GCB slams CWI’s response to selection debacle

The Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) in a missive on Monday afternoon expressed its disappointment with the responses aired in the media by the Cricket West Indies (CWI) Chairman of Selectors.

GCB’s statement reads:
“We write to you with great astonishment and much disappointment on the media statements by the Chairman of Selectors of the CWI as they relate to the issue of the non-retainer by CWI of male Guyanese cricketers. We at GCB thought that we were doing the proper and decent thing by first, writing to CWI requesting the criteria which was used for the retention and/or non- retention of our male cricketers, prior to making any public statements on their non-retention.
It is most unfortunate and quite disappointing that while we are still patiently awaiting the submission of the said criteria, the Chairman of Selectors thought it best, whether on his own accord or with the support of the CWI, to make the comments in the media that two of our Directors were present at the meeting when the matter of retention and/or non-retention was discussed. Of all persons, the Chairman of Selectors ought to have been aware that there was no “handing over of the mantle” to the current Directors of GCB by the two former Directors”.
Further, it was the first meeting of the CWI that the two new Directors attended and the issue of the retention of the players was more in the form of a report after the decision was already made.

Additionally, the two Directors could not have commented and/or usefully participated in the “report” in relation to the retention of the players without the two Directors knowing or being fully apprised of the selection and/or non-selection criteria.
Like the Chairman of Selectors, GCB also has its own responsibility to the Public and will, therefore, following the trend set by the said Chairman, make this letter available to the media.
We are still patiently awaiting the criteria and report on the non-retention of our male cricketers and we fervently hope that CWI sees it best to provide those to us urgently rather than to have one of its officers (the Chairman), whether on a frolic of his own or not, unleash his unnecessary and unfortunate wrath on the GCB.”
The back-and-forth began earlier this month when CWI released a list of male contracted players for the 2021/ 2022 season, which did not include any Guyanese players. As such, the GCB and the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) expressed their disappointment with CWI’s decision.
However, last week, Lead Selector Roger Harper chided GCB President Bissoondyal Singh and Vice President Hilbert Foster, stating that they were present at the CWI’s Board of Directors’ meeting and had the opportunity at that forum, to object to the lack of Guyanese players in the list.