Floyd Reifer Deserves a Break

Let's face it, if Floyd Reifer was being considered for a place in the West Indies team for next year's World Cup, he would have been chosen by the selectors for the forthcoming seven One-Day Internationals against India.

This series is perhaps the last chance for the selectors to take a long look at the prospects for the South African assignment. Reifer has earned the right to be there and the only other conclusion, which isn't necessarily logical, is that he may have automatically won a place in the squad based on his MVP (Most Valuable Player) performance in the Red Stripe Bowl.

Still, if this was so, I think it would be important for him to be with the team now to be part of the fine tuning process and bonding with the rest of the team.

So I take it that he won't be. Perhaps the logical conclusion for his exclusion is that the selectors reasoned that it's best to put another allrounder in the team to widen the options available to them and bring about more balance.

It's the most likely reason why Ricardo Powell has been recalled. Apart from his potentially match winning batting, Powell bowls off-spin as well.

He is, of course, an exceptional fielder too. These are combined qualities that have proven to be effective for teams that have quality players with similar skills.

Reifer in fact bowls a bit but hasn't been given the opportunity to bowl his medium pace at the regional level consistently. In short, he?s not seen as a frontline bowler or not even as a genuine back up bowler.

So let's not belabour this point.In reality then he would be competing for a place as a batsman in the middle order and as we know that?s already well populated with some players much younger than the 30-year-old Reifer.

Age in my opinion shouldn't be an issue here because 30 is still relatively young and evenso performance should be the main criterion for selection to the team.

Reifer did all that was required in the bowl with great relish and should have been judged on merit alone. But you may ask what?s up with the selectors anyway?

I don't see for instance why the young and fiery Jermaine Lawson should not be in the squad and his omission from the one-day squad means it's not an age thing, probably more of a head thing.

He is certainly the fastest bowler in the team and ruffled the Indians with his hostility in his first two Tests.

Some might opine that it's a different form of cricket but realistically can you see Australia leaving out Brett Lee or Pakistan leaving out Shaoib Akthar out of their one-day team if they are fit. Lawson needs to be encouraged at all levels.

Remember it was the in-today, out-tomorrow syndrome practised by the last selection panel that may have affected the confidence of Powell.

Those now in charge probably recognised this and that's why he's being given a second spring.

Notwithstanding that they have only taken office a short time and more importantly they haven?t got a lot of quality players to choose from, I believe the jury is still out on the panel led by Sir Viv Richards.

Is there still a chance for Reifer to go to the World Cup?

* SOURCE: Barbados Nation.