WI fail to qualify for ICC 2022 T20 World Cup Championship

Dear Editor,
The West Indies were humiliated by Ireland, and sent home from Australia as they failed in an effort to qualify for participation in the prestigious ICC 2022 T20 World Cup Championship.
The former two-time champions were badly beaten by Scotland, and then by Ireland by nine wickets, and now the team disgracefully make their way back to the Caribbean.
The West Indies won the toss in the must-win match against Ireland, and decided to bat first on a batting wicket. The trial-and-error opener Kyle Mayers was dismissed cheaply, and his partner Johnson Charles – another player who was catapulted to open the batting – was dismissed early in the power play. The team also lost the out-of-form Evin Lewis for a mere 13 runs; and Brandon King, who missed the second match against Zimbabwe without any good explanation, was playing an innings to keep his place in the team. King played a solid innings, but in an effort to reach his half-century, he batted extremely slowly when in the forties.
Skipper Nicholas Pooran continued to fail miserably with the bat, and was dismissed for 13, while Rovman Powell was quickly sent back to the pavilion for six runs. Odean Smith scored a quick 19 not-out, while King made sure he was there at the end of the innings with 62 runs.
The West Indies managed to scrape 146 for five at the end of their allotted 20 overs; and chasing a simple target of 147 to win on a perfect batting wicket, Paul Stirling and Andy Balbirnie blasted the West Indies’ bowling attack to all parts of the ground. Stirling, with 66 off 48 balls, and Lorcan Tucker, with 45 not-out, piloted the Ireland team to an empathic victory.
While the West Indies were humiliated, their captain also did not have an answer to the attacking Ireland batsmen; team management did not have any strategy as they went into the game; The Windies’ best bowler, Alzarri Joseph, was not given the ball to open the bowling; and the genuine world class all-rounder Jason Holder, with all his experience, was not allowed to bowl early in the innings.
Obed McCoy was asked to open the bowling, along with Pooran’s insular friend Akeal Hosein; and the two Irish openers hammered them all over the ground to set up an easy victory.
The West Indies’ performance was very poor, and it is time the Caribbean’s leaders intervene in West Indies Cricket, which has, for more than 30 years, been on the decline. It is clear that the administrators of West Indies Cricket, as well as the selectors and the players, are not performing with any success. Insularity is very visible, and the Caribbean people must demand that the West Indies have clear criteria on their selection policy.
Fitness is one area which the administrators and selectors are using very vindictively. Evin Lewis was kept out of the team for not being fit, but at the last moment he was included in the team. Shimron Hetmyer was also kept out of the team for fitness, while others who were clearly unfit were selected to play in the team. Bickering, hatred, disrespect, jealousy and vindictiveness are all reasons why the performance of the team is in continuous decline.
Failure of the West Indies Cricket team to be among the twelve teams in the world competing in the ICC World Cup is a disgrace. “Cricket! Glorious Cricket!” desperately needs immediate intervention of the Caricom Heads of States.

Sincerely,
Neil Kumar