Charade of Failed Fitness Test Used to Select Lesser Talent

 This POW is certain the genesis of Shimron Hetmyer’s refusal to participate in T20 World Cup 2022 is CWI rehiring Phil Simmons. During the Phil Simmons tenure 2019 -2022, the once promising international career of Shimron Hetmyer became sporadic, for absolutely no tangible reason, whatsoever. Simmons, Adams, and Harper conspired to use fitness as the camouflage of their assault on Shimron Hetmyer, Evin Lewis, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Sherfane Rutherford, and West Indies cricket.  This POW omitted Sunil Narine because Narine does seem committed to international cricket. During the last six years; Narine has always dodged making plain statements respecting international competition.

The most confounding reality is; none of the current and former internationals and the administrators of the six affiliates of CWI blasted the administration for their failed fitness test nonsense. The failed fitness test nonsense is simply a scheme Adams, Harper, and Simmons used to choose mediocre cricketers primarily Barbadians and Trinidadians over better players. Eddie Barlow, Colin Milburn and Ian Botham could not pass that fitness test nonsense. This POW is not surprised West Indian fans bought into that foolishness. West Indian fans and administrators have always been about players from their common region being selected over other players in West Indies teams and squads.  Sobers spoke on that subject years ago. Sobers said he and Weekes conspired to ensure Wes Hall was selected over Tom Dewdney, a Jamaican fast bowler in 1958. Sobers and Weekes attacked Dewdney’s deliveries. However, Sobers and Weekes defended against almost every ball Wes Hall bowled. Hall was selected to tour India and Pakistan. Hall and Butcher made their international debut in the same match. The image shows Worrell choose Hall over Butcher.

The West Indian Test team in England, 1963. 

Rohan Kanhai is seated first from left, Solomon, Gibbs, and Butcher standing. 20 years old Deryck Murray on the right of Butcher. Seymour Nurse is noticeably absent. Others in the photograph are; Carew, and Griffith - standing, Hunte, Worrell, Sobers, and Hall - sitting.

 Franchise cricket has offered Hetmyer and others of his talent to choose what when and why they offer their skilled labor. Furthermore only sheep, goats and kids would expect Hetmyer to be free of grievances against CWI for violating his career. Hetmyer is perhaps a generational talent. Hetmyer is reminiscent of the supreme ball-beaters; Everton Weeks, Clyde Walcott, Collie Smith, Gary Sobers, Seymour Nurse, Clive Lloyd, Roy Fredericks,  Viv Richards and Brian Lara. IPL teams pay Hetmyer as a finisher. CWI’s lower management Jimmy Adams, Roger Harper, Phil Simmons, Kieron Pollard and Desmond Haynes choose to attack Hetmyer. Perhaps, Hetmyer having led West Indies to achievement never accomplished -winning world cup under 19 in 2016,  has openly spoke of leading West Indies to further glory as Clive Lloyd did. Instead of nurturing his talent, lower management sought to frustrate Hetmyer and undermine his career and his ambition to lead West Indies to glory years. Otherwise CWI would have admitted they made a grave mistake in hiring Phil Simmons. The record exhibit Phil Simmons is inept inadequate and absolute incapable of motivating west indies cricketers. Matches after matches series after series – its embarrassment after embarrassment. Ireland whipped West Indies in Jamaica And still Skerritt and Shallow kept whistling Dixie  instead for firing Phil Simmons. 

1. This prisoner of war suggests the following;
2. CWI express zero tolerance against  the ill-winds of biasness 
3. CWI regularly publish depth charts of every category of cricket skill, team selection and injury reports. 
4. CWI grant franchises to Berbice, Demerara and Essequebo participate in every competition
5. CWI eat the remainder of Phil Simmons contract. 
6. Abolish the selection panel. 
7. Make coaches the selectors. 
8. Offer coaches a two years performance contract with opt out clauses for both employer and employees. Appoint Chanderpaul and Ambrose as senior men’s coaches. 
9. Replace Jimmy Adams with one of the following; Badree, Ganga, Sarwan, and Sammy, 
10.  Appoint Hilbert Foster cricket development -  youth, equipment, facilities and programs 

This prisoner of war calls for a complete reckoning of the Skerritt –Shallow regime respecting the charade of failed fitness test used to frustrate and undermine and omit players from teams in preference to lesser talent.