Sebastian feels West Indies selectors’ ‘snub’

Manager of the Windward Islands senior cricket team Lockhart Sebastian is not sitting well with the fact that no West Indies selector was present to view his team’s last three matches here at the Arnos Vale Playing Field.{{more}}

There was no selector to watch the Windwards super50 matches versus Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana on February 21 and February 24 respectively, neither was there any viewing of the four-day match against the Guyanese, which was set for February 27 to March 2.

Sebastian, who is not taking it lightly, told SEARCHLIGHT: “It is something that needs to be addressed; this was the third game the Windwards were playing and there was no selector and with the public out there, I know they would be outraged, because it looks like our cricketers are no good. Why is it that there are no selectors at our matches and we hear selectors in St Kitts, we hear selectors in Barbados and none watching the Windward Islands?.

“We have the West Indies captain – he is a Windward Island player; we also have some of the best cricketers in the Caribbean and we don’t know why it is we are having this snubbing from the West Indies board because they are the parent body”, Sebastian added.

When the Windwards played the Combined Campuses and Colleges in their opening round in St Lucia, Robert Haynes was on hand, while chief selector Clyde Butts attended the second round match here when the Windwards faced Trinidad and Tobago.

Reports are that the other selector, Courtney Browne, is not in the region, and is with the West Indies women team in Sri Lanka.

“They should ensure that selectors are watching every match, not at selected matches. We have players we know who are good or even better than some of the players who are playing for the West Indies… I think this is outrageous and something to be addressed and I hope it is addressed very soon”, the Windwards manager noted.

Sebastian, who is also an alternate selector, along with Stuart Williams, said the matter was brought to the attention of the president of the Windward Islands cricket board of control Emmanuel Nanthan, as well as the board’s chief executive officer Lennox John and some board members of the WICB, but no answer was forthcoming.

And, Sebastian maintains it is “snobbish” as no one informed him that he was to perform the role of alternate selector, while the three matches were being played here.(RT)