Sampath wants Windies players to be more available for selection

FORMER TRINIDAD and Tobago cricket team all-rounder and manager Roland Sampath believes Cricket West Indies (CWI) must implement more stringent measures to ensure the best players are available regularly and to avoid players using West Indies conveniently.

West Indies were forced to field an inexperienced team in a three-match T20 series against Pakistan, which ended on Thursday. Pakistan swept the series 3-0.

West Indies missed several seasoned campaigners due to covid19, injury and personal reasons.

Sampath is not pleased that some players don’t make themselves available more regularly for West Indies despite playing in other leagues simultaneously.

“A matter of concern is that a lot of the so called big guns (for) whatever reason did not make the tour and they are playing cricket, for example in Australia. You can play wherever you want, but you can’t play conveniently for West Indies,” Sampath said.

“You playing in Australia T20, but you cannot represent West Indies. When World Cup comes around (then) you want to represent West Indies.”

While West Indies were playing the T20 series, Andre Russell was playing for Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League. Lendl Simmons is playing for US All Stars in the US Open Cricket T20 tournament in Florida. Russell and Simmons turned down the opportunity to travel to Pakistan for “personal reasons” according to CWI.

Sampath is not laying blame only on the players, saying CWI must put more rules in place.

“You cannot blame the player, you blame the selectors and the system.”

Sampath said the CWI system needs revising.

“More defined guidelines (are required). You don’t want to deny a player playing for money, but you cannot want to play for us conveniently. You can’t pick and choose as you want.

“We have a selection panel, they have to put their foot down. You realise they talking about player power now…I don’t want player power. I want player performance, performance oriented players, players who have West Indies at heart.”

Inexperienced players got the chance to play against Pakistan as several players were unavailable.

Regular T20 captain Kieron Pollard, along with Fabian Allen and Obed McCoy, were unavailable because of injury.

Jason Holder, the only cricketer who plays all three formats for West Indies consistently, is being rested due to “workload management” according to CWI.

The quartet of Evin Lewis, Shimron Hetmyer, Russell and Simmons were unavailable due to personal reasons.

Last Saturday, two days before the first T20 bowled off CWI revealed that three players and one non-coaching member of staff tested positive for covid19.

The players were left-arm fast bowler Sheldon Cottrell and all-rounders Roston Chase and Kyle Mayers.

Days later between the second and third T20 five more members of the West Indies camp tested positive. Wicket-keeper batsman Shai Hope, left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein and batsman Justin Greaves contracted the virus, along with assistant coach Roddy Estwick and team physician Dr Akshai Mansingh.

The door opened for players such as Shamarh Brooks, Dominic Drakes and Gudakesh Motie. They all made their International T20 debuts during the series.

Brandon King, Odean Smith and Romario Shepherd were among the other players getting an opportunity in the series.

Sampath, in highlighting some of the stronger performances in the series, said, “It was nice to see Brandon King, very talented player. (Nicholas) Pooran is expected (to do well)…(Romario) Shepherd tries.

“It seems as though that the covid issue is a blessing in disguise because some other players got the chance to put up their hand.”

King scored 111 runs in the series at an average of 37 and Pooran struck 108 runs at an average of 36.

Shepherd and Smith had decent all-round performances.

“It was nice that they were competitive…you could see that they making an effort unlike the guys who went to the (T20 2021) World Cup,” Sampath said.