Players need fair opportunities for Jaguars to win & feed West Indies’ teams

By Delvon mc Ewan

Definitely Guyana Jaguars will field its ‘best’ team on the field at the start of the regional Super 50 in Barbados. I am not so sure about that but obviously it will be the best team to the administrators of Guyana’s cricket.
But how can it be when three weeks prior to the start of the tournament the team is yet to be named and since last year’s Regional Super 50 in January-February most of our local cricketers have not played in a 50 over match or in more than five 50 over matches?
As usual the authorities will come up with the naïve excuse- rain has affected preparations but the players have been working with the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) coaches. In addition they are known for making reference to the most recent cricket played by the local players.
And to everyone’s knowledge that was the first half of the West Indies Cricket Board’s Professional Cricket League Digicel Regional Four day tournament which ended one week before Christmas. However, are the four day players ideal for fifty over cricket or will others be given a fair opportunity to represent the Jaguars Franchise. Apart from not using the right tools for the job or the horse for the course. Rain should never be an excuse because we could host tournaments earlier and keep the players intact through fitness.
Nevertheless, time is limited and with the short time afforded to the selectors, it will be no surprise that we field a similar team to the one that crashed out at the semifinal in the last tournament. At least they cannot select a new look team and expect them to be successful with a mere 19 days to go. That definitely would lack critical thinking. However, due to recent developments locally and regionally, nothing is surprising.

Judging from our recent selection trends, whether four day or one day, it seems as only a pool of players are conspicuous to the selectors or could win matches for Guyana. Which should not be the case. Are our selectors blind to talent? I do not think so. The chairman of

selection panel here is Rayon Griffith, who played 22 first class and 22 List A games. He should have a clear judgment when selecting these teams. He was a player once. Apart from that he is currently in the mix of West Indies cricket as the Assistant Coach/ Manager of the West Indies A. I am sure he saw the composition of the West Indies A limited over team that trashed Sri Lanka A.
His involvement recently should have lead us to a better pre-tournament preparation because several who have been performing locally have been constantly overlooked. Since the latter part of 2014 coming through, Romario Shepherd, Jonathan Foo, Keon Joseph and Ricardo Adams have done exceptional for their clubs and in higher cricket in Guyana but have only achieved one game among them in List A cricket from 2014 to present.
I opined they missed out because the Jaguars have been doing well- finals in 2015 and semis in 2016. If that is the case, we will only do well if Trinidad and Tobago Red Force nor Barbados Pride are not in our group or if  we do not have to face either of them in a semifinal or final.
If we are going to settle for mediocrity then it is no surprise why we are not producing West Indies limited over players. We have the resources here we need to give these players their fair opportunities so that the Jaguars could win as well as produce players to represent the West Indies.