Desmond Haynes is the fourth person to head the Cricket West Indies Senior Selection Panel during the era of the Professional Cricket League, which started in 2014.
The others were Clive Lloyd, Courtney Browne, and Roger Harper, and in a similar approach to his predecessor, Haynes will be taking persons on current form.
The former opening batsman at a recent press conference was adamant that players, especially the batsmen, need to step up and produce runs at the First-Class level in order to force their way into the Test side.
“This is the message which we are sending to the batsmen, because we need to get our batting right, not only in the Test format, but in the 50-over games and T20. [This is what] we want when the batsmen are playing in our domestic season…the mere fact the guys are playing in it and doing well, and yes they would be up for selection,” Haynes conveyed.
Now while the immediate focus is on the England Test series next month, Haynes outlined the long-term plan of the 2023 50-over World Cup in India as another aim for players, and batsmen in particular to put up the numbers.
In the two matches, only three centuries were scored with Kraigg Brathwaite, Devon Thomas and John Campbell being the men to convert. Notably, Brathwaite made a career-best 276.
But were two rounds good enough?
And since it was curtailed to five rounds instead of the customary 10, as was the case since 2014, why still split the season?
“Sometimes when you play the games alongside the Test matches it is good because It gives people exposure, but sometimes it can water-down the competition and this is something you want to avoid because you want to see the best players playing among themselves and doing well.”
Round two of this year’s regional Four-Day ended February 19; the tournament is expected to resume in May.
The England Test series ends on March 28, and the next international tour for West Indies is a visit to the Netherlands for three One-Day Internationals in the Super League from May 31.
The Indian Premier League, in which 17 West Indies have secured contracts, starts March on 26 and ends on May 29.
It probably means, as it is the case most times at the regional level, most of the top international players would be unavailable.
It further raises questions over the prolonged break in the First-Class season, which resumed after two years.
