The Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) on Monday expressed its “disappointment” with the response of Cricket West Indies (CWI) as it relates to the issue of the non-selection of any Guyanese male cricketer for international retainer contracts.
On May 5, CWI announced 18 retainer contracts for males, and the Guyanese trio- batsman Shimron Hetmyer and all-rounders Keemo Paul and Romario Shepherd- did not make the list after being contracted the previous year.
The GCB issued a press release on May 7, stating they will be “investigating” the selection criteria after no Guyanese male was given an international retainer contract for 2021-22; the local board also claimed it was “not aware” of the criteria.
The day prior to the issuing of the release by the GCB, Harper, who is also a Technocrat Member of Guyana Cricket Board whose Executives took office on March 29, held a virtual press conference along with CWI Director of Cricket, Jimmy Adams, where he outlined the criteria used for the selection of the batsmen.
On May 12, speaking on the Sean Devers Sports Watch, which is aired on Kaieteur Radio, Harper revealed that the GCB Directors are aware of the reasons for selection and non-selection of players.
“Before the contracted list is made public, it is presented to CWI Board of Directors and the Board of Directors include two Directors from each territory,” the Lead Selector stated.
Below is a statement issued by the GCB on Monday afternoon:
RE: GCB Disappointed with CWI Response
We write to you with great astonishment and much disappointment on the media statements by the Chairman of Selectors of the CWI as they relate to the issue of the non-retainer by CWI of male Guyanese cricketers. We at GCB thought that we were doing the proper and decent thing by first, writing to CWI requesting the criteria which was used for the retention and/or non-retention of our male cricketers, prior to making any public statements on their non-retention.
It is most unfortunate and quite disappointing that while we are still patiently awaiting the submission of the said criteria, the Chairman of Selectors thought it best, whether on his own accord or with the support of the CWI, to make the comments in the media that two of our Directors were present at the meeting when the matter of retention and/or non-retention was discussed. Of all persons, the Chairman of Selectors ought to have been aware that there was no “handing over of the mantle” to the current directors of GCB by the two former directors”. Further, it was the first meeting of the CWI that the two new directors attended and the issue of the retention of the players was more in the form of a report after the decision was already made.
Additionally, the two directors could not have commented and/or usefully participated in the “report” in relation to the retention of the players without the two directors knowing or being fully apprised of the selection and/or non-selection criteria.
Like the Chairman of Selectors, GCB also has its own responsibility to the Public and will, therefore, following the trend set by the said Chairman, to make this letter available to the media.
We are still patiently awaiting the criteria and report on the non-retention of our male cricketers and we fervently hope that CWI sees it best to provide those to us urgently rather than to have one of its officers (the Chairman), whether on a frolic of his own or not, unleash his unnecessary and unfortunate wrath on the GCB.
