By Tony Becca - On The Boundary THE final of the Busta International Shield takes place at Sabina Park starting on Thursday, it is Jamaica versus Guyana, and for all the players involved, the only thing that should be on their minds at this time, or over the next few days, is victory.
There are a few, however, who may possibly be thinking of something else, and who, because of that something else, may be dreaming of an impressive performance - a performance so great that it would accomplish two things.
The few are those players who will be appearing in the final but who were not among the 22 called to the West Indies camp; the something else is a place in the West Indies team for the first Test against India; and the accomplishments would be victory and a place in the Test team.
The question, however, is this: should a player who was not called to the camp be selected in the team for the first Test?
The answer is no.
Obviously there are good reasons why it could be yes, and it is that performance, outstanding performance, in something like a final should be able to influence the selection of the West Indies team.
There are, however, moregood reasons for saying no and not yes.
And one is this.
The 22 players who attended the camp were assessed in areas such as skill, potential, performance, capacity to perform under pressure, and attitude, although it was unfortunate that because of the schedule the final was not included, they were selected after eight rounds of matches, and it would be unwise to go outside that group because of one performance.
It would be unwise because once the assessment was done properly there would be no player outside the 22 good enough to do something so astonishing - certainly not one who, all things considered and in the opinion of the selectors, merited selection.
The really powerful reason, however, why a player who was not in the camp should not be in the team for the first Test regardless of his performance in the final is this:
According to the West Indies Board, these camps that last for a week or so are crucial in preparing the team for success, and if they are so crucial, so vital, then no one who has not been a part of one should be selected for matches immediately following one.
Better still, no one who has been been a part of one should be omitted for one who was not so blessed.
According to those in the Board, the camps are where players are taught to think cricket, how, for example, to score a run, to live together, and where team spirit is developed; according to the team management, it is where players get fit and where they learn to run between the wickets; and although no one has said it, at least not yet, they obviously believe that a West Indies camp is where players should be taught how to bat, how to bowl, and how to field.
If that is so, if that is why so much money is spent on the camps and so little or none at all invested in the schools and the clubs, then barring illness or injury to the extent that there are vacancies, no one who did not attend the recent camp in Port of Spain should be selected for the first Test against India.
It should be as simply as that.
