Issue of no Guyanese male being offered a CWI contract

– Hilbert Foster declines comment as Roger Harper explains

By Brandon Corlette

Since Cricket West Indies (CWI) announced that no Guyanese has been offered an International Retainer Contract on its men’s team, the town has been abuzz with talk. The Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) has launched an investigation into the matter, and concern has been expressed about the non-selection of either or all of the following players: Romario Shepherd, Shimron Hetmyer, Keemo Paul and Veerasammy Permaul.
A GCB release has indicated that the board was unaware of that development, and had not been informed of the criteria used in awarding International Retainer Contracts, nor was any reason given for the non-awarding of an International Retainer Contract to the four named Guyanese cricketers.

In recent developments, West Indies Lead Selector Roger Harper, who is also an executive of the GCB, disclosed that the GCB was aware of those contracted and non-contracted CWI men’s players. Harper made this disclosure on a fairly recent Mason and Guest radio programme, and then reiterated this assertion on the Sean Devers Sports Watch on the following day.
While most Guyanese are awaiting a response from the Bissoondyal Singh-led GCB, Vice-President and CWI Director Hilbert Foster has said he would not comment on the matter.
“I am not authorised to discuss CWI matters in public,” Foster told this daily publication.
When asked by this reporter about the conversation with the GCB in relation to no Guyanese being offered contracts, Harper asserted: “Before the contracted list is made public, it is presented to (the) CWI Board of Directors, and the Board of Directors include two Directors from each territory.

Harper explained that reasons are presented for the awarding of a contract to each player, and reasons are likewise presented when any player who had been contracted in the preceding year does not get his contract renewed in the current year. Further, he pointed out that Guyana had two Directors at that meeting as well.
“So, I think you need to ask the Guyana Cricket Board the question directly,” Harper added.
He also said that he and CWI Director Jimmy Adams had presented the contracts to the relevant players.
Both Singh and Foster are newly elected directors, this CWI meeting was their first, and they had attended virtually.
Harper, who came out with all guns blazing again on the Sean Devers Sports Watch, said: “Opportunities were there for them (the CWI Directors from GCB) to ask whatever questions they needed to ask. I think (that), as a new board, what you need to do is try and get au fait with how things work with criteria and other things in place, and then take it from there. There is no quota system which says each territory should get a certain amount of contracts.”
Harper added: “If we look at these things in detail, Sheldon Cottrell had an A+ contract the year before, and he does not have a contract [now]. The now Test captain, Kraigg Brathwaite, was vice-captain, and last year he did not have a contract.
“I find it strange that people are making it something personal that Guyana does not have any people contracted. This is nothing unique to Guyana! People have lost their contracts for various reasons, and it just happens (that) in this case, it just worked out that no one from Guyana (got a contract) for various reasons, and some of them (are) of their own making.”
Based on what is said by the GCB and Harper, the suggestion is that the relationship within the GCB is still coming into its own.