West Indies Selection Rift..Lara not Happy with Selectors...

[TrinInfinite]

I had a feeling Lara did not have any say in this team selection, from the time they silenced him for asking for mohammed 2 b included on the team, I knew there was a rift...

West Indies v New Zealand, Super Eights, Antigua

Selection rift breaks up West Indian party

Andrew Miller in Antigua

March 29, 2007


 
Brian Lara, who leads West Indies' run-list, is having an unhappy time at home with his struggling team © Getty Images
 
 

This could well have been the match in which West Indies pulled the plug on their own party. The defeat in itself was not insurmountable, but the manner of the meltdown was distressing. It was a sickly surrender in front of another paltry crowd, in a game that will be remembered more for some extraordinary team selections than for the subsequent lethargy of the West Indian performance. By the time Ramnaresh Sarwan's legbreaks had been called upon to bowl the 39th and penultimate over of the innings, the post-construction moonscape on which this stadium has been plonked reflected the bleakness of the host team's prospects.

"These are really desperate times, and the guys have to pick themselves up and know what is in front of them," Brian Lara said afterwards. "We've got to get into the frame of mind of winning everything from now on. We didn't play like it was a crucial World Cup match."

From the moment Lendl Simmons, an opener by trade, was selected at No. 8 in place of the quickest bowler in the squad, Jerome Taylor, Lara's team played like a side sleepwalking to disaster. It was - even by West Indian standards - a staggering piece of selection whimsy. "We haven't scored 250 runs yet in the tournament, so we thought we'd try to strengthen the batting as much as possible," Lara said by way of justification, but it did little to stem the astonishment.

Though Taylor had a rough day against Australia on Tuesday, conceding 67 runs in ten wicketless overs, those were hardly grounds for his axing. As recently as October he took 4 for 49 to bowl West Indies to victory over Australia in the Champions Trophy. Simmons, the reserve wicketkeeper, has delivered just six balls in his entire international career.

All the signs pointed to the sort of selection conflagration that West Indies desperately needed to avoid at the most crucial juncture in their modern-day history. Lara's selection (and the coach, Bennett King, is not believed to have had much say in the matter) has been interpreted as one in the eye for a selection committee that includes the Antiguan legend, Andy Roberts.

Roberts, along with his fellow selectors, Gordon Greenidge and Clyde Butts, picked the 15-man squad for the World Cup on February 2, and the impression that Lara gave today was that he was not best enamoured with the men at his disposal. "I can simply say to Andy Roberts that I did not select this World Cup squad," he said. "I was not there in the meeting. The team was selected without me. But I still go out there and fight my very best with the squad given to me."

Roberts himself was agog at the omission of Taylor. "I can't find the words to describe it," he told local reporters. "If you play an extra batsman at No. 8, he has to be able to bowl. All I can say is that Simmons must have changed roles since I last saw him." The evidence was that he hasn't. The upshot was that Dwayne Smith, a military-medium pacer, was thrust into the new-ball role despite being overlooked for a single over in the Australia match.


 
Batting continues to be a major concern for West Indies © AFP
 
 

Stephen Fleming, New Zealand's captain, was equally non-plussed by the challenge his side was presented. "West Indies lacked a bit of enthusiasm, in terms of generating and taking the game to us," he said. "We certainly didn't scout for the lack of seamer, we had all three seamers playing, and we didn't know a heck of a lot about Simmons.

"It did mean a long batting order and we expected them to come hard at us, but we created pressure, perhaps on the back of a good Australian performance. We were just able to stunt any momentum. They had a difficult period to bat and they got through that, but we were pleased to take wickets at key times. It was a good day for us."

West Indies, as Fleming acknowledged, are a good chasing side, but having lost what transpired to be a crucial toss, they approached their third consecutive day of cricket as if it was the third day of a backs-to-the-wall Test match - 322 for 6 plays 219, plays 177 in the follow-on. "I don't think the difference in the game today was the significance of a bowler," Lara said. "You could have ten bowlers out there, but if you've only got 177 to defend it will be no good."

How on earth West Indies regroup from here is anyone's guess. A manic schedule, designed to give them key exposure in all the hosting islands means they are off to Guyana without a pause for breath, where they take on Sri Lanka in their third game on Sunday. Lara said West Indies were down to the "fighting part of the tournament" and they had to win their remaining four games to qualify for the semi-finals.

"We're just not playing well as a team, especially in the batting department," Lara, who currently tops the West Indian run-charts with 195 at 65, said. "If we are going to win the World Cup it's not just going to be one or two of them, or just me - it has to be the entire team."

The "entire team", however, will have to include the Caribbean public themselves if the morale of this squad is to be raised from its bootstraps. "The guys are pretty disappointed [about the small crowds] and a lot of them have mentioned it," Lara said. "We don't know exactly what the problem is. We've played in normal series with much bigger crowds. Maybe it's not just the cricket - maybe it's something else."

Andrew Miller is UK editor of Cricinfo

© Cricinfo

[willi]

Windies need to get their act in gear.

Ticket prices need to be dropped and cow horns and other fanfare needs to be allowed in.Lara and the admin need to sort out their beef, ASAP. Too much of the BS now in the midst of battle.

We on a rescue mission now.

[Pro-Jayz]

Windies already lose focus of the mission...They should only be thinking of winning that game on Sunday  against SL...the past is the past and it cannot be changed now...and yes the captain should have some say about the team selection

[Remie]

I believe Lara did not get a say in the final 15 man squad. However the 15 man squad is the best squad the selectors have ever picked.

Between Lara and Bennett King one of them picks the final 11 so i think Lara should hush his mouth and get on with it. There is a damn world cup to be won.

The 15 man squad that was picked was good enough and from what i understand Lara is the one that is picked the ridiculous team against New Zealand.

Instead of crying about selection when there are no better ODI players outside the 15, why doesnt he have a go at our top order batsmen for consistenly failing whenever there is a bit of movement in the pitch?

[Pro-Jayz]

http://jamaicagleaner.com/gleaner/20070331/sports/sports15.html



Holding blasts WI selection
published: Saturday | March 31, 2007

ST. JOHN'S, Antigua (CMC):

EX-WEST Indies fast bowler Michael Holding has blasted the decision by West Indies to include an extra batsman at the expense of a second strike bowler in their Super Eight match against New Zealand Thursday.

West Indies included Lendl Simmons for his first match of the Cricket World Cup, leaving out fast bowler Jerome Taylor for the match at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground.

"Since nine o'clock this morning we have been trying to find a logical reason and we can't find a logical reason. You tend to see that happening a lot, though, that when they think their batting isn't doing well, they add a batsman and there's no point in adding a batsman to bat at number eight," Holding, now a television anchor, said in his post-match comments.

"If your first six or seven batsmen can't get the job done, what is number eight going to do? Number eight shouldn't be getting to the crease until you have 10 overs left, if that many. So what's the point in having a batsman at number eight? You need bowlers.

"You see what Shane Bond has been able to do for New Zealand. Every time (Stephen) Fleming needs a wicket, he throws the ball to Shane Bond, he gets a wicket or two. If it's not Shane Bond, then he goes to Daniel Vettori because he has two bowlers that can give him striking power.

"The West Indies, having left out Jerome Taylor, had one bowler that could give them strike power and he did that - he gave them two early wickets but there was no back up."

Despite the extra batsman, West Indies crumbled for 177 off 44.4 overs after being sent in by New Zealand.

Defending their small total,the hosts grabbed two early wickets to reduce the Kiwis to 36 for two but they quickly lost the advantage and went down to a seven-wicket defeat.

"Your top five or six batsmen have to get the job done and you (have to) pick some proper bowlers to get wickets when you need wickets," Holding said.

"The pitches that we are playing on - the pitches we saw in Jamaica, the pitches here in Antigua - are not bowler friendly. That means the little bowlers that just come around and put the ball on a line and length, unless you have lots of runs on the board, they are not going to get the job done.

"You need bowlers who can go out there and strike for you, get wickets when you want the wickets, so the West Indies have to pick strike bowlers and they have to rely on their top five or six batsmen.

"If they can't get the job done, well you have a problem but you cannot say you are going to pick eight batsmen, that just doesn't make sense."

Holding, who played 60 Tests taking 249 wickets, said West Indies had not lifted their game since the group stage in Jamaica.

"They played three games in Jamaica and won all three in Jamaica and they won them fairly wel a lot of people weren't convinced about the Zimbabwe win, it was still a very comfortable victory," the 53-year-old surmised.

"They have left Jamaica and come down here to Antigua, they are playing against better teams now. (Brian) Lara was saying they needed to keep on improving, which they haven't really done. They haven't improved at all from Jamaica and they are now playing against better teams and just not coming up to scratch."

[saga pinto]

Windies already lose focus of the mission...They should only be thinking of winning that game on Sunday  against SL...the past is the past and it cannot be changed now...and yes the captain should have some say about the team selection

You got that right!

If I'm a captain of a team in any situation,I need to know the best is available to me.........

[fatman]

lara never initiated any conversation about selection it was the ignorant uneducated (in any terms)andy roberts who actually as a selector tried to lay the blame on laras feet .what does lara have to do to show the public that he is 100 percent committed to winning he is the best thing to ever happen to west indies cricket and is being blamed for the performance of an ill prepared team. what we are seeing here is a lack of skill acquiaition that should have  been developed in these men as teen agers.it has nothing to do with the side picked get off laras back

[willi]

Windies already lose focus of the mission...They should only be thinking of winning that game on Sunday  against SL...the past is the past and it cannot be changed now...and yes the captain should have some say about the team selection

You got that right!

If I'm a captain of a team in any situation,I need to know the best is available to me.........

Lara should not have dropped Taylor.

He beat Hayden for pace 3 times in his first 2 overs. If he had a bit of luck, Hayden would have gone cheaply. Tay;or is bowling with genuine pace, if not the greatest control and is a real strike bowler, like Powell.

Its the batmen that are failing.

[fatman]

firstly idoubt lara made that decision on his own,secondly even if it wasa bad decision do you really think that is the reason we lost that game.

[willi]

firstly idoubt lara made that decision on his own,secondly even if it wasa bad decision do you really think that is the reason we lost that game.

May not have been the prime reason...batting was woeful, but even if we had put up a decent score, without penetrative bowling, we still would have lost.

[TrinInfinite]

I believe Lara did not get a say in the final 15 man squad. However the 15 man squad is the best squad the selectors have ever picked.

Between Lara and Bennett King one of them picks the final 11 so i think Lara should hush his mouth and get on with it. There is a damn world cup to be won.

The 15 man squad that was picked was good enough and from what i understand Lara is the one that is picked the ridiculous team against New Zealand.

Instead of crying about selection when there are no better ODI players outside the 15, why doesnt he have a go at our top order batsmen for consistenly failing whenever there is a bit of movement in the pitch?

remie i rsspect yuh breddah but I have to disagree with you on this topic, we do not have our bess team out there playing, that is facts, alot of curry favour went into selection, truss meh, dis team could have been better prepared and better selected...

God is de BOSS...

[dervaig]

What does the word IMPLOSION mean?

Either Windies correct the wrongs by tomorrow, or
you can forget the Final Four.

[willi]

What does the word IMPLOSION mean?

Either Windies correct the wrongs by tomorrow, or
you can forget the Final Four.

I agree 100%.

[RRamdin]

Contrary to the opinion of some people on this forum I believe that the squad picked was in fact not the best possible squad that could have been picked. The main reason for this, is that we have two players in the squad, maybe more who cannot perform a job for the team in this world cup. One is Lendll Simmons the other is Keiron Pollard. However good Pollard is, and however good he will be in the future, he has only played a few ODI's if any and I do not see him playing one game in this world cup. Why he is in the squad is beyond me; we already have two bits and pieces all-round jokers in Bravo and Smith and don't give me the argument that he is in this squad to gain experience. A world cup is no place to groom future players. Secondly, I believe that Simmons was one of the selections that Lara is arguing with over the selectors. By batting him at No.8 he was effectively telling the selectors "you've given me a player i can do nothing with, so i'll bat him at 8". I believe that picking more experienced players would have been the way to go: Wavell Hinds has proven to be v.successful when playing in the Caribbean, as has Ricardo Powell who I believe should still be part of this one day team. Fidel Edwards should have been picked also to give us an extra strike bowling option despite all the shit hes liable to bowl in between.

[TrinInfinite]

Contrary to the opinion of some people on this forum I believe that the squad picked was in fact not the best possible squad that could have been picked. The main reason for this, is that we have two players in the squad, maybe more who cannot perform a job for the team in this world cup. One is Lendll Simmons the other is Keiron Pollard. However good Pollard is, and however good he will be in the future, he has only played a few ODI's if any and I do not see him playing one game in this world cup. Why he is in the squad is beyond me; we already have two bits and pieces all-round jokers in Bravo and Smith and don't give me the argument that he is in this squad to gain experience. A world cup is no place to groom future players. Secondly, I believe that Simmons was one of the selections that Lara is arguing with over the selectors. By batting him at No.8 he was effectively telling the selectors "you've given me a player i can do nothing with, so i'll bat him at 8". I believe that picking more experienced players would have been the way to go: Wavell Hinds has proven to be v.successful when playing in the Caribbean, as has Ricardo Powell who I believe should still be part of this one day team. Fidel Edwards should have been picked also to give us an extra strike bowling option despite all the shit hes liable to bowl in between.

and one spinner...... which west indian pitches are conducive to spin....

God is de BOSS

[Pro-Jayz]

Guys at this point in the tournament it's useless to figure out who should be or should not be in the team...The starting xi that is selected tommorow (hopefully the right combination) has to complete the mission tommorow..and I still believe the Windies will win this tournament and I still support them 100%....I just hope they dont get distracted with all dat bachannal in the media instead of being focused on winning tommorow game..

[willi]

Guys at this point in the tournament it's useless to figure out who should be or should not be in the team...The starting xi that is selected tommorow (hopefully the right combination) has to complete the mission tommorow..and I still believe the Windies will win this tournament and I still support them 100%....I just hope they dont get distracted with all dat bachannal in the media instead of being focused on winning tommorow game..

Amen mi breddah.

[Remie]

At the end of the day Lara has been given 15 men to use at his disposal. It is his job is to pick the best 11 come the morning of each match. He dropped Taylor for a 9th batsman, we lose badly, then he tries to blame Andy Roberts for the 15 man squad in the middle of the flicking tournament?

I would not have picked those exact 15 but what i am saying is that this 15 man squad is good enough to compete with every other squad in the tournament so we should just get on with the job at hand and stop moaning about other players that cannot now be picked. There is a time and a place. In the middle of the world cup and openly to the worldwide media is not the time and the place.

Im talking about Lara not you guys.

[Remie]

Just to add something that i forgot to say yesterday-

Yes Andy Roberts, being one of the members on the 15 man selection panel, should not have critised Lara in public even though it was well deserved. We are all one team- West Indies. All the other countries are getting on with their own business of trying to win the world cup and we are arguing.

[real madness]

at this point i eh care who pick what, who shoulda get pick or shouldnt get pick...all i want is sme good cricket from west indies and some wins.

[dinho]

The problems we having right through running straight through from the selectors, to de coaching staff to de captain to our players...

As selectors you cant tell me that we pick a 15-man squad where there is no tried and proven option to provide in our batting lineup given the failures we have in the top order right through this tournament so far... The omission of Darren Ganga for whatever conceivable reasons is now become glaring as ever, cause now that Gayle and Chanderpaul are failing, our next option is Devon Smith and i doubt anyone would say that he has proven himself to merit a pick at this crucial stage of the tournament.. Also that decision to bring in Simmons at 8 and drop our strike bowler was nonsensical to say the least..

Lara himself has to take a great deal of responsibility for the situation now... In the Australia game, he made poor decisions out there on the field when their batsmen were taking a liking to our seam bowlers... I cant understand for the life of me why he neglected to try the slow medium of Dwayne smith, especially in overs 30-40 when we were somewhat pulling them back and when Taylor had lost his way.. The game changed in one over when Hayden smashed Taylor around.. Also, to come out publicly and criticise the selectors almost saying he is leading a team he didnt pick was irresponsible and disrespectful to the players themselves.. Even if it is in response to unwarranted criticism, it have no positive in airing the dirty laundry in public.. Lara is showing himself to be lacking in the motivational department, and it doesnt matter how many runs he makes, he needs to be a better leader on this team...

And the players.. well where do we start.. Apart from the Pakistan game they have been not consistent enough in bowling at this level.. But our biggest problem has been our batting and the collective irresponsibility of everyone in this lineup.. Most of our batsmen are getting out playing loose, irresponsible, PREMEDITATED strokes.. That is.. deciding beforehand whatever ball is bowled they will chance a swipe.. Our batsmen lack the discipline to push for the 1s and 2s and wait for the loose delivery to go for their shots.. Instead they playing lottery..

If they dont turn this around soon, rope should be on everybody neck in that side..

[dervaig]

Game, set and match.

What B Lara should do now is go to the selectors, and ask not
to play the remaining three games.
After the World Cup he wasn't going to play one-day cricket
anymore, START NOW!!!!!
Turn the captaincy over now, and gracefully bow out now
WITHOUT further embarassment to himself, and the few fans
he has.

The Windies can FORGET the Final Four, and who on this board
believe otherwise, probably also believe's there will be peace in
the Middle East.

What a joke this 'so called' world cup has been in more ways than
one, and to top it off, with three games left, the host team has zero
chance of winning a blessed thing!

[ribbit]

the margin of victories and defeats speak volumes. workmanlike win against ireland but heavy heavy defeats against nz, aus, sl - this is a complete system meltdown. you could blame the selectors for only so much - this chasm can not be accounted for by the addition of a spinner, or some shufflings here and there in the side.

[trinfax]

Contrary to the opinion of some people on this forum I believe that the squad picked was in fact not the best possible squad that could have been picked. The main reason for this, is that we have two players in the squad, maybe more who cannot perform a job for the team in this world cup. One is Lendll Simmons the other is Keiron Pollard. However good Pollard is, and however good he will be in the future, he has only played a few ODI's if any and I do not see him playing one game in this world cup. Why he is in the squad is beyond me; we already have two bits and pieces all-round jokers in Bravo and Smith and don't give me the argument that he is in this squad to gain experience. A world cup is no place to groom future players. Secondly, I believe that Simmons was one of the selections that Lara is arguing with over the selectors. By batting him at No.8 he was effectively telling the selectors "you've given me a player i can do nothing with, so i'll bat him at 8". I believe that picking more experienced players would have been the way to go: Wavell Hinds has proven to be v.successful when playing in the Caribbean, as has Ricardo Powell who I believe should still be part of this one day team. Fidel Edwards should have been picked also to give us an extra strike bowling option despite all the shit hes liable to bowl in between.

Well said... I cannot believe that after the Indian tour debacle they still went ahead and selected a team without input from the captain. Yes, you cannot have the World Cup as the avenue for anyone to gain experience....Can anyone tell me that Morton was not a better pick then Pollard? At this stage??

And as far as I am concerned Roberts and Holding dem need to shut to f**k up as no one can say Lara picked the wrong team against NZ... Let's look at it this way.. the rationale was to pick the extra batsman so the team could have more runs on the board. On paper we had batting up to NO 8 Simmons made 14 N.O. out of 177. Can anyone say that Taylor would have made more than 14? So we can assume he would have made less. Lets say he would have made 4... would give us a total of 167....would Taylor have made a difference in bowling out NZ for less than 167?? In case you guys dont know NZ just chased 300+ TWICE against Australia and got it....so we needed runs.. the cappo went for runs and players came up short... Taylor could not have given us more runs