By E. Glenford Prescott
The decision by the Windward Islands tour selectors to omit Kenroy Peters from their final 11 for a number of matches this season appears to have put paid to him playing more than a solitary test match for the West Indies.
This appears to be the case after the West Indies Cricket Board announced a 20-member West Indies squad for a training camp in Antigua ahead of the International Home Test Series against England, starting next month, minus Peters.
A release from the WICB noted that all but seven of the players selected were part of the squad that played in the previous Test series against South Africa this past December/January.
The seven include four uncapped Barbadians in Carlos Brathwaite, fellow fast bowler Miguel Cummins, Shane Dowrich wicketkeeper/batsman and batsman Shai Hope, with the Guyana jaguars spin twins of Devendra Bishoo and Veerasammy Permaul winning a second lease on life.
The release said that TnT’s left-handed batsman Darren Bravo has recovered from the injury that ended his participation at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 early.
But Peters was completely overlooked despite once again being among the leading wicket-takers this season with 37 @ 14.16 apeice.
Peters, 33, was called up by the regional selectors as a replacement for the injured Kemar Roache on the tour to South Africa last December. He played one test, and, according to reports, performed creditably well, taking 2/68 in his only bowl even as some pundits questioned his lack of pace. He was dropped for the next match when, many, including former West Indies speedster now commentator, Ian Bishop, thought he had done enough to merit a second test.
However, returning to the Caribbean at the end of the tour with publicly-expressed aspirations of getting back into the team, the Vincentian pacer was promptly dropped by the Windwards selectors for the Nagicor Super50 in Trinidad.
His humiliation did not end there, for, despite being the team’s leading wicket-taker and coming off a Man of the Match performance in Trinidad against the Red Force, Peters found himself carrying the drinks the following match at the Kensington Oval. His season came to an inauspicious close when he was recalled for the spin bias pitch in Dominica, where his 25.2 overs saw him taking 1/67 and was guilty of overstepping the front crease on a few occasions.
Last year, Peters collected 40 wickets to be the leading wicket-taker in the competition, resulting in his call up which many thought should have come more than a decade before.
While Peters’ attempts to regain his West Indies place appeared to have been stymied by persons from within his own team, it was the opposite for Dominica’s offspinner, Shane Shillingford.
Shillingford, who despite looking well below his best for a major part of the season, was retained even at the expense of left-arm spinner Alston Bobb, who was seen by commentators to be the team’s best spin arsenal. Bobb ended in seven matches with 31 wickets @ 21.48, while Shillingford got 36 wickets in eight matches @26.25 apiece.
But Shillingford, even with all the apparent “favourite spinner status” bestowed upon him by the Windwards tour committee, still found no such favour with the West Indies selectors as he was not among any of the three slow bowlers named in the 20-man squad.
The training camp will begin on April 5 and culminate with preparation for the first Test, starting on April 13, at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground, the release said.
Squad: Sulieman Benn, Devendra Bishoo, Jermaine Blackwood, Carlos Brathwaite, Kraigg Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Sheldon Cottrell, Miguel Cummins, Shane Dowrich, Shannon Gabriel, Jason Holder, Shai Hope, Leon Johnson, Veerasammy Permaul, Denesh Ramdin, Kemar Roach, Marlon Samuels, Devon Smith, Jerome Taylor.
Another bias moved by the WICB trying to keep the little island out completely shocker.
EVERYONE , yes I mean EVERYONE , on the Windward Islands Cricket Board ; the Selectors ,
Management & Coaches MUST RESIGN BECAUSE THEY HAVE FAILED CRICKET IN THE
WINDWARD ISLANDS .
BTW , Liam Sebastien must be removed from the Team . Those that I have named are totally
unfit to be in the positions they hold , BTW I am also including Ian Allen . In the annals of
Windward Islands Cricket , never has there been such an abysmal performance .
Peters won the Man of the Match , in the match prior to the match that he was dropped . For
years now Peters has been by maligned & sidelined by the Selectors . My understanding is
that Ian Allen is the Coach of the Team , obviously he had a hand in this travesty .
These asinine decisions are allowed to happen , because the Sports Journalists in St. Vincent & the Grenadines , bluntly refuse to be very critical of those in the governance of Windward Islands Cricket . But this is nothing new , In the Region , all of the Sports Journalists in the Region perpetually support the WICB , which has now become a Monster in the Region
answerable to NO ONE .
It is very interesting that most of the persons calling for a change of the Structure of Cricket in the Region , are not the Sports Journalists in the Region . There is an article written by
Sir Lester Bird entitled :
” THE WICB AGAIN DEMONSTRATES A PAINFUL INABILITY TO CLEANSE ITSELF ”
This article appeared in March 24 , 2015 Issue of ; CARIBBEAN NEWS NOW ” . It is worthwhile reading .
There is another article in ” CNR – CARIBBEAN NEWS REVIEW ” the article is written by :
NICOLE DYER – GRIFFITH ; the Chairperson of CONGRESS OF THE PEOPLE an Organization in Trinidad & Tobago . The article is entitled :
” THE WICB MUST ACCOUNT TO CARICOM & THE PEOPLE IN THE REGION ”
This is another article worth reading . The sad fact is that NONE of the so called Sports
Journalists in the Region would write and article like these two persons who are not Sports
Journalists .
It is my belief this is why Cricket in the Region is in a mess for years , many it seems are afraid
to tell the Emperors that they aint wearing Clothes . I will always maintain that the Structure of
Cricket in the Region must be totally changed . The WICB is accountable to no One , not even
the ICC , and this is totally absurd .
The Windwards Cricket Board never fights for its Players to be selected by the West Indies
Team , they prefer , to make Kenroy Peters invisible . Meanwhile most in the Press , pay
homage to these Incompetent people in the Windward Islands Cricket Board .
Interestingly , for some time now the Windward Islands Cricket Board has made it a habit of
cramming the Windward Islands Tournament to playing 4 innings into two days , this is totally absurd . Barbados ; Trinidad & Tobago ; Guyana ; Jamaica ; the Leeward Islands , have their
Players play 4 day matches .
The sad thing is I have not read or heard any of the persons who claim to be Sports Journalists voice or write any criticism about this utter stupidity . They apparently are of the
belief that it is only the Players who must be criticized .
By refusing to be critical of the Boards , they wittingly or unwittingly , have created Monsters
in the governance of Cricket in the Region , who are Arrogant , It is sheer Arrogance why
the WICB is now facing a proposed lawsuit from the BCCI ,
In my opinion , the real question that Sports Journalists in the Region must ask the Cameron &
the WICB is the :
DID THEY CONSIDER ALL THE RAMIFICATIONS & IMPLICATIONS THAT COULD
ENSUE BY CANCELLING THE TOUR TO INDIA . ???????????
THAT IS THE 42 MILLION DOLLARS QUESTION , THIS IS A VERY VALID QUESTION
THAT CAMERON & THE WICB MUST BE ASKED .
My impression is that they all decided to cut off their nose to spite their faces . That precisely is why they are now in deep doodoo . I do not have any hope that any Sports Journalists in
the Region would have the testicular fortitude to ask Cameron & the WICB that question .
They believe that their role is to be only critical of the Players , and completely ignore the excesses of those in the governance of Cricket in the Region . I have no brief for the Players ,
but I know that the Players are not empowered to cancel any Tour . That power resides in Cameron & the WICB .
Frankly , the behaviour of Cameron & the Board , was Reckless , Stupid , and done without
clear thinking , regarding the Losses that the BCCI incurred by the cancellation of the Tour .
They then had the temerity to add insult to injury , by suggesting that they would send a
Replacement Team .
Meanwhile the ICC says nothing & does nothing , in essence it has allowed the WICB to become a Rogue Cricket Board , that is accountable to no One in the World , It ignored the request of CARICOM to implement changes suggested by the Regional Governments .
Let me close by citing a very known adage in the Region :
” FISH NEVER ROTS FROM THE TAIL UP BUT FROM THE HEAD DOWN ”
THAT