His performance alone should get the selectors, Sammy, and Reifer sacked from their jobs. Because, if Hope didn’t get injured he would not have started the first test. All these sports media outlets and talking heads, especially the CWI media team are boasting of his century on debut against Bangladesh, bleeding his highlights and interview after interview and could barely get a game after that.
Funny enough, WI only played one match in the ODI series, and I guarantee if he started, WI would’ve had a better chance. There’s no guarantee they would’ve won because “oh the other matches were washed out”.
However, if they did win, it would’ve been a clean sweep across formats against a visiting Sri Lanka. But noooo, let’s bench him, and continue to persevere with King, Campbell, Warrican, Hodge and even an underperforming Chase, just so that Sammy, Reifer and the selectors could justify their place as coaches.
What is the point of having a four day regional test championship and the best performers of that tournament can’t get selected? Then we criticise Jason Holder for choosing to make a dollar in the US instead of sitting down home in Barbados.
Not good enough, there’s no guarantee that Motie or Kevin Wickham will put in a performance like Jangoo, if given the opportunity, but that’s the point of rewarding excellence and having a clear criteria for selection. Not who likes who, who has more influence in the dressing room, which players are “yes men” or even a certain quota of small islanders.
I am so proud of him, I am so happy for the guy, he has worked so hard, he has studied himself, reinvented his style, picked himself up having so many dips in form. I could imagine Sammy, Reifer and the selectors constantly overlooking him in the dressing room, turning a blind eye, punishing him on the bench trying to break him mentally, so that when he does get his opportunity, they allegedly wish he’d fail so they, again could make themselves look good “told you so, we were right, we alone knows cricket”. It’s all alleged, Reifer should be sacked, how dare he say that “Jangoo has been batting well for some time” – so what took it so long for him to get a run of games?
Bumper summer of cricket ahead, I want to see Jangoo Unchained and in action against New Zealand, Pakistan and India, alongside Kevin Wickham who also deserves an opportunity in the red ball format. Let’s throw in Navin Bidaisee as well as a bowling all rounder, he deserves a shot in Maroon colours, a real wildcard player. Let this dominance overflow into the West Indies Women’ camp as well, you can do it!
Kendell Karan
Chaguanas
