Time for Wavell to Lead

(Jamaica Observer)

The job of a national cricket selector is not to be envied. Once again, Jamaica's chief selector Ruddy Williams and his panel will be able to testify to that as they get ready to name Jamaica's squad for the Red Stripe Bowl limited overs' tournament in October.

The selection of an initial training/trial squad will probably not be too difficult. But if history is anything to go by, it will be who to leave out of the final 16 or 14, that will provide the real headache.

They will once again face the ire of those who feel their favourites have been unjustly treated. And they will have to wrestle with themselves as they seek to choose from a fairly large pool of almost equally talented players, some of whom are fresh out of the regional Shell Academy in Grenada.

My advice would be to, as much as possible and within reason, back youth and back potential. They need look no further than at the example set by an admirably bold Brian Lara in the recent Test series against Australia and Sri Lanka. Crucially, the Jamaica selectors should bear in mind that while winning tournaments is important, just as important if not moreso, is the greater glory of West Indies cricket.

Ultimately, of course, no matter how much advice they get, they will simply have to be true to themselves.

A thorny issue for Williams and his panel will be captaincy. Since taking over fully from Jimmy Adams as Jamaica captain and even before that, while he served on an irregular basis, Robert Samuels, a thinking man and a natural leader, has done a mostly fine job particularly in the longer version of the game.

The trouble is that the West Indies selectors are no longer looking in the direction of the 32-year-old, whose omission from the regional team in 1997 still begs the question: Why?

Whatever may have been the reason then, the truth now is, that barring something absolutely out of the ordinary, Samuels will not be turning the heads of Sir Vivian Richards and his regional selection panel.

Like every other member of this unique union of countries that comprise West Indies cricket, Jamaica has a responsibility to provide options for the regional selectors -- not only in terms of talented batsmen, bowlers and fielders but leaders.

After his recent heroics, we may be forgiven for thinking that the 34-year-old Lara will be West Indies captain for several years to come. I, for one, would certainly like to think so. But we all know that in the rough and tumble of sport, the fall from grace can be brutally swift. Our national selectors have a responsibility to make sure that whenever the vacancy arises, a Jamaican hat is squarely in the ring.

Surely then, now must be the time to test, hone and expose Wavell Hinds' leadership qualities. Late last year we saw Hinds, who turns 27 next month, being promoted to the vice-captaincy of the regional team while on tour of Bangladesh. Within months, it was handed to the youthful Ramnaresh Sarwan.

Richards and his fellow selectors weren't obliged to give an explanation and as far as I know, they did not.

But those close to him insist that Hinds, a former Jamaica youth captain, the current captain of Kensington CC and treasurer of the West Indies Players Association (WIPA), is a strong, thoughtful and able leader.

Very importantly, he has shown strength of character, repeatedly fighting his way back after being left out of the West Indies team. His strong will has been manifest in the rapid improvement of his medium pace, bowling as he has striven to make himself more useful as a cricketer. Also, we will not quickly forget how he stood firm as a make-shift wicketkeeper after an injured Ridley Jacobs dropped out in the middle of the second Test against rampant Australia a few months ago.

Hinds' 33 Tests and 78 one-day internationals in all parts of the globe make him a very experienced competitor who has seen it all. It is time to test his mettle as leader. In my view his vice-captain should be Gareth Breese, a former West Indies youth captain who was deputy to Samuels last season and who, at 27, would again be in the thoughts of the regional selectors should he get around to scoring centuries to complement his off-spin.

What then of Robert Samuels? The left-hander remains one of the finest batsmen around though he has never truly done justice to his talent. If he can motivate himself, his batting remains an obvious asset.

Can he, without the captaincy and with thoughts of the West Indies team gone through the window, find the inner strength to perform? It's a question that he and the Jamaica selectors will have to carefully think through.

And like so many before him, Samuels will probably be looking over his shoulder wondering if he shouldn't be making way for a shiny-eyed, young talent.