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Just when it seems there is cause for optimism in West Indies cricket, another scandal erupts. It’s a case of rolling a stone up a hill and when it appears that the deed is dome something out of the blues shoves it back downhill. The recent news that there is discrimination in the selection of the team has shaken the foundations of our cricket—Again! The captain, coach and the CWI president have all issued statements denying what they deem a rumor. Of not is that there was more than a tinge of anger in their responses.
This publication has not verified the truth of the allegations. But something does not smell right. To begin with, controversy over team selection has been the rule rather than the exception in recent times. Who can forget the terrible team that was selected for the T20 World Cup? That the controversial choices have all vanished proves that the pundits and the public were correct. Poor Roger Harper was made the scapegoat. It is clear that his selections were influenced by directives from above.
We have seen the attitude towards Shimon Hetmyer. Nobody can doubt that the talented Guyanese needs some straightening out. But the selectors’ attitude to him leaves a lot to be desired. Now we have the case of Odean Smith. He was selected as a bowler—the fastest bowler in the squad. Yet he was only afforded one over out of a possible eight. Then he was promptly dropped. That his replacement, Rovman Powell, singlehandedly won the game for the team should not take away from the stench of the change and the on-field treatment of Smith.
Who then can blame those who may speculated that there is more in the mortar than the pestle? The sequence of the events and the swift denials suggest there is more than meets the eye. That the WIPA is set to meet the CWI suggests that this is no ordinary rumor. CWI must clear the air on this matter What is again at stake is the very survival of West Indies Cricket
