CWI’s shocking selections continue to hurt all Jaguars players

By Brandon Corlette

Cricket West Indies (CWI) recently announced the squads to play India “A” next month; and devastatingly for the Guyana Jaguars, five-time winning team in the CWI Regional 4-day tournament, only one of its players has been included in the West Indies senior team, and only four of its players have been included in the West Indies “A” four-day team.

This shocking selection has caused bewilderment everywhere in Guyana, and has forced this reporter to ask: “How can this be?”
The “A” team’s tour will commence with the first of five one-day matches being played on July 11, 2019 in Antigua. The four Jaguars players who will participate are Keemo Paul, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd and Raymon Reifer.
The first of three 4-Day matches will commence on July 24, 2019, and only one Jaguars player — the Barbadian Raymon Reifer –- will participate.
Questions will continue to be asked, because, for a team to win five consecutive Regional 4-Day championships, its players would undoubtedly have had to be performing exceptionally well. So the query is repeated: How can this be?
Apart from Anthony Bramble and Clinton Pestano, who should have been among the first persons considered for selection based on their consistent performances, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Veerasammy Permaul, Vishaul Singh, Leon Johnson, Christopher Barnwell and Tagenarine Chanderpaul should have also been considered for “A” team selection.
Hemraj, a flamboyant opener who played One Day Internationals for the West Indies, has churned out some top performances with the bat in both the Regional 4-Day and Super50 tournaments. The left-handed opener scored a player of the match 103* in the Super 50, but his most authoritative innings came in the 4-Day tournament, wherein he smashed a brilliant 144 against a star-studded Barbados Pride attack.
That innings came in the Pride’s backyard at Kensington Oval, and Test players Jason Holder and Roston Chase were humiliated in that event.
In the Regional Super50, Barnwell was arguably the most consistent batsman for the Jaguars. In the nine matches he played, he scored 282 runs in eight innings at an average of 47, including an unbeaten 99.
Jaguar’s captain, Leon Johnson, has been a successful leader in Regional tournaments; the “A” team tour should have been the perfect opening for the left-hander to lead the team, ahead of Roston Chase, who lacks experience as captain. Johnson, who stroked a century against Jamaica in the 2018/19 Super50 Cup, led the Jaguars to five titles, a rare feat for any captain.
Solid opener Vishaul Singh, who has been in the West Indies “A” and CWI XI squads, has been another surprise omission from the 4-day “A” team, despite having experience at that level.
Any team the Jaguars oppose in a Regional tournament will have to negotiate the webs Permaul produces with his inimitable spin. Yet, this left-hander, who has been among the leading wicket-takers in First-Class cricket, has been overlooked despite his consistent Regional performances.
In the “A” team squads, Permaul was pipped by Jomel Warrican and the inexperienced Jamaican Akim Frazer, who has played only four First-Class matches.
The rock solid Tagenarine Chanderpaul has demonstrated the ability to show patience at the crease, something Caribbean batsmen lack. In the 2018/19 season, the ‘young tiger’ finished with 542 runs. The 4-Day tour would have suited his technique and exposed him to more quality bowlers in First-Class cricket.
In the 4-Day squad, Chanderpaul has been pipped by Trinidad’s Jeremy Solozano, who was the best batsman for the Red Force during the 2018/19 season with 572 runs.
When will more of the Jaguars players get their opportunity to represent the West Indies at higher forums in cricket?