WHAT IS NEXT FOR MOTIE?

– asks cricket icon Reds Perreira

– CWI should have handled coaching selection process better, he says

Mesmeric left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie will again miss an opportunity to play for the West Indies, owing to a back injury. He has been replaced by Johnson Charles in the team competing in the ICC 50-over World Cup Qualifiers, and the veteran international cricket commentator Joseph Reds Perreira is asking what’s next for Motie as he continues to recover.
According to a Cricket West Indies news release, Motie has not recovered from a back injury that forced him to miss the final two matches of the West Indies ‘A’ Team tour of Bangladesh, which ended this past Friday.
“I would like to know how the CWI Board has handled Motie and the problem he has had with his back. This is not new, I would like to know what is the treatment. Maybe he should have been taken to a specialist instead of the UAE tour,” Reds has declared.
“Motie is a player who can play all formats. I am focusing on the tour to India, and once fit, Motie is expected to play against India in the Tests. I hope he has the best treatment,” Reds said.
While it is not customary for CWI to make players’ medical issues public, Reds is nevertheless calling on the CWI Board to do so in this instance. He also noted that other cricket boards around the world have made detailed disclosures of players’ injuries.

Reds on coaching process
“The process could have been handled differently by Cricket West Indies. They should have invited people with cricket knowledge. Choosing cricket coaches is a technical matter. I certainly felt that they should have invited former Coach Ottis Gibson to head the committee, to include Jimmy Adams, Enoch Lewis, and to include Jeffrey Dujon, Brian Lara and a Clive Lloyd. Those people should have advised the board to select the coaches,” he said.
However, since the process is done and dusted, Reds is also wishing the coaches Daren Sammy and Andre Coley well.
Having worked in Zimbabwe in the past, Reds feels conditions would be different from what obtained in the UAE.
“The weather might be colder, and the pitches will be on the slow side. Selection of the team must reflect the conditions that the qualifiers are played in. Whether King and Johnson Charles, who seems to be set to open, it will be interesting to see how they use Mayers, and how many spinners are included with the balance of a fast attack,” he said.
West Indies will play the first match in the ICC World Cup Qualifiers against USA on June 18.