Say what you like about Roger Harper and his dismissal as the West Indies men’s lead selector after two years and two months in one of the most thankless jobs in regional cricket for the last two decades, I found his interaction with the media, especially when tough questions were asked, to be fascinating.
With no pun intended, virtually everyone appears to be harping on how the 58-year-old Guyanese performed ever since he was appointed, along with Miles Bascombe of St. Vincent, on October 16, 2019.
Bascombe, 35, has been sent packing as well.
Their contracts will be coming to an end on December 31.
Of the teams, Harper and Bascombe selected, West Indies won five out of 16 Tests, 11 out of 21 One-Day Internationals and 14 out of 39 Twenty20 Internationals.
In a media release last Saturday, Cricket West Indies (CWI) said it will begin looking for a new lead selector in January. Until then, head coach Phil Simmons will take temporary charge of those responsibilities, along with the team’s captains in the various formats – Kraigg Brathwaite (Test) and Kieron Pollard (ODI and T20). CWI Director of Cricket, Jimmy Adams, will oversee the process.
Disgruntled West Indian fans were on Harper’s case for several months. They became even more miserable when the squad for the ICC T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates and Oman was named in early September, featuring a couple ageing players, who were in poor form. And when as defending champions West Indies managed only one win in five matches for a painful exit, the faces of fans grew longer and verbal expressions pointed to anger.
Yet, Harper, a former West Indies player with credentials of having also coached the team at the turn of 2000 when current CWI president Ricky Skerritt was appointed as the team manager, remained stoic.
After the team for the T20 World Cup was announced, I wrote: “Having followed Harper’s cricketing career from his teenaged days representing Guyana through to the West Indies Test team as an off-spinning all-rounder, coupled with his stint as the West Indies head coach when he was first appointed 21 years ago, he has always carried an air of being clever. His responses to questions have often been very well thought out. And I do not say so lightly.”
Now, I share some of Harper’s quotes during his tenure as lead selector. He was an eternal optimist.
SEPTEMBER 9, 2021 – On the announcement of the West Indies squad for the T20 World Cup:
“I think we have picked a squad of great strength and depth in each department. A squad with a tremendous amount of T20 experience and most importantly, World Cup-winning experience.
“Also, I think within this squad you have players who are capable of winning games on their own. I would like to think of it as a number of world-beating individuals.
“But if we can mould that team and get them to play as a world-beating team, and they complement each other, play for each other, and make the smart decisions as who is the best player to do what is necessary at the right time, I think we will be a world-beating team and the one that is very difficult to beat.
“I expect the team to do very well. I think we have a good chance of defending the title.”
OCTOBER 16, 2019 – On his appointment as lead selector:
“I want to thank Cricket West Indies for placing faith in me for this role. Having been coach for much of my post-playing career, I’m under no illusions how picking the senior West Indies team is a key component of our cricket.
“If the West Indies team is to move forward it’s an area we have to get right. I look forward to working with coach Simmons, fellow selector Bascombe, taking the advice of captain Holder and Pollard so that we make this process as transparent as possible, so that every player who is performing and meeting the criteria, will feel they have a fair chance at being selected.
“Once we do that I believe players will give their best and we will see a positive effect of that on the field.”
MARCH 11, 2021 – On Kraigg Brathwaite replacing Jason Holder as Test captain:
“We all believe that Kraigg is the right man to lead our Test side at this point in time and I’m delighted that he has accepted the role. In the recent Test series against Bangladesh, Kraigg was able to motivate his players to play to a very high level and create the culture we are looking to establish where the team showed a collective determination to fight and a real hunger for success.
“We must appreciate what Jason has done as captain. He came in at a very young age, took the captaincy at a time when the team was a little unsettled, and he grew with the job and performed creditably. He’s had his moments of success and he has grown as a player as well to become the leading all-rounder in the world.
“I really think that Jason is a very integral part of the Test team and West Indies cricket going forward. He plays all three formats and I think it’s an opportunity for him to really focus on taking his game to higher levels. I think that with him at his best and with Kraigg given the captaincy, it’s an opportunity for the team to move forward.
“I look forward to him performing exceptionally well in his role as a player and still as a leader as one of the senior players in this team. It was great to hear him say that he’s committed to giving Kraigg all the support needed and hearing the new captain saying that they have a very close relationship. I think that augurs very well for West Indies cricket going forward.”
AUGUST 9, 2021 – On the announcement of a 17-member provisional squad for Test series against Pakistan:
“Chemar Holder returns, having recovered from his injury. He will bolster the fast bowling department. Shamarh Brooks batted his way into the provisional squad by scoring an accomplished century. He will certainly add some depth to the squad’s batting.
“Shannon Gabriel has been given time to rehab fully and build his conditioning, so he was not part of the preparations for the Test series against Pakistan, which included the Best v Best game. Darren Bravo has been part of the ‘bubble’ from the preparation camp leading into the Betway Test series against South Africa and has been given a break.
“I expect the team to be highly competitive in every department while playing with passion, purpose and determination. I look forward to the batsmen stepping up as they did in the series against Bangladesh and against Sri Lanka earlier this year in Antigua.”
NOVEMBER 4, 2021 – On the announcement of the Test squad for series in Sri Lanka:
“The Best v Best matches provided the opportunity for the players to spend some time in the middle honing their skills for this tour. The aim was to simulate as much as possible, the conditions that the team will likely face in Sri Lanka, so it was good to see the batsmen spending time at the crease while putting some scores together and the bowlers looking to build pressure and create wicket-taking opportunities.
“The squad is well balanced, with good depth in all departments. The composition is very similar to the squad that brought us success in our last away tour to Bangladesh, with a few changes in personnel. There are a number of players who are familiar with Sri Lankan conditions and most of the others have good experience in the Indian sub-continent, so they know what to expect and are gearing themselves for it.”
DECEMBER 18, 2021 – On his dismissal as lead selector:
“I would like to thank CWI for the opportunity to serve West Indies cricket in the role of Lead Selector and I wish the organisation the very best for the future. I would also like to thank all those whose efforts and cooperation helped me to perform my role efficiently. Special thanks to Miles for his professionalism and teamwork. God bless.”
Despite how we may feel about Harper’s performance, he and Bascombe should be comforted by what Adams said: “We want to thank Roger and Miles for their work and dedicated services to West Indies cricket in the last two years, as members of the Men’s Senior Selection Panel. Selecting West Indies teams for international competition is a very challenging assignment, and both gentlemen performed their roles with transparency and dignity.”
Now we all eagerly look forward to the make-up of the new selection committee.
Keith Holder is a veteran, award-winning freelance sports journalist, who has been covering local, regional and International cricket since 1980 as a writer and commentator. He has compiled statistics on the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) Division 1 (rebranded Elite in 2012) Championship for four decades and provides statistics and stories for the BCA website (www.barbadoscricket.org). Email: [email protected]
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