BASSETERRE, ST KITTS, SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS – SEPTEMBER 12: Chanderpaul Hemraj (R) of Guyana Amazon Warriors Hits 4 and Chadwick Walton (L) of Jamaica Tallawahs watch during the 2021 Hero Caribbean Premier League Game 29 between Guyana Amazon Warriors and Jamaica Tallawahs at Warner Park Sporting Complex on September 12, 2021 in Basseterre, St. Kitts, St. Kitts and Nevis. (Photo by Randy Brooks – Cpl T20 / Getty Images)
With a number of players constantly missing out on selection after failing to meet minimum fitness standards, Cricket West Indies chief executive Jimmy Adams said the regional board plans to be more proactive as they build on the 2022 T20 World Cup kick off.
Adams answered questions from the media about the team selected for the limited overs tour of Pakistan on Saturday, and many of the questions revolved around why some players weren’t in the roster.
Adams further stated that CWI plans to have discussions with a potential “core group” of players in order to work with them to ensure their availability in the future.
Lead Selector Roger Harper passed some of the questions to Adams for further clarification, with the Director of Cricket explaining that some of the players did not meet fitness standards and therefore would not have been considered.
When asked about batsman Chandrapaul Hemraj’s expulsion, Harper said, “He would have caught our attention, but of course our fitness policy was in place and on that basis he was not eligible.”
When asked for further clarification, Harper referred again to Adams, who stated that there is a six month window during which players must achieve a fitness goal and that Hemraj does not meet the requirements within the window and is therefore not an option.
When asked about the inclusion of all-rounder Odean Smith and the exclusion of batsman Sherfane Rutherford, Harper also referred to Adams, who stated that Rutherford also did not meet the fitness requirements.
“Almost immediately after the last World Cup, we are now in some sort of planning phase for October next year when the tournament is repeated in Australia and part of that process in this tournament will be the identification of a core group of players and I see no reason to why some of the players we’re talking about don’t belong to that core group of players that we want to look at throughout the (rebuilding) process, “said Adams.
“We’re going to be in say 25 games (before the next World Cup) so there are a lot of international T20 cricket and there are youngsters that we think or know are very talented and we want to see them doing it and when they do Players are identified in the next few weeks, the plan is to speak to them about how best we can ensure they are available in the future so that problems arise that prevent these players from being selected (it can be resolved) ” , he continued.
“We see this as a priority because we want to choose from the broadest possible pool.
“While they may not have been selected for this tour, it is out of sight and out of mind. We want these players to be available and we want to keep them ready for international cricket and we want to see them come to the fore when it comes to the next generation of T20 players, “said Adams.
“I don’t want the feeling that players are out there forgetting or not thinking about their development and the movement of our team and the transition of our team to another World Cup.” he added.
He said fitness has been an issue for CWI for some time as on a number of occasions the players missed selections because they didn’t meet the requirements.
He said CWI wanted to get a return on its investment.
“It’s a concern and that’s why it’s too important for us to let it hang now without trying to be more proactive about who the group will be, that they will focus on next year’s World Cup, that we actually meet all the players want. But one of the topics for some of these players will be how we can work with them and how much more support we can give them because we value them, ”said Adams.
“We want them to compete for places. If you look at it from an investment perspective, many of them may have played regional cricket that dates back to the U15, so investment in them is already up to a certain level. And without sounding greedy, everyone really wants a return on that investment and we believe there are players out there who could be challenging for the courses in terms of their natural abilities and we believe that this competition is healthier to do too than not having this competition, ”said Adams.
“It’s a real concern and we’re not just going to let it hang. We want to sit down with these players and find out what the challenges are and why we are not reaching a (certain fitness) level.
“I think it’s not a healthy situation just to be in terms of dollars and cents for investing in young players. We want to know that the 15 to 19 year olds we are investing in now will kick all doors at the higher level to choose from in two or three years, and if something blocks that we have to be proactive. We can’t just sit down and accept it without doing everything we can to correct this situation, ”he concluded.
