Pick horses for course-Hitting out

Two years ago, the West Indies selectors went about picking their squad for a One-Day International series against England in a most appropriate manner.

In the modern jargon, they opted to choose a high number of "two-dimensional players". They were ones who you could call on to produce vital contributions with either bat or ball and some were also exceptional in the field.

Some of those players included Phil Simmons, Keith Arthurton, Laurie Williams, Carl Tuckett and Neil McGarrell.

In recent times, however, the selectors seemed to have drifted away from that policy.

It reached a stage two months ago when the West Indies team for the Mini World Cup in Kenya included four players-Marlon Samuels, Azeemul Haniff, Colin Stuart and Kerry Jeremy-who had never appeared in a regional limited-overs match.

As chairman Mike Findlay and his co-selectors meet in Barbados today to pick a 15-man squad for the forthcoming tri-nation World Series Cup, one hopes they will revert to their thinking of two years ago.

Findlay is reported as saying that the selectors will exclude players from the current Test squad in Australia who "we don't think fit into the One-Day setup".

Those like Courtney Walsh, Daren Ganga, Stuart and Jeremy fit into that category. Two others who should join them on the plane heading home are Courtney Browne and Ramnaresh Sarwan.

Browne was deserving of his place in the Test squad as back-up to Ridley Jacobs, but it is not common to select two wicket-keepers in a One-Day squad that is limited to 15 players.

For all of his obvious potential, Sarwan seems to have lost form and confidence and has developed a bad habit of playing across the line. The shorter version of the game is certainly no place for him to regroup.

In looking at the replacements, the first name that comes to mind is the hardhitting Ricardo Powell. Nothing needs to be said about him other than he has been a little unlucky not to be in Australia.

Williams and Tuckett have hardly been given a look-in since 1998, but both remain all-rounders capable of tidy medium-pace and reliable lower-order batting.

Recently, we have got very little runs from our nine, ten, jack. In limitedovers matches, one should be able to rely on those for runs.

Sylvester Joseph has been an outstanding performer in the regional limited-overs competitions for the past four seasons even if his first-class record is still modest.

He was given his One-Day International debut earlier this year and later carried to Kenya. He has not done anything since then to merit non-selection. Along the way, he also had the benefit of a season in the English leagues.

There is a new player I would introduce. Wilden Cornwall, a 27-year-old Antiguan, has hardly put a foot wrong during the last three Red Stripe Bowl competitions.

As a batsman, he is not exactly one who follows the text book, but he effectively gets the job done at the top of the order. As a bustling mediumpacer, he is under-rated, but has often run through the middle-order line-ups at the regional level.

I am also urging the selectors once more to consider using Jacobs as an opening batsman. It was in this position against Australia last year that he averaged 46 per innings and 102.50 in the World Cup that followed. Yet, for all of his success in that role, he has hardly been utilised in this position since then.

And what about Chris Gayle and Franklyn Rose? If they were not picked in the first place because of "attitudinal" problems, I see no place for them just a few months later.

By the end of the day, I expect the selectors to come up with something close to the following 15: Sherwin Campbell, Ridley Jacobs, Wavell Hinds, Brian Lara, Jimmy Adams, Ricardo Powell, Marlon Samuels, Laurie Williams, Carl Tuckett, Nixon McLean, Mervyn Dillon, Sylvester Joseph, Wilden Cornwall, Mahendra Nagamootoo, Marlon Black.