Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board at silly point

I have heard some idiotic cricket ideas in my time, but lately I’ve had to listen to an assortment of nonsense that made me check and double-check in case my ears were playing tricks on me.

As one grows older, as I have, being at present in the elderly group, misinterpretation is a distinct possibility.

I understand that the under-23 tournament that is being staged at present is for players under 23 years of age. However, they must not be under 19, nor under 17, and so on.

This means that if there are talented youngsters under 20, they are not entitled to participate in this competition.

While I was writing this I still believed I’d got it wrong. I decided to make some more phone calls, as I hoped that I’d made a mistake.

But no! It is true!

So the president of the TT Cricket Board (TTCB), Azim Bassarath, is now saying to us that a young, promising cricketer has to wait until he’s 20 before he can be considered for the under-23 tournament. What nonsense!

Not too long ago Adrian Barath was selected for the national team at 16. He strode out in West Indies colours at 19.

I give a few more examples: Jeffrey Stollmeyer was chosen for WI at 18, and Gerry Gomez was 19. Daren Ganga was also 19 when he first represented WI in 1998.

It stands to reason that they would have been younger at the time they played first-class cricket for TT.

Additionally, there were Brian Lara, Inshan Ali, Charlie Davis, myself and quite a few others who were teenagers when they earned the honour of first representing their nation in first-class cricket. Now the TTCB is letting those under-19 players know that the under-23 tournaments are closed off to them.

It is truly unbelievable. I don’t know all the under-19 cricketers who might have represented TT. Nevertheless, I am certain from my experience that once talent and ability are spotted, age doesn’t matter. The youngster has to be given the opportunity to develop his talent and improve his ability by exposure to higher standards. Talent needs its outlets and should not be stifled.

The board is denying young, promising cricketers exposure to more experienced players, together with the opportunity to improve their game and become better players from as young as possible. This is where the knowledge of cricket comes to the fore, so that the best will always have the greatest chances for advancement; hence there will be no more talk about being too young to play in a tournament of a higher grade.

I keep thinking about it, but I just cannot believe that cricket people would discriminate against promising young cricketers because of their age, saying, in essence, that they are too young to enhance their game, and therefore cannot challenge older lads.

I have news for them. The only way to improve cricket is by improving the cricketers, seeking out the talent and moving it upscale to mix and do battle with the so-called better players. That is how cricketers improve their game and develop their talent.

Also, what is this present-day idea that some senior cricketers have of informing the authorities of their retirement arrangements?

All this drama is for the gallery. Leave that for great players, not the average national player.

Because, simply, he can be dropped and replaced. Why play to the gallery, announcing when you’re going to retire? When you retire, announce it and walk away, not next year or the year after.

Give the selectors a break. If one is making those announcements ahead of time, then it’s already in their subconscious. I believe these players are trying to hold on to their places, which is preferable to being dropped.

Another disappointment for me is playing these under-23 games in the 50-over format. If TTCB wants to prepare and develop better cricketers, they must play two-innings cricket.

All the fine players worldwide have been honed in two-innings cricket. That format makes the cricketer think more, and the more he does that, the better his game becomes. Then he enjoys the strong foundation that that type of preparation provides. He thinks about what he’s doing and learns from it.

Cricket must come first and for that to happen, the process needed is to think.