“The head coach’s comments about the selection of the West Indies one-day team to tour Sri Lanka are highly disturbing”, Mitchell wrote in an open letter to the WICB on Sunday. It remains to be seen how the West Indies squad reacts to this development and how they perform against Sri Lanka, starting October 14.
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Pleased with team’s character: Phil Simmons.
In a statement, the West Indies Cricket Board said it had “learnt of the comments from head coach of the West Indies team Phil Simmons in the print and electronic media which appear to question the legitimacy of the selection process of the One-Day global squad for the tour of Sri Lanka“.
WIPA president and CEO, Wavell Hinds, responded by saying: “The selection process at all times must be independent, transparent and fair”.
The suspension comes just before the national squad was set to leave for Sri Lanka to play two Tests, three ODIs and two T20Is. Simmons said that he, as coach, and chairman of selectors Clive Lloyd had voted for their inclusion, but were outnumbered 3-2 despite Holder also wanting Bravo and Pollard in the team.
Simmons, who took over the role as West Indies head coach following the 2015 World Cup, expressed his displeasure at the exclusion of all-rounders Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard from the limited overs squad. He had overseen West Indies’ home series against England and Australia earlier this year.
“I think it’s disappointing from the fact that I haven’t got the best 50-over ODI squad that we can select in the Caribbean”, Simmons had said at a media conference, at the conclusion of the West Indies training camp at the 3Ws Oval in Bridgetown.
Courtney Walsh, Eldine Baptiste and Courtney Browne are the other selectors on the panel. Calling the episode a “monumental disaster”, the BCCI demanded $41.97m as damages from the WICB.
Ralph Gonsalaves, the St Vincents and the Grenadines Prime Minister and Mitchell’s associate on the CARICOM committee, accused Cameron of “dishonouring” his word after Bravo and Pollard were first dropped from the ODI squad.
Mitchell’s remedy for the WICB is to be more inclusive.
He added: “A sports organization needs good management and administration to function at its best, but throughout its ranks”.
The organisation must not be divided unto itself.
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Mitchell said he believed the Trinidadian had the ability to transform the fortunes of the Windies team once given adequate support, and urged leadership to avoid the dangers of “polarization, anger, hatred, resentment, exclusion and adversarial attitudes”.
