Fitness standards prevent Hemraj, Rutherford from WI selection
Guyana’s Chandrapaul Hemraj and Shefrane Rutherford were not selected to the West Indies T20 and 50-over squads selected for the tour of Pakistan, after failing to meet the required fitness standards of Cricket West Indies (CWI).
This is according to Director of Cricket, Jimmy Adams during a press briefing on Saturday where he spoke on issues relating to the selection of the squad.
“There is a six-month window within which players have to achieve this target and within this window Chandrapaul Hemraj has not met the standard required and therefore was not eligible for selection,” said Adams, a former West Indies cricket captain.
Chairman of Selectors, Roger Harper, admitted that Hemraj did attract the attention of the selectors but was ruled out due to the fitness policy.
While Hemraj was omitted concerns were raised over the inclusion of
Brandon King, Hemraj’s opening partner for the Guyana Amazon Warriors.
In the last two seasons of the Caribbean Premier League, Hemraj outscored King who was even moved down the batting order.
King has played 11 T20Is for West Indies, scoring 153 runs with a best of 43 and a strike rate of 134. He has also played four One Day Internationals (ODIs) with an average of 24.25 and a best of 39.
Adams and Harper have previously stressed current form and fitness as priority in selection.
“With regards to Sherfane, it is a similar situation with regards to not meeting the fitness standard however, while you have me here let me make this point,” said Adams.
Chandrapaul Hemraj
Rutherford was instrumental for St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots winning their first CPL title after finishing as the team’s second highest run getter with 262 runs including three half centuries in 10 innings.
The current CWI fitness standard is set at a minimum of 40 on the yo-yo test.
Interestingly, it was the same fitness standard that was given as a reason for the exclusion of Rutherford and Odean Smith from the West Indies T20 World Cup squad which ran from October 17 to November 14.
However, Smith has now found himself a place in both the ODI and T20 sides of West Indies for the upcoming tour.
Adams could not answer when exactly did Smith pass his fitness test but said he would have reached the mark “within the last six months.”