Dear Editor,

Given the odd selection policies of Cricket West Indies (CWI) to the Caribbean team, it would appear that outstanding performances are no guarantee for selection to the cricket team.

The recent Super50 tournament saw fine performances, especially in the bowling department by two players, Ravi Rampaul and Gudakesh Motie.

In the normal course of events both players should have been automatic selections to either of the One-Day International teams. Alas, they were not. What's more, in a four-day trial match to follow shortly as preparation for the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka, they were again not picked.

So what are we to conclude from the above? Is West Indies cricket still stuck in a past mindset, in which, shockingly, only certain players should be considered for selection, while a distasteful bias is being used against others?

Is Motie, a fine, young, spin-bowling talent, destined to follow in the footsteps of R Bishoo and Veerasammy Permaul? Both have been cruelly treated by CWI. In the case of Bishoo, no less an authority than Mike Holding felt that Jason Holder's refusal to bowl Bishoo against England in a Test series recently, defied explanation.

Oddly enough, both Imran Khan, for years an outstanding bowler in regional cricket but never selected, and Permaul have been selected in the four-day trial match, but I don't believe either will feature in the final 11.These are merely cosmetic selections, I'm afraid.

So, finally, does taking a knee before games to show solidarity against discrimination really have any significance in West Indies cricket? The same discriminatory practices are still being employed in 2021 as they have been for decades.

And, for the most part, the media remain silent. Altogether a rather sad state of affairs indeed.

Tony Boodhoo

Ontario, Canada

juab@rogers.com