Griffith hits poor WI team selection

POOR team selection has been advanced as one of the key factors for the international decline of West Indies Cricket. According to West Indies Cricket Board President Teddy Griffith, other stated  reasons are lack of proper preparation for our international engagements;  hesitancy to adopt modern techniques used by other teams particularly in fielding and analysis; the relative weakness of our own domestic competitions; the diasappearance of opportunities for our players in the professional  circuit of English County Cricket; and the natural cycle of dominace  that is a feature of most sports.

Griffith was delivering the feature address at the TTCB Cricket Board’s  second annual charity dinner at the Hilton Trinidad Ballroom and Conference Centre, on Friday night. He said: “Over the past six years the performance of the West Indies team in international cricket has been quite disappointing to its many supporters around the world.” Apart from mentioning some reasons for the drop in the standard of West Indies Cricket, The WICB president  congratulated the TTCB  on their 48th anniversary celebration and at the same time “put on record the WICB’s appreciation for the contribution of your Board to the development of WICB’s cricket over that period. “Another positive and momentous note was the assignment of the 2007 World Cup to the West Indies and I congratulate the TTCB on its selection as one of the participating venues,” he added.

Griffith said, “the successful bids have all earned high praise and the time has come for us to turn our full attention towards ensuring that plans on paper now become a reality  in time for 2007.” “We at the WICB have every confidence that Trinidad and Tobago, like the rest of the West Indies, will not only measure up to the  requirements, but will also be part of the successful staging of the best Cricket World Cup ever,” he added. The TTCB took the opportunity to present an undisclosed donation to the Cyril Ross Children’s Home. The cheque was handed to the Home’s supervisor Judy Nimblett by TTCB  marketing officer Suruj Ragoonath.