Captain v selectors in power struggle

Lara without firepower

Andi Thornhill

June 21, 2006

Perhaps it was too good to be true. Just when we thought Brian Lara had more say in the selection of the West Indies team, third time in charge, it seems we were wrong.

Lara reasoned after the drawn second Test against India in St Lucia that he could do with some more firepower. He would welcome pacers like Tino Best and Jermaine Lawson. Mind you, there could be a strong case for his request because his fastest bowler, Fidel Edwards, is out injured.

But did the selectors respond favourably to what he wanted? Far from. They have left the bowling attack from the last Test intact. It perhaps represents a slap in the face of the skipper and might very well be a situation where a power struggle is developing.

I would like to reason that the selectors may have been in agreement with what Lara wanted but after he went public with it they wanted to show who has the real say in team selection. If this is the case, then the bragging rights have been won in grand style by the selectors. Their ego has been fed to the brim.

Is it important, though, who wins or loses? I think at this stage it is much more important to have all hands and minds in sync to find the best solutions for West Indies cricket. At the end of the day, a house that appears to be divided against itself can and will not stand. Who benefits? The opposition. And what good is that for West Indies?

While it is true the captain no longer has a formal role in team selection, I believe he should get the benefit of the doubt when he asks for something. After all, he is out in the middle, seeing the action first hand and is in a great position to evaluate what is needed to strengthen his troops.

On the other hand, in this specific instance, it could be a matter of the selectors believing who is in the squad at present are more capable of getting the job done than those Lara wants. In other words, the subtle message being sent is that it might not have been the fault of the bowling attack but the West Indies overall performance.

Honestly, several pundits believe the current bowling attack is too similar in style and too friendly as three of the four frontline bowlers are medium-pacers. Lara's request appeared to be reasonable.

Having said that, we can also point to the fact that we don't often prepare pitches that are helpful to our pacers. It is debatable whether the present breed of speedsters is in the same league as those of past vintage but that is even more reason to give them more help than normal.

I have always argued that home advantage should mean just that. I don't think we can go to India and duly expect to find pitches that would generally favour fast bowlers when their strength is in the spin department.

I don't believe if this series was being played in India two successive matches would go by without Harbajan Singh in the team. The reason is simple: conditions would have suited his style of bowling.

In any event, there has to be concerns about the batting as well and I wonder if this matter has been effectively addressed by the selectors. What has opener Daren Ganga done to remain in the squad? Vice-captain Ramnaresh Sarwan is also under scrutiny. Is he fully fit?

The biggest question is whether there is a power struggle going on between the selectors and Lara? For the sake of West Indies cricket I hope not, because it can do more harm than good. It would appear some strides have been made compared to what obtained a year ago. Why do anything now to retard the ground we have made? I expect nothing less than a mature response from those concerned.

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