Desmond Haynes: “When I was approached to do the job I figured that if there’s any time that I can give back to West Indies cricket, it’s now”.
Zane Bannister |
Being an international cricket selector is a tough task at the best of times, and this year it is going to be even tougher for newly appointed West Indies lead selector Desmond Haynes. In his first year in the role Desmond is going to have to deal with a busy schedule, several different formats and numerous franchise tournaments.
Desmond has built up experience in this role as he was previously the lead selector for the Barbados Cricket Association back in the 90’s. In a recent interview with Betway, Desmond reveals why he wanted to take on the role as Windies lead selector and gives insight on what is needed to succeed as a selector in cricket.
“Well, I was selector for Barbados Cricket Association back in the ‘90s, so I’d already had some experience in selecting teams.
When I was approached to do the job I figured that if there’s any time that I can give back to West Indies cricket, it’s now.
They needed a lead selector, they discussed the position with me, and that is when I started thinking very seriously about it.”
When asked about the skills needed to become a good selector, Haynes highlighted that “knowledge of the game” and “being able to identify talent” and some of the main factors to success.
Sport nowadays is highly focused on stats and number, but sometimes that doesn’t provide the full picture of someone’s game, which was pointed out by Haynes “you can look at stats, and stats don’t really show the true picture. If you get the opportunity to see people play, you’ll be able to judge their character.”
To round off, Haynes spoke positively about his current crop of players, but hinted they may not be able to compete with the likes of Australia and India simply because they don’t have the numbers. “We’re always going to have talent in the West Indies, we are just a little unfortunate that we don’t have the numbers. We can’t really compare to places like Australia and India because they’ve got loads of players playing cricket, with the various academies around those countries.”
Haynes will have a good opportunity to compare his Windies squad with India as they start their tour of India.
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