Debate rages on about West Indies World Cup squad

Will Hetmyer be a ‘het’ or a ‘myss’?

AS THE debate continues into the selection of the West Indies’ 15-man squad for next month’s ICC T20 World Cup, which will be jointly staged in the Caribbean and United States, the major talking point, among cricket pundits and social media critics, has been the inclusion of enigmatic batsman Shimron Hetmyer.

For clarity sake, the 15-man squad comprises captain Rovman Powell, his deputy Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Johnson Charles, Nicholas Pooran (wicketkeeper), Shai Hope, Roston Chase, Sherfane Rutherford, Andre Russell, Romario Shepherd, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Gudakesh Motie, Shamar Joseph and Hetmyer.

A few points of note before I get to the Hetmyer discussion.

Alzarri Joseph has been elevated to the vice-captaincy role despite having limited experience as a captain at the regional level (similar to the decision made concerning his additional role as second-in-command in the Test squad).

Hope was named as the vice-captain for the recent series away to Australia (a decision which was forgotten by chairman of selectors Desmond Haynes). With limited captaincy experience at the regional T20 level, how will Joseph fare if he has to lead the team in Powell’s absence?

Another Joseph, Shamar, is the only player in the team without international T20 experience (and I am not talking about franchise cricket).

There has been talk about left-arm pacer Obed McCoy, who was a major flop at the 2023 Caribbean Premier League (CPL). Without Alzarri, can the selection panel of Haynes and coach Darren Sammy go into a World Cup match without an out-and-out fast bowler, who possesses an iota of control (yes, that rules out Oshane Thomas)?

Another bone of contention is who will face the new ball, with only King (who is in a race to be fit after suffering a knee injury) and Charles as the only recognised openers.

Kyle Mayers, in the space of a year, has slid from vice-captain to reject, so it brings into question whether Pooran (who failed miserably as an opener for the Trinbago Knight Riders at the 2022 CPL) or Hope (who has barely opened at this level) will be seen as replacements, if King or Charles is unable to play.

Continuing on the opening spot – Sunil Narine has played 510 T20s and scored his first century this year.

After going on ‘pre-retirement’ in 2019 and officially retiring from international cricket last November, were cricket fans really serious about their inquiries over whether Narine should make a U-turn and put himself up for World Cup selection?Mind you, he would not have been on the West Indies team as a batter only!

And finally – the Hetmyer issue!

After his omission from the 2022 T20 World Cup team due to a missed flight, Hetmyer was welcomed back into the team with open arms for the home series against India and England. He did not convince, was dropped for the tour of Australia and now is seen as a designated finisher by the selection panel (even though Rutherford, Powell, Shepherd, Russell and even Holder can fill that role).

I will say this much – representing the West Indies team should be a privilege and not a right.

Only time will tell if the selectors are right, or wrong, regarding the inclusion of Hetmyer in the 2024 West Indies’ T20 World Cup team.

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