Discarded West Indies batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul has defended his level of fitness which Chairman of Selectors Clyde Butts alluded to as one of the reasons for his sacking from the T20 team and ODI squad for the first two matches against Pakistan later this month.
Butts was quoted, in a www.windiesfans.com article sourced from RJR Sports, as saying that fitness played a part in the non-selection of Chanderpaul and his Guyanese counterpart Ramnaresh Sarwan.
“I think its fitness and things like that coming into play…whether a player at 35 (years old) or so can be the same sort of mobile player that he was at 28 or 29, and how he would fit in a One-Day scenario. We need to start putting the players that we feel can give of their best; and not only give of the best of themselves, but to take West Indies Cricket forward,” Butts stated.
The 36-year-old Chanderpaul said that at no point in his career was his level of fitness a concern. “(Ottis) Gibson said to me personally that my fitness was never a problem, so I don’t know what Butts is talking about. Everyone knows my work ethic is very high,” the former West Indies captain pointed out during a telephone interview from New York earlier this week.
The former number one-ranked Test batsman in the world supported his case by stating that English county coaches Goeff Cook and Peter Moores have recognised his “work ethic and commitment to fitness and training” and have even asked him to return to Durham “so my attitude can rub off on the players there.”
Meanwhile, an email sent to this media house by Chanderpaul’s personal manager stated that the left-hander was advised by the three selectors and Coach Gibson to retire from ODIs, and that he may only be considered for Test matches.
“Please note he was previously informed by Gibson, during the South Africa tour of the Caribbean, that he will not be considered for the T20 matches going forward. He was also informed that they felt he had a lot to offer in ODIs and Test cricket. Now he is being told that he will not be considered for ODIs, and possibly Test cricket. Please note, he performed better than some of the other players during the recent camp in Barbados in terms of physical testing. They were selected ahead of him for the upcoming ODIs,” the release stated.
It added, “He was informed by the coach and selectors that they did not have any issues with his fitness. Now Butts is writing that they did not have any issues with his age, but with his fitness.”
Chanderpaul, Sarwan, and opener Chris Gayle were axed as the West Indies Cricket Board purportedly seeks to mould a team to win the 2015 World Cup.
