House Speaker Manzoor Nadir questions CWI’s inconsistent selectors

By Brandon Corlette

Speaker of the National Assembly, the President of the Everest Cricket Club, Manzoor Nadir, has said that Shimron Hetmyer’s contract snub and his absence from the West Indies red-ball training camp have to do more with his fitness.
Nadir, who came out with all guns blazing in highlighting the flaws in the CWI administration, also said that whoever occupies the CWI chair “behaves the same.”

Asked on the Mason and Guest Radio programme why Hetmyer should have been offered a CWI International Retainer Contract, Nadir said: “He has merited it, the talent that he has. His performance on the field has not been outstanding in the Test matches, but for a 24-year-old that I consider superstar – and clearly the IPL did too – you just don’t give a person a 1.1-million-dollar contract who has not performed and who does not have that talent to be awarded that (contract).
“In solidarity with respect to good cricketing decision, our club (Everest Cricket Club) wanted to speak out, because, clearly, the rationale given by the selectors at CWI just does not measure up,” Nadir said.
Further, he explained that older people with averages below Hetmyer’s are making the West Indies Team.
“Clearly, it has to do with something more than his talent or his fitness. We have seen this before, and if people do not speak up, selectors with their own bees in their bonnets will continue to do injustice to cricketers and cricket,” Nadir declared.
Not holding anything back, Nadir said the inconsistency with the selectors is part of the issue.
While admitting that Hetmyer has to work on his fitness and the mental aspect of his game, Nadir compared the Berbician’s raw talent to that of the great Sir Vivian Richards.
“I say to Hetmyer, ‘Go out there when you get the next chance and talk with your bat, and destroy all the naysayers who exist and who want to put you down’.”
Nadir also spoke about Keemo Paul, who likewise has missed out on an International Retainer Contract. Nadir had no issue with this, since Paul is recovering from an injury.
Speaking on the programme, former West Indies batsman Philo Wallace said West Indies want more than talent from Hetmyer.
The left-handed Hetmyer, who was named in the 18-man provisional T20 squad for the upcoming home series against South Africa, Australia and Pakistan, has had his first signing with the Multan Sultans in the Pakistan Super League.
Below is a statement by the Everest Cricket Club on Hetmyer:
The Cricket West Indies (CWI) Selection Panel has named a 30-man squad for a three-week High-Performance Red-Ball training camp in St Lucia, which started Sunday, May 16, in preparation for the upcoming Test Series against South Africa.
Talented, performing, Guyanese batsman Shimron Hetmyer, who lost his retainer contract for the 2021-22 season, has again been snubbed and not selected for the camp.
“The Everest Cricket Club (ECC) registers its dismay and disappointment at the non-selection of Hetmyer for the camp, given the 24-year-old’s pedigree. Everest also supports the position of the GCB on the issue of criteria and consistency in the selection process.
“Hetmyer has been a tremendous talent for West Indies, and it is bewildering how a player of his calibre is not among the top 30 in the Caribbean preparing for any international series.
His fitness should not be used as a fault, since it should be the intention of a High-Performance Camp to aid in the player’s further development.
“Given the pandemic and a load of limited-overs cricket for the West Indies on the horizon; most importantly, the defense of the World T20 title come October-November, it would have been wise to have one of your most destructive batsmen in a high-performance camp.
“The pros outweigh the cons of allowing Hetmyer simply to return home and possibly join the squad of the Twenty20 International series against South Africa, rather than making the investment in him to help improve and in turn be more consistent for West Indies. His inclusion would also be a boost and motivation for the other players.
“Furthermore, the ECC is calling for CWI to have fairness in their selection criteria. The ECC will support any system which seeks to create one of meritocracy, but it must be transparent, and all should be held to the same standards.
“What raises further eyebrows is that the camp has selected players who would have excelled at this year’s Super50 tournament in Antigua, or are regular members of the West Indies’ white-ball teams in recent years.
“Hetmyer was the fifth leading run-scorer in the tournament, with 300 runs from seven innings at an average of 50.00, and a top score of 113. Some names in the camp are those that have been under-performing tremendously at the Test level, but have gotten an opportunity to improve their game. Why was Hetmyer not afforded that opportunity?
It would be unfathomable to think that Hetmyer’s recent exclusion from the West Indies High-Performance Training Camp is setting the stage for the casting away of another bright talent.
“We at the Everest Cricket Club call on Cricket West Indies and their selection panel to correct this injustice to the most talented batsman in the West Indies today.”