Learn and move on: Sir Carl Hooper to Kevin Sinclair

By Brandon Corlette

Kevin Sinclair has been a hot topic of discussion around the Caribbean cricket circle after his exclusion from the Guyana Harpy Eagles team.
Sinclair’s omission sparked a press conference by the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) after a social media outburst. Based on what was said at the press conference, disciplinary issues were the main reason for Sinclair’s omission.
Legendary West Indies player Sir Carl Hooper is hoping that Sinclair can learn from this situation and move on quickly. He appeared on a recent Mason and Guest radio programme, where he also disclosed that he had conversations with Sinclair, and then Ramnaresh Sarwan, Guyana’s chief selector.
“It’s disappointing to hear about the issues he is having, because he is a talent, and he can easily play for West Indies for eight-nine years. Hopefully, he can get back to playing for Guyana and West Indies.”

“I called him, he speaks to me in confidence. I spoke to him (Kevin) and the Chairman of Selectors (Ramnaresh Sarwan), so I heard both ends of the story. It is unfortunate, but I think he will come through it, grow, and push this behind him,” Sir Carl said.
The 59-year-old with 102 Test caps is hoping that the problem is resolved quickly.
“I hope it is resolved soon. Sarwan has a lot of positive things to say about his cricket, but it’s just his issues off the field. We have to learn from our mistakes and be better for it.”
Post the press conference, Sinclair issued a statement. Based on the statement made, Sir Carl believes that Sinclair must own up, take responsibility, and not make excuses.
“I saw him release a statement. The statement seems to contradict himself a lot. It’s either you own up and accept responsibility, apologise and move on. He is young and he has so much to offer. It will be a shame if we don’t try to help as much as we can, and hope he understands, and learn from it,” the former West Indies cricketer added.
This is not the first time Sinclair has been left out of the Guyana side, and administrators and selectors cited disciplinary issues. He had issues at the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and at other regional tournaments.
While it is evident that he must work on being disciplined on and off the field, Sinclair must be guided accordingly and fulfil his talent for Guyana and the West Indies. His passion and determination are unmatched, and he must stay focused on the game itself.