West Indies U-15: Jamaica register first win (14 Apr 1998)

April 14, 1998

One for the selectors

The Jamaica Gleaner

CRICKET: Unless Wes Hall, chairman of the West Indies selection committee, changes his mind he will not be available next month for another term on the committee, and unless the West Indies Cricket Board has second thoughts the other two members of the present panel will be replaced and the coach removed.

In an effort to stay abreast with the modern game, the Board, it is said, plans to replace Hall, who last represented the West Indies in 1969, Joey Carew, who last represented the West Indies in 1971, and Michael Findlay, who last represented the West Indies in 1973, with more recent former players, and in an effort to give the chairman more power, to reduce the number of actual selectors from five to four.

In the present situation, there are three selectors plus the captain and the coach with each man having one vote. The plan is to go back to what it was before the coach was made a selector in 1996 - back to three elected selectors and the captain with the chairman having a casting vote in the event of a deadlock.

To many, a new selection committee, regardless of the reason, would be a good move - especially those who believe that the present set has not done a good job.

While no one can deny that the selectors decisions at times deserved to have been questioned, in the final analysis some of their decisions were commendable and they should be praised for those - especially for that which saw the return of opening batsmen Philo Wallace and Clayton Lambert, not one after the other, but at the same time.

That was a brave decision. The selectors would have been condemned and ridiculed had Wallace and Lambert failed - especially if the West Indies had also lost.

As far as cricket fans were concerned, except for those in Guyana and some in Barbados, neither Wallace nor Lambert were good enough to represent the West Indies, and on top of that, Lambert was too old.

Encouraged by captain Brian Lara however, the selectors decided to select the best team, and with the young players failing to produce, as far as they were concerned the best team included Wallace and Lambert who, regardless of Lambert's age and their past performances for the West Indies, had performed well in the domestic competition.

It was a great decision - not only because it resulted in some glorious batting at the start of the West Indies innings, not only because it inspired those who followed in the order, but also because it augurs well for the future of West Indies cricket.

Although the presence of older, experienced players is important to the development of young players, the emphasis on youth in the territorial teams in recent years and the failure of the West Indies selectors to select older players regardless of performance in regional competitions have discouraged the participation of older players, and that, in many respects, have stunted the development of the promising young players who have been robbed of the opportunity of matching their skills with experienced players and learning from them.

The selection of Wallace and Lambert therefore was good for West Indies cricket. It serves as encouragement to those close to or beyond 30 to continue playing the game.

On top of that, in any endeavour, those who perform should be rewarded, and although there will be always be a time to groom young players, although there will always be young players who promise so much that they cannot be ignored, when it comes to the highest level of a sport, the best, once they are fit enough, should always be selected.

The greatness of sport is not only the fulfilment of a young man's dream but also that of older players - those who say I can do it, or I can still do it, and succeed in doing it.

No one knows how long Wallace and Lambert will last in the West Indies team. Next time around, they could, for example, find Alan Donald and the South African attack too good for them and may have to give way - especially if the younger batsmen produce.

What is important however, is that they performed in the domestic competition, based on that performance, they were given an opportunity at the higher level, and they destroyed the opposition in a manner which thrilled the fans and inspired their colleagues.

The selectors may well have made some mistakes. They also made a few good moves however. Because of them, cricket fans around the world are talking not only about fast bowlers Curtley Ambrose and Courtney Walsh, not only about batsmen Lara, Carl Hooper and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, but also about young right-arm legspinner Dinanath Ramnarine, and Wallace and Lambert - two discards who kept dreaming, stuck to the game, and returned as stars.

Source :: The Jamaica Gleaner (https://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/)