The Independent Voice of West Indies Cricket

Double standards hurting West Indies' chance to rebuild

Sun, May 22, '16

by COLIN BENJAMIN

Commentary

In a television interview before the announcement of West Indies' squad for the tri-series at home against Australia and South Africa in June, commentator Ian Bishop stressed on the need to focus on white-ball cricket ahead of the 2019 World Cup.

"Let us not burn any more bridges," Bishop told Sportsmax Zone. "We are already missing the Champions Trophy next year. The World Cup is coming up in 2019. Let us start putting pride and ego aside.

"Re-engage those guys who were sidelined in the last year and a half and that will spill over to the Test team, because the bulk of our experience is in white-ball cricket. So while we develop the Test team, let us push hard with the 50-overs and T20 teams."

If you look at the squad named for the tri-series, you will assume the West Indies board and its selectors are not only thinking on totally different lines from Bishop but that they are also contradicting their own policies.

Clive Lloyd, Courtney Walsh and the rest of the selectors have picked a team that has left the majority of the Caribbean media, fans and players flabbergasted.