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Come on Beckles
CHIEF selector of the West Indies men’s team Desmond Haynes has defended the selection of inexperienced T20 cricketer Yannic Cariah for the International Cricket Council (ICC) T20 World Cup, saying he has impressed and can be the character of the team .
On Wednesday, the selection panel confirmed the 15 players who will represent the West Indies in the eighth ICC T20 World Cup, which will be played in Australia from October 16 to November 13.
Cariah has played only four T20 matches in his career with no T20 experience at international level. He last played in the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) in 2016.
Cariah, who bowls leg-spinners and bats left-handed, made his West Indies debut in a One Day International series against New Zealand in August. The TT cricketer showed promise in the three-match series scoring a half-century and was handy with the ball.
Haynes was bombarded with questions at a Cricket West Indies media conference on Wednesday about Cariah’s selection.
The other player without a ball on the team is experienced left-hander Raymon Reifer.
Haynes said, “When I first came into the job, I said my job would be to make sure we look at giving people opportunities. I think Yannic showed us what he can do in the 50-over competition (against) New Zealand.”
Haynes said West Indies white-ball captain Nicholas Pooran believes in Cariah.
“I think he’s pretty good,” Haynes said. “I also think he can do very well for us with the bat as well and I think he deserves the chance to go and play in this big tournament… over the years you always have selectors who always want to go by the book and so on. .”
Haynes said you could call Cariah’s choice a “wild card.”
“Sometimes you just have to go with a person you think can do a job for you.”
Left-arm opening batsman Evin Lewis has been withdrawn for the first time since the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup. Lewis was not considered for selection last year due to fitness reasons. Some of the notable omissions are Andre Russell, Fabian Allen, Hayden Walsh Jnr, Shamarh Brooks and Romario Shepherd.
Haynes said with 15 players selected not all could make the trip to Australia.
“We have to pick 15 players and there is always someone who will be left out.”
Haynes encouraged those who were dropped from the squad to give during CPL 2022.
Haynes was also asked about not selecting Allen and Russell. He said Allen was “very close” to earning a recall but the selectors decided to go with fellow left-armer Akeal Hosein.
Allen decided to take some time off from international cricket after the death of his father.
Haynes said Russell was not considered for selection. “We haven’t really seen much of Russell playing for the West Indies recently and judging by what’s going on now, we just decided to go ahead.”
Another player who earned a haul was opener Johnson Charles. Haynes said Charles’ prolific form in the first half of the CPL and his goalkeeping ability led to his selection. Charles will be the second choice goalkeeper behind Pooran.
The West Indies are the only team to have won the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup twice, in Sri Lanka in 2012 and in India in 2016.
West Indies’ campaign to win an unprecedented ICC Men’s T20 World Cup title begins on October 17 when they take on Scotland in the first of three Group B matches played at Bellerive Oval in Hobart, Tasmania for to qualify for the Super 12 stage of the tournament.
WEST INDIES Team: Nicholas Pooran (captain), Rovman Powell (vice-captain), Yannic Cariah, Johnson Charles, Sheldon Cottrell, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Evin Lewis, Kyle Mayers, Obed McCoy, Raymon Reifer, Odean Smith.
