Bravo exclusion: CWI pres must intervene

THE EDITOR: I join those who have expressed their disgust at the very unfair treatment of cricketer Darren Bravo by his non-selection on the West Indies one-day cricket team to play against England starting in December. 

Bravo has been for the past two years a consistent performer. In the recently ended Super50 one-day competition, he was the highest run scorer with 416 runs at an amazing average of 83. He led his team to victory in the competition, winning all of his completed matches. Surely such a performance warrants selection. 

Unfortunately, the explanation given by chief selector Desmond Haynes that he is preparing for the 2027 international tournament and is therefore exposing younger players is a deeply flawed strategy.

First, players should as far as possible be rewarded with selection when they achieve high levels of performance. In this way they are motivated to continue to work hard and put in the long hours of training necessary to maintain high standards. 

Second, in order to qualify for 2027 the team needs to accumulate sufficient points by winning series starting now. Therefore, the best team needs to be selected now in order to increase our chances of victory. Of course, team performance will be reviewed on an ongoing basis. 

Haynes seems to have forgotten that we failed to qualify for the recently concluded international one-day competition and do not wish to repeat this.

Third, players must not be rewarded with selection because of youth, but must force their way into the team on the basis of performance. In this regard, Cricket West Indies (CWI) should encourage the regional cricket boards to arrange additional competitions in order to give these players opportunities to develop. 

Fourth, a losing team will gradually lose spectator support. People believe the team must do the work and lift its performance if it is to attract their support. That is just how it is and that is another reason to select our best players.

Finally, this unjust action by the selectors is damaging the career prospects of Bravo and in the interests of fairness should not be allowed to stand. West Indies cricket is in dire straits and needs all of its best players to be available, especially given our relatively small pool. 

I therefore call on the president of the CWI, Dr Kishore Shallow, to have his board of directors address this matter and right this egregious wrong. While his policy of non-intervention in selection matters is a good one, this non-selection of the tournament-leading scorer for the reason given is an exceptional situation that demands his intervention. I urge him to act now.

STEPHAN GIFT

St Joseph