Chasing the respect of his peers

Only time will tell whether the choice of Roston Chase, the Barbadian cricket all-rounder, is the right person to lead the West Indies team to play Australia in the forthcoming three-Test series that starts June 25.

While the first Test match is at Bridgetown, Barbados, the second will take place at St George’s in Grenada with the final Test to be played at Sabina Park in Jamaica.

It will be interesting to know just how the hand-picking of venues to stage games against the Test cricket teams of the highest standard are chosen. Does Cricket West Indies (CWI) select multiple territories consisting of famous grounds, selected for their historical beauty and experience, or do they organise a meeting to interview the various stakeholders, a la the choice of captain? If not, maybe they could look into it.

Invite those responsible for their grounds to compete for the glory of bringing to their population an opportunity to witness the great players of the world on their home grounds. Moreover, maybe it’s done in a different format, and the selection, although not publicised, is strictly based on a financial strategy. I guess it hasn’t got to do with the crowd expectation, nor the cost of hotels. I assume the cost of living at tourist venues would have to play a part. I expect governments of the various territories would have to extend a helping hand to accommodate individual cricket grounds.

It is sad that a club with the prestigious history of Test cricket like the Queen’s Park Cricket Club, couldn’t be looked upon with understanding and admiration to once again host Test matches with Australia and England.

To return to the West Indies' latest captain, Chase. It’s strange that he is a player who has been out of favour for the past two years. Also, his Test batting average is in the mid-twenties and his bowling average is in the mid-forties. It would have been more attractive the other way around.

One of the first and most important values a captain should possess is the concept that he’s capable of making the team. So that someone who hasn’t been selected in two years means he would not have the support of his players, who would consider him a loser.

A number of his players in the past couple of years would have made the team before him which, of course, would make the skipper feel unworthy. Hence, he would have a lot of work to do with his players, to earn their respect and also to convey his values to them. Therefore, it would not be easy and hopefully, one would expect the head/coach/manager to handle the situation; that person would be Daren Sammy.

In praise of the new selection process, the president of CWI, Dr Kishore Shallow, said: “This selection process is one of the most comprehensive and forward-thinking we have undertaken. I am deeply impressed by the professionalism, objectivity and strategic thinking that shaped the final decision. It sets a new benchmark for leadership appointments in West Indies cricket.”

A conclusion drawn on theory, without a ball bowled.

Sammy, supporting the president, of course, said, “I fully endorse this appointment. Our new captain has earned the respect of his peers, understands the responsibility that comes with the role, and has shown the leadership qualities we need to take this team forward. I urge fans across the region to rally behind him—we’re building something special.”

I would like to know from Sammy, just when did Chase, the new captain, earn the respect of his peers? And when did he show the leadership qualities to take this team forward? I would really like to know because I haven’t noticed anything such with Chase.

All of this seems to me to be empty words, as nothing has gone before to suggest that the new Test captain has earned the respect of his peers. Where is the evidence of this? I believe that the head coach is engaging in make-believe, because what he’s mouthing is nothing but platitudes to sound positive and knowledgeable in front of his CWI bosses.

I want to say that I fully support Chase and his team and I trust that "lady luck" (they’ll need her) will smile on them from the first ball to the last.

I leave the team with this thought: The story (cricket) is always bigger than the story-teller (player) and a good actor (captain) serves the story, not himself.