Time to review the criteria for deciding on the captaincy

TIMES INT'L

Dear Editor,

I have been asking myself over and over if the criteria for becoming a cricket captain have changed. I know that, for a cricketer to captain his team, he has to cement his position in the team; and this means he must be a leading bowler or batsman, or a permanent wicket- keeper. Also, he has to demonstrate that he can make effective on- field decisions, and he has to be able to command respect from his teammates, those involved in team selection, and even the administrators of the game.

However, the current West Indies captain possesses none of these qualities.

Darren Sammy is only in the West Indies team to be the captain. He cannot bat, he is not a threatening bowler, and he frustrates his teammates rather than gives them confidence. It is time the experiment stops, and he needs to be removed and replaced by a genuine batsman or an all-rounder, maybe Andre Russell.

Editor, with Chris Gayle out of the team, the only person who is qualified to be the test captain is Ramnaresh Sarwan. To begin with, he was unfairly removed as the captain, but they need him as the head now more than ever.

Injury held him back, but he is now getting into the groove of the game again, and the captaincy status would definitely boost his confidence. Sarwan is a senior player in the team with very attractive records.

He is a world class batsman who has matured in the game and can take the team out of the darkness it is in.

Also, the vice- captaincy should be given to Marlon Samuels, who is definitely the second best choice for leadership in the current team. At the moment, Samuels is trying to cement his spot in the team after coming back from a serious injury. He looks as though he is in good form, and as soon as he is comfortable again, he should be Sarwan’s assistant.

Like Sarwan, Samuels has the experience, records, and ability to be a good leader.

Across the world, captains are groomed long before they are given the captaincy, which is why they succeed.

West Indies is the only team that sees captains who emerge overnight and do a disastrous job. I really hope that the selectors and administrators would be more sensible whenever they decide on the captaincy, as we cannot allow West Indies cricket to further decline.

Yours sincerely,

Ameer Mirza

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