Developing a winning side

I feel compelled to return to the concept of cricket selection committees as compared to a lone selector because I’m driven by the importance of international team selection, a huge responsibility that should not be left on the shoulders of one person. Disagreements and healthy discussions bring out the best in selectors, taking for granted that the chosen selectors possess the right attributes.

Cricket is a unique game. It consists of a variety of players in the eleven that participate. Everyone has his own function. It is up to the selection committees to decide precisely in what part each player would best serve the team. That is only one of the challenges.

A most important aspect to take into consideration will be the type of pitch to be used for the game. A selector cannot afford to guess whether it is a hard wicket with a light sprinkling of grass or if the groundsman left a thick growth of grass. That will tell if the team should include four fast bowlers plus an all-rounder who bowls medium and could get some purchase from the pitch.

Nevertheless, it must be borne in mind their lessons from history. Spin bowlers like Lance Gibbs, the first West Indian bowler to capture 300 Test wickets, were never left out of a Test team regardless of the type of pitch. A selector has to know these things, like when a bowler is talented enough to suit all occasions. Others like Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan were never left out regardless of conditions or the state of the wicket. And quite a few others.

The selectors always have to be prepared for whatever conditions the players would encounter. They must know their players’ capabilities to adjust. However, in the West Indies especially, selectors can be blind-sided by insularity or bias. Thus, a lone selector would find it problematic.

It is a pity that administrators don’t seek out individuals with knowledge of the sport, integrity, a psychological mindset, no inflated ego, a motivational spirit and always a winning objective. The committee should be two selectors plus Daren Sammy for Test cricket. However, administrators have to know enough about this elusive game called cricket to be in a position to make the right decisions.

One does not sit around a table surrounded by an absence of cricket acumen, believing that they’re making the right decisions yet the standard of cricket is not improving. Then, the players are blamed. Nonetheless, the people involved in determining the process remain blameless, plus, those administrators don’t have a clue about the approaches required for variant formats.

One thing for sure is that the players on the field of play represent their territories in the West Indies as one unit. They began playing while still colonies of Great Britain. The English loved their cricket and carried it around with them wherever they went. As they wished to encourage proper competition, they had to teach the natives to play the game that they loved.

The WI were the fourth group to come under the masters of the art. One of the main reasons for this was the realisation of the flair and enthusiasm of the people of the WI for cricket. The West Indians were the quickest to develop the skills of the game and because of their natural ability, their advancement was not only swift but successful.

No country climbed the ladder of success more rapidly, nor stayed at the top for that length of time as the WI did. This was amazing for a group of territories with such a relatively small population. Therefore, the ambitious West Indian fan was attracted to belong to such an entity. Hence, the administrators that began gradually taking over, decided, driven by their own egos, that they were going to make the decisions, rather than allow those with the cricket vision to spot, encourage and develop talent to do the job and make the decisions.

A selector has to have the time to give and as a student of the game, he has to watch, study and make confident choices to represent the West Indies. Although, not alone. A committee of three would be ideal if they’re the right choices. Deliberations and arguments would be vital to come to the right decisions on the team’s choices. There ought to be a lot more first-class cricket to explore and observe all players involved, to improve and develop a winning side.