EX-TRINIDAD and Tobago and West Indies opening batsman Bryan Davis has queried the selection of the 15-member Windies team for their forthcoming three-Test series, away to England.
Among the players chosen by the selection panel, headed by Courtney Browne, were Barbadian-born Kyle Hope (who is an opening batsman for the TT Red Force) and Raymon Reifer (a left-handed all-rounder for the Guyana Jaguars).
Both Hope and Reifer are the only members of the 15-man team who are yet to play Test cricket, while Reifer has never featured at the international level.
In a recent interview, Davis commented, “These fellahs are very fortunate because they’re Bajans. There are nine Barbadians on the team. The last time you had nine Barbadians on a touring team like that was to England in 1966.
I remember it well.
“Now that seems to be starting again (under the new selection panel). I’m seeing more and more Barbadians, of very average ability, being forced into the team, and given second looks all the time. I’m seeing a lot of personal insularity in this thing.
“I am very critical of the selectors,†Davis added. “I don’t think the present selectors are really up to it. I don’t believe they can analyse the game of cricket.
I see no good reasons that they ever put forward for selecting their teams, and it looks more like who are their favourites.†Davis pointed out, “Reifer is a slow medium bowler. He’s an ordinary bowler.
“What about (Ronsford) Beaton? There was talk that he was in line for Test cricket. Why he didn’t get a look-in to go to England?†Earning a recall to the team was veteran fast bowler Kemar Roach.
Davis pointed out, “What is worrying is his injury-prone problem.
He’s a good bowler but it is said that he bowled well this year (in the Regional Four Day Championships).
I don’t have his figures.†He added, “I have nothing against him because he’s a good bowler and a good cricketer. I just worry about if he’s fit enough.†Another worry for Davis is the technical ability of the Windies players to cope with the swinging ball in England.
“They have very poor techniques and, to play good cricket and make big scores, in any type of cricket, you need (a) proper technique,†he stressed. “(In) England, the ball does a little bit more off the pitch. And if you don’t have the right technique, and you don’t move your feet and get in line with the ball, you’re in trouble. And we don’t have the proper technique.
“I’ve never seen the work going (into) the cricketers to improve their techniques. I don’t know if (WI coach) Stuart Law is going to improve on that sort of practice to develop that, to improve their skills, to play in England. But as far as I see it, I don’t think those batsmen that we have can cope at all. I don t think so.â€
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