Haynes, Sarawan appointed West Indies selectors

Former West Indies legendary batsman, Desmond Haynes and star batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan have been named as the new West Indies men’s selectors, joining Head Coach Phil Simmons in a new-look panel for the next 30 months.

Barbadian Haynes has replaced Roger Harper, whose contract came to an end last month.

Sarwan a former West Indies captain who played 87 Tests and 181 One-Day Internationals between 2000 and 2013, the Guyanese national replaces Mihas les Bascombe who was fired last month, along which selector Roger Harper.

Significantly, Sarwan will serve on the youth selection panel, which is chaired by Robert Haynes and includes Under-19 coach Floyd Reifier.

Sarwan’s appointment was confirmed during a recent Cricket West Indies (CWI) meeting and his contract will see him serve on both panels through June 2024.

As such, he will help choose squads for this year’s Twenty 20 World Cup in Australia and next year’s 50-over World Cup in India — tournaments in which he featured as a player.

Sarwan will now have to step down from his current position as chairman of selectors in his native Guyana.

Several selections including the ageing duo of Chris Gayle, along with the out-of-form Oshane Thomas, proved unpopular and West Indies’ dismal showing at the tournament — they lost four of their five games — only served to heap further pressure on the selection panel.

Since his retirement, Sarwan served as batting consultant to the West Indies ahead of the 2019 World Cup in England and as assistant coach of Jamaica Tallawahs in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).