Row erupts over Windies team selection

St John's the West Indies Players' Association has accused the West Indies Cricket Board of failing to be transparent with the selection of teams for the opening matches of Pakistan's tour of the Caribbean, in a media release late last night.

St John's the West Indies Players' Association has accused the West Indies Cricket Board of failing to be transparent with the selection of teams for the opening matches of Pakistan's tour of the Caribbean, in a media release late last night.

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This follows the exclusion of Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Chris Gayle, and Ramnaresh Sarwan from the West Indies team for the Twenty20 International on Thursday at the Beausejour Cricket Ground, as well as the first two One-day Internationals on Saturday, April 23, and Monday, April 25, at the same ground.

"While WIPA is clear that teams should be picked on performance, potential, playing conditions, and preparedness, it is concerned that there may be an appearance that there were other unknown factors being taken into account," said WIPA in the media release.

"If so, all players should be aware of what those other factors are."

The exclusion of Chanderpaul, Gayle, and Sarwan, who have a combined experience of 303 Tests, 662 ODIs, and 60 Twenty20 Internationals, has prompted typical widespread condemnation in the Caribbean of the WICB, its selectors, and its selection policy. It has also led to speculation that the days of the three former captains under the maroon cap are numbered.