[ Photo courtesy of www.stanford2020.com ]
Somewhere along the road to the presumed elevation of Windies' vice captain Ramnaresh Sarwan to the top post, rumor has it that his dream might be derailed.
There is rampant speculation around the Caribbean that WICB President Ken Gordon prefers Trinidad and Tobago captain Daren Ganga, while the selectors Gordon Greenidge, Andy Roberts and Clyde Butts prefer Sarwan.
Ronnie Sarwan has been vice captain since 2003 and was chosen as Lara's deputy ostensibly to groom him for the top post. In the following years, Sarwan has proven himself to be a solid batsman and a leader on the team.
Ganga on the other hand, has struggled from 1998, when he made his Test debut, to hold down a permanent place in the side. It is only in the last two years that he has started to make consistent runs at the Test level as evidenced by his topping the Test batting averages last year against India. His 344 runs, including a 135 and a match saving knock in another innings, in the four Tests seemed to solidify his position as Chris Gayle's Test opening partner. In domestic cricket, Ganga has admirably led Trinidad and Tobago to just about every regional title the last two years.
In arguing for Ganga, his supporters and presumably Ken Gordon, point to his sterling leadership of Trinidad and Tobago these last few years. They also point to accusations of immaturity on the behalf of Sarwan, as this was the supposed reason for Sarwan's omission from the Test side for one of last year's matches in Pakistan.
As good as Ganga's leadership has been for Trinidad and Tobago, Sarwan is next in line for the captaincy. He has been groomed for the role and really has done nothing on or off the field to disqualify him for the job. He has consistently shown grit and determination as evidenced by his efforts in the losses against Sri Lanka and South Africa in this World Cup. Sarwan is not the retiring type either, a la Younis Khan of Pakistan, who turned down the captaincy when offered, as Sarwan has said that he would grasp the captaincy, if offered, with both hands.
More than any other reason however, for a Sarwan captaincy, is the potential fallout in the team if Sarwan were to be skipped over for the captaincy. Sarwan is Guyanese and Ganga, like former captain Lara and President Gordon, hails from Trinidad. West Indies cricket has always had undertones of insularity as team selections are often examined through the lens of nationality. We have no means of knowing Gordon's reasoning for his backing of Ganga, but in light of the fact that he almost unilaterally chose Lara to be the captain leading up to the World Cup, despite the fact that the selectors had recommended Sarwan, insularity in the region and the team would undoubtedly arise as many would wonder why Sarwan was by-passed. The possible resulting division in the team and pressure from the fans might make a Ganga captaincy untenable to say the least. A third option might be to appoint Ganga as Test captain and Sarwan as ODI captain, but that might be a cowardly way to get around the situation. A twin captaincy would also make it difficult for both men, still in their twenties, to exert themselves on the team.
The Board is to announce the new captain shortly after the next scheduled meeting on Sunday April 29. Here's one vote for Ramnaresh Sarwan.
(For objectivity purposes - I am neither a Trinidadian nor a Guyanese).
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