“There is too much interference from outside in the selection of the ODI squad”

Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo

West Indies head coach Phil Simmons has claimed that outside influence is to blame for the West Indies not possessing the “best 50-over ODI squad” for the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka.

Simmons revealed that he, chief selector Clive Lloyd and West Indies captain Jason Holder wanted to include all-rounders Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard in the squad. However, Simmons confirmed that he and Lloyd had been outvoted 3-2 in the selection meeting.

“I think it’s disappointing from the fact that I haven’t got the best 50-over ODI squad that we can select in the Caribbean,” Simmons told reporters in Bridgetown. “The chairman, Mr Lloyd, he came and he gave an exceptional speech saying that he thinks it is time they are back in the squad and he gave exceptional reasons for them being back in the squad. Unfortunately, when we went into the selection [meeting] we lost it 3-2. Him and myself – the captain [Holder] doesn’t have a vote in this – but the captain also gave his views as to why they need to be back.”

Simmons reiterated that outside influence had caused the vote to go against him and Lloyd. The 52-year-old added that he was infuriated that people are purposely trying to stop the West Indies from fielding the best possible side.

“That’s not the disappointing fact. The disappointing fact is that you can lose 3-2 in a vote-off but there is too much interference from outside in the selection of the ODI squad and it’s disappointing for me to know that in any aspect of life … [people would use] their position to get people into a squad; or in this case, get people left out of a squad,” he said. “It is wrong and I don’t like it and that is my beef with the selection of the ODI team.

“I don’t think that it [selection] was done as professionally as it should be done, [there was] too much interference from outside and in this case, I even go as far as saying maybe influence because of the reasons that were given for them being out.

“It’s disappointing for me…because we want to have our best squad. The chairman put it to us that we need to have our best squad and it’s not so, so I’m disappointed about that squad.”

Since taking over as head coach after the 2015 World Cup in March, Simmons has been reaching out to veterans like Bravo, Pollard and Sunil Narine in an attempt to make the West Indies a more formidable side.

According to Simmons, Pollard and Bravo were happy to work with him and even said that they were available to represent the West Indies in limited overs cricket.

“There was no agreement reached [with the players]. I can’t go and say, ‘Oi, you’re selected’,” he said. “I had a chat with every one of them saying ‘This is the way I think things should be done, are you happy with the way I’m going to do things.’ And everyone to a [man] was happy with the way things were going to run, happy with the captain, happy with everything that was to move forward.

“So once they had bought into our philosophy as to the captain and myself then it’s about selection. I can’t go and tell them, ‘Hey, you’re in the squad’ so I think that’s all I could have done.”