled muscle, or a throat infection, why is it so difficult now to let us know how and why these cricketers failed fitness tests and others passed – plus, why others were exempted?

In the future, any player can be chosen to represent WI and the people can be told he had a medical exemption from a fitness test. Isn’t that seriously risky ground on which we tread? That being so, who can question future selectors?

Then it is no longer a choice of the best side to win a tournament, but seems suspiciously like a preference for reasons apart from cricket. And since one does not want to accuse anyone of violating their good offices through friendship and currying favour, yet some sort of an explanation is necessary.

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The public needs to know why some cricketers were medically exempted from passing a fitness test and were selected, while others have failed and not been chosen. We need to know why a 23-year-old who had a successful CPL as a batsman was not considered for selection as he was found unfit. We need to know just what is the fitness test that he was put through, because, as common sense would dictate, if a player looks fit, has just concluded a gruelling season of the CPL successfully and is subsequently deemed unfit to play cricket, then he must have something seriously wrong with him. We need to know, as we don’t want to impute the wrong motives – of collusion between selectors and trainers.

All we’re asking is that the fitness model that was used for all is released to the public to clear the air. Just as one can announce batting and bowling averages, one can release the results of the fitness tests of all selected players.

That is the only fair way for us to know that the cricketers who are going to represent us are all fit and worthy.

And why could those who were considered unfit not be put in a training programme in the four or five weeks left before the start of the T20 World Cup 2021?

That leaves me with only one possible valid point on fitness remaining and that is that the cricketers passed unfit are quite ill internally or are carrying “secret” injuries.

We need transparency.

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