Amit Jaggernauth has been the leading wicket taker in West Indies regional cricket for the past three years. Jaggernauth has outperformed every bowler in the region, fast or slow including all those who have a regular starting position on the team. He is twenty-three and considered one of the brightest prospects for the regional and international game. Ever since the glory days of the four pronged strong pace attack, spinners have been handed the short end of the stick in West Indies cricket.
Despite strong regional performances by his predecessors, Rajendra Dhanraj and Dinnanath Ramnarine, they never got it right in the international scene when they were selected. Many would justifiably argue that they were victimised by being selected on flat batting, spinner unfriendly tracks on which they never saw their way. Jaggernauth's Trinidadian teammate Dave Mohammed, though having credible performances with both bat and ball on the international scene, has always seemed to be hampered by disciplinary problems that have kept him off the team. Operating together under good conditions, these two are arguably capable of wrecking any batting line up in world cricket. The day these two might be selected together on the same West Indian team, however, seems a distant reality due to the nature of West Indies cricket selectors' policy and bias. Jaggernauth, who is yet to make his debut, has a clean slate on which to begin provided he is selected.
With local supporters threatening to boycott the test match in Trinidad if he was not selected, and a match winning performance 10/79 against Barbados in the recently concluded seventh round 2008 Carib Beer Series, his debut seemed assured. This was not so. Instead, the selectors opted for three pace bowlers and the extra batsman for second test match in Trinidad. Justification for this decision was based on the fact that the Queens Park Oval wicket was seamer friendly. West Indies went on to win the second test match, helped by good performances from the seamers Fidel Edwards 4/84 in the first inning and Jerome Taylor 4/52 in the second inning. Yet fans were left to wonder why Jaggernauth was not selected.
The result seems to justify the decision, however, as the best figures in the match were from Jerome Taylor with 6/126 of 32.3 overs. Muralitharan, the Sri Lankan spinner who took first innings best of 5/79 finished the match with 6/171 of 53.5 overs, still more economical than Taylor. Muralitharan only managed one wicket in the second innings due to match winning performances from arguably the two best players of spin on the team - Sarwan and Chanderpaul - who scored 102 and 86* respectively. If either of these batsmen had fallen cheaply then the result could have well been different due to the frailty of the lower order against Muralitharan and Vaas who have so often cleaned up the tail.
It was a close game but only so due to the lack of variety in the West Indian bowling attack. With only three specialist bowlers selected there was surely room for Jaggernauth. Instead the lack of confidence in the batting was demonstrated by opting for the extra batsman. After having the Sri Lankans in trouble twice, the Windies were unable to press the advantage home allowing the Lankans to pull themselves back in the game both times. The Sri Lankans were 117/5 in the first innings and 99/6 in the second. The seamers ripped through the top order only to be thwarted after the new ball shine wore out. In both innings the opposition should have been out for less than 200 but the bowling lacked further penetration, captain Gayle himself having to share some of the workload with his off spin.
The argument for the selection of Jaggernauth is a strong one. For one, he is young and he can give a long career of service to the team. It can also be argued that in the modern game it is imperative to have a world-class spinner on the team in order to dominate the game on any type of wicket against any opposition. Just ask Australia, who have dominated the last decade of world cricket. The case for selection on this current home series is even stronger since the touring Sri Lankan team have with them the spinning sensation and the highest wicket taker ever with over 700 test wickets, Muttiah Muralitharan. An off break bowler just like Jaggernauth, Muralitharan is also known for his mesmerising specialty called the "dosra" which is being practiced and developed by Jaggernauth himself with some degree of success. The opportunity that presents itself here for Jaggernauth to learn a thing or two from the veteran Muralitharan is of immeasurable value and would benefit him and West Indies cricket for many years to come.
The Jaggernauth dilemma is but one instance among many others in which the bureaucratic and anti developmental nature on the WICB and its selection policies have hampered the success of the regional team. It underlies the fact that quite often the selectors themselves are out of touch with the needs of the players and the team itself. The nature of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has been the main reason for the long decline of West Indies cricket for over a decade. The region has never been short on talent. Even at the darkest times we have been blessed with the unimaginable batting genius of B.C. Lara to give fans something to cheer about.
Other important factors keeping back the West Indian team from once again dominating the world arena are the lack of facilities, funding, and promotion of the sport and, importantly, the lack of a seasonal league. Currently games are limited to annual tournaments that last for only a couple of months. There have been many cries for the establishment of a regional league similar to those in England, India or Australia to name a few. Previously, West Indian cricketers were contracted to play in English county clubs. New regulations regarding international players have changed all this, however, preventing most from securing contracts that they would have easily gotten in the past.
Another factor hampering the game is the profiteering nature of the cricket board at the expense of the fans' support. Tickets are expensive, food and drinks are expensive at the games and fans aren't allowed to carry any from outside. It has now reached a level where brand name clothes are not allowed unless they bear the name of the sponsor. All these factors are deterrents to supporters. Until the WICB can heed these calls and work together with the relevant stakeholders, the local game will continue to suffer from mediocrity and the glory days of West Indies cricket will remain a legend of the past.
What has become a noticeable trend in recent times, and has almost always been this way, is the selection policy based on proportional representation of regional territories at the expense of the "the best team" being selected based on merit and even expected playing conditions. The first test match in the 2008 series against Sri Lanka in Providence, Guyana where the wicket was described as "typically sub continental" saw one Barbadian Fidel Edwards (the fastest pacer in the region) being dropped to be replaced by a spinner, albeit another Barbadian, Sulieman Benn. This was presumably to maintain the balance of Barbadians in the team. Despite being consistently outperformed by Jaggernauth in the regional game, Benn has been given the nod ahead of Jaggernauth. With all due respect to Benn he is a good bowler, not to be discarded, but not one to be selected before Jaggernauth.
It is not a matter of having something against Barbadians or any other regional territory, but one of selecting the best team whenever possible. With the test series over, drawn 1-1, yet another golden opportunity has been lost to develop and capitalise on the raw talent that these islands possess.