With cricket in the air, we asked persons to comment on who should be the captain of the West Indies team Chris Gayle or Ramnaresh Sarwan? The improved performance of the team in South Africa under Gayle’s captaincy has prompted opinions from a number of commentators. Here are the responses of the people:
Wilbert Fraser,
hire car driver
“I think Sarwan should remain the captain of the team. The president of the Cricket Board selected him to be captain of the team and he should maintain his position. He is doing a good job and the team show signs of recovering with the way they played during the last series. For so many years West Indies never won a test against South Africa and I am happy with their performance.”
Elvis Mangal, welder
“My choice for the captain for the West Indies team is Chris Gayle because I think he has more potential than Sarwan. So far they are playing well and their performance is better than before. I think they would go a far way if they continue like that. Sarwan is performing well but the captaincy seems to be too much pressure for him. To me he is doing a better job as a player and he should stick to that.”
Lloyd Gibson, seaman
“To me whoever the West Indies Cricket Board choose as the captain I hope that he would do the best for us. I think either Sarwan or Chris Gayle would do a good job. My wish for the New Year was for the West Indies to do well in spite of who is captain.”
Dharmendra Evans, minibus conductor
“I would choose Sarwan for captain because to me he has more talents than Chris Gayle. He was trained with Brian Lara so he is more skilled. In most of the games I watch with him he performs at his best and I think that is the kind of captain that we want.
Inderdai Hargobin,
newspaper vendor
“I think they should give Sarwan a second chance to be the captain of the West Indies team. To me he was doing a good job but it was the accident that he got that failed him. I feel that he is a fair captain and he has good talents. I enjoy watching the West Indies play even though I do not follow up cricket too much.”
Monica Cambridge,
vendor
“I think they should give Chris Gayle a chance seeing that Sarwan was there before and he had a try of the captaincy. Now that Chris Gayle is with the boys in South Africa I think he is trying and he is getting the co-operation from the team. Although Sarwan is performing alright Gayle should be captain because he is focusing more on the game.”
Orleen Sookra, salesgirl
“I feel Sarwan should be the captain because he is a good batsman and a good fielder and he can also manage the team well. I am backing him because he is a Guyanese and it is a positive move to have him as a captain. I am a big fan of the West Indies team and I would not give up on them even though they disappoint me sometimes. Regardless of whom the West Indies Cricket Board chooses to be captain I wish them all the best.”
Terrence Adolph, mason/carpenter
“I would support my Guyanese any day to be captain but I think both Sarwan and Gayle cause the team to have togetherness. If Sarwan is comfortable with Gayle being the captain I would support that. Without Sarwan there is a big hole in the West Indies team. I am quite satisfied with the team’s performance. Sometimes the team loses and they disappoint me but I would still support them.”
Kennard Sutherland,
boat captain
“To tell the truth although I love cricket I do not follow the game too much. But my choice for the captain would definitely be Ramnaresh Sarwan because for a young man he has a lot of talents and experience. I wish the team all the best and I hope they continue with the team-spirit.”
Delon Goring, courier
“As a Guyanese I am looking in the best interest of cricket but I think that in the West Indies there is a lot of favouritism and prejudice. I think Chris Gayle would be an excellent captain. My view is that if Guyana has six quality players they should pick them not because of where they come from but for their performance.
Sarwan is a good batsman but I do not think he is disciplined enough to be captain. Leadership calls for a lot of self-discipline. Seeing that it is a young team they need to lead by example. To me Gayle would do a better job in terms of moulding the team so let’s give him a try and see if he can live up to the potential that people believe he has.
