Once again, West Indies selectors have discovered much to their chagrin, that it is virtually impossible to please West Indies cricket fans en masse.
Back in the day,’ prior to the availability of the internet, the two most important dates on the West Indian calendar were not the start date for Trinidad’s annual carnival and the commencement of the hurricane season but rather the announcements of the team for the first Test of the home series against whoever was visiting the Caribbean, and the touring party for the scheduled overseas tour of that year. These proclamations were usually made simultaneously throughout the region via radio, and would immediately spark serious discussions about the selectors’ choices.
Two Fridays ago, the Chairman of the Selection Committee, Roger Harper revealed the names of the two squads (Tests and T20 Internationals) for the upcoming tour of New Zealand in November/December. Despite the advances in technology, one aspect has not changed, i.e., the raging debates have continued unabated. The main point of cross-examination at this point in time has been the omission of the Barbadian batsman Shai Hope and the retention of the Jamaican opener John Campbell, both of whom enjoyed rather poor returns on the recent tour of England.
Three years ago, Shai Hope was the rising star on the West Indies team and much was (and still is, according to Harper) expected of him. Displaying a maturity beyond his years, Hope calmly notched two centuries in the Second Test at Headingley, as the West Indies, after a humiliating defeat in the First Test, overcame an imposing target of 322 runs with five wickets to spare, to level the series. It was the first time in the ground’s 127 year history that a batsman had scored two hundreds in a first class game, and subsequently led to Hope being selected by the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack as one of the Five Cricketers of the Year in its 2018 edition, a highly coveted achievement
Whereas Hope’s star has continued to rise in One Day Internationals (ODI), it has plummeted to earth in Test cricket. In 78 ODIs, Hope has compiled nine centuries whilst averaging 52.20 per innings. In Tests, it’s a completely different scenario for the very talented Barbadian. In 34 Test matches, he has compiled five fifties and two centuries, at an average of 26.27 runs per innings. In 17 Tests during the last two and a half years, his average is a paltry 19. During the recent disastrous tour of England, Hope eked out 105 runs from six innings.
Former West Indies Test players, Tony Gray, current Chairman of Selectors of Trinidad and Tobago, and Philo Wallace have joined the fray, harshly criticizing the selectors’ decision to omit Hope and include Campbell. Their shouting from the rooftops doesn’t help West Indies cricket, but rather leads to further insularity.
Dr. Rudi Webster, the well-known West Indian sports psychologist has suggested that Hope heed the advice of the great all-rounder Sir Garry Sobers in tackling this obvious slump he finds himself mired in.
“Sir Garfield Sobers said that when you are in a slump your thought patterns change, you doubt yourself, and you make your job harder than it really is. You often become anxious and confused and you don’t use your common sense to deal effectively with the challenges and demands in the situations you face.
“He stressed that slumps may be started by something physical or technical, but in the end the real cause is poor mental functioning. There is no doubt about that. When you fiddle around with technique it often makes matters worse. Believe me, you don’t often find the cause or the solution in the body. You must look to the mind, in particular your thinking and concentration. Only after you have done this should you look at different areas. You must play your own style of game. If you try to make drastic changes and start doing things that you are not used to, you might make matters worse. In the end you have to go back to the basics of your game and try to execute them to the best of your ability.”
Shai Hope’s dilemma presents an interesting case study of how mismanaged West Indian cricket has become in recent times. Arrangements are currently being put in place for the Barbados Pride coaches to work with Hope over the next couple of months. It is very obvious that Shai Hope’s problem is not of a recent making and steps should have been taken a long time ago to assist him with tackling this problem. His ODI average belies the fact that it is not one of talent or technique, but rather one of confidence or ability to concentrate for long periods. Surely, former players, the likes of Sir Viv Richards, Gordon Greenidge or Shiv Chanderpaul, would have rushed to assist Shai with confronting this slump, had their advice been sought.
The task of being a selector is a rather difficult one and we should be supporting their decisions not rushing to criticize their every move. To Shai Hope, we anxiously await your return to Test cricket.
