FORMER TT Red Force and West Indies cricket team manager Omar Khan says the current Cricket West Indies (CWI) administration must find a balance with the Windies players to ensure the best possible teams are represented across the three formats.

Last week, CWI announced a 15-man squad to tour Australia for two Test matches from January 17 to 29. As many as seven uncapped players were picked in the squad, with Kyle Mayers, Shai Hope and former West Indies captain Jason Holder all unavailable for the series. TT Red Force captain Darren Bravo rejected CWI's call-up as he is taking a break from the game. CWI lead selector Desmond Haynes said Hope wanted to play more red-ball cricket before returning to the Test arena after a two-year absence. With the 2024 International Cricket Council (ICC) Twenty/20 World Cup six months away, both Holder and Mayers pointed to a preference for the T20 format and opted against the Australia Tests.

"I think this is a communication problem we need to resolve. At the end of the day, you look at the other Test-playing nations and they do not have issues like these," Khan told Newsday, pointing to ongoing Test series between India and South Africa, and Australia and Pakistan.

"All of these guys are also T20 players, but they are willing to represent their country in Test cricket too. You have to work out a balance and the (CWI) board has to be able to work out that balance."

Read more at Newsday

In reply to CaribbeanCricket.com

What balance? Play or shove it!

In reply to CaribbeanCricket.com

What communication? They all were offered and declined selection. This isnt a communication problem.

Those players had a talk with Blackwood and Bravo.

The players have the right to ply their trade wherever they wish to maximize their income. No one should try to stop them now from doing that. This is what they fought for, and they have won their right to this in a free market.

In the beginning, steps were attempted to avoid what is happening now. The players cried fowl, and they received widespread support, even from the leaders of the countries of the region. On this forum, anyone who had the foresight to see the dangers ahead, and supported measures to curtail this was treated with hostility, and deemed to be anti player or singing for their supper. Any effort to call on the players to be accountable was met with hostility. This is what we were trying to avoid happening; we were looking at things long term. The horse is now out of the stable, let freedom reign.

I was very happy for Powell and Hope for their IPL contracts. Sorry that Jason Holder was not picked yet. He deserves the right to look after himself now, After all, while he laboured under difficult conditions, others, utterly, neglected West Indies cricket and exercised their rights internationally, certain that at the age of 36, and just before a World Cup, that they can return, pledge loyalty and get selected. He has that right too, and I fully support.

This narrow and pathetic journalism is what hinder West Indian progress, not only in cricket, but in every aspect. The objective is always to fall in line with what is popular, no matter how obviously wrong it is.