Former West Indies stroke-maker, Ramnaresh Sarwan, was Friday named as the latest West Indies men’s selector, joining new chairman Desmond Haynes and head coach Phil Simmons in a new-look panel which will serve for the next two-and-a-half years.
A former West Indies captain who played 87 Tests and 181 One-Day Internationals between 2000 and 2013, the Guyanese replaces Miles Bascombe who was sacked last month, along with chief selector Roger Harper.
Significantly, Sarwan will also serve on the youth selection panel which is currently chaired by Robert Haynes, and includes Under-19s head coach Floyd Reifer.
“I want to thank CWI and everyone involved for giving me this opportunity to again serve West Indies cricket as a member of the selection panels,” said Sarwan, who will now step down from his current position as chairman of selectors in his native Guyana.
“I’m passionate about the game of cricket and especially West Indies cricket and once asked to contribute, I didn’t hesitate.”
“I look forward to working with my colleagues, the Most Honorable Dr Desmond Haynes and Mr Robert Haynes, and the two head coaches, as well as everyone else involved in the development of this sport we love and respect so much.”
Sarwan’s appointment was confirmed during a Cricket West Indies board meeting on Thursday, and his contract will see him serve on both panels through to June, 2024.
As such, he will help choose squads for this year’s Twenty20 World Cup in Australia and next year’s 50-over World Cup in India – tournaments in which he featured as a player.
“I am delighted to confirm that Ramnaresh Sarwan has agreed to accept the post of selector on CWI’s Men’s Senior and Youth Panels,” said CWI president Ricky Skerritt.
“He is a student of the game and knows what is required of our young cricketers in order to achieve international success. The Board of Directors are confident that Mr. Sarwan will add enormous value to the cricket system.”
The former panel headed by Harper came under heavy criticism for the 15-man squad selected for last October’s Twenty20 World Cup in United Arab Emirates.
Several picks like the ageing duo of Ravi Rampaul and Chris Gayle, along with the out-of-form Oshane Thomas, proved widely unpopular, and West Indies’ dismal showing at the tournament – they lost four of their five games – only served to heap further pressure on the selection panel.
The backlash prompted a review of the selection criteria and policy carried out by a CWI-appointed four-member committee.
Since his retirement, Sarwan briefly served as a batting consultant to the West Indies ahead of the 2019 World Cup in England and as an assistant coach of Jamaica Tallawahs in the Caribbean Premier League.
He carved out 5,842 runs in the longest format at an average of 40 and 5,804 runs in ODIs at an average of 42.
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