West Indies and Guyana middle order batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul has taken umbrage at WICB CEO Ernest Hilaire’s comments about players lacking discipline and application, made during a Line and Length interview as a defence for the new-look Regional team.
Chanderpaul, along with senior batsmen Ramnaresh Sarwan and Chris Gayle, was dropped for the ongoing ODI series against Pakistan.
Chanderpaul in a letter to Hilaire, which was copied to Sport Minister Dr. Frank Anthony, WICB Directors and the WIPA, expressed his “considerable surprise and disappointment” by Hilaire’s statement.
Hilaire was quoted as saying, “If you look at West Indies cricket since the mid-90s a lot of the systems we had in place broke down.
“There’s no discipline, there’s no application. We’ve been doing that for 15 years and we’ve been losing. “We need to put a new system in place. No one man is bigger than the team, no one man is such a superstar he can decide if he is training today, if he’s going to have treatment tomorrow, if he’s going to attend a team meeting. It cannot work that way.”
This did not find favour with Chanderpaul who stated that persons could take it that one of the West Indies’ more prolific batsmen has been lacking in discipline and application.
Chanderpaul then stated it suggested that:
1. I, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, am an indisciplined individual and during my tenure as a West Indies player over the past fifteen years have lacked discipline and contributed to the West Indies team losing.
2. I, Shivnarine Chanderpaul have not applied myself or demonstrated any real application to my role as a member of the West Indies team over the past fifteen years and by so doing have contributed to the West Indies team losing.
3. I, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, consider myself to be bigger than the team.
4. I, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, while a member of the West Indies team during the past fifteen years, have decided when I was training or not training.
5. I, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, while a member of the West Indies team during the past fifteen years, have decided when I was going to attend or not attend team meetings.
6. (Based on the accusations above) I, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, while a member of the West Indies team during the past fifteen years, have disregarded the coaches and managerial staff or undermined team discipline by my actions and attitude.”
The former number one batsman has tasked Hilaire to provide specific explanations to these statements, while also questioning in what capacity he made those statements. Further, Chandepaul enquired on what grounds the statements were made and what are their ultimate purpose.
The left hander, who has the second highest run aggregate in Tests behind Brian Lara, urged Hilaire to address these matters with the strictest urgency. Chanderpaul also believes that the comments by Hilaire have brought “my reputation as an international cricketer and a loyal servant of West Indies cricket into question and disrepute.”
“I am convinced that those persons who do not know the sacrifices I have made on behalf of West Indies cricket and my dedication to the cause of West Indies cricket would believe, based on what you have said to ESPN and others who have carried that interview with you, that I lack discipline and application and have not demonstrated the sense of responsibility which I know that I have shown throughout my career.
“While I would refer you to my unblemished reputation for professionalism and to all the other CEOs, Coaches and Managers with whom I have worked, I believe that you have crossed the line by making these public accusations that, while they may include others, are also directed at me and if unchallenged and uncorrected may destroy my career,” Chanderpaul wrote.
Chanderpaul concluded, “I must warn you that unless your explanations adequately deal with the matter and show themselves to be based on truth and free of malice, I will take whatever action necessary to clear my good name. While it would help if the WICB as an organization repudiates your comments in this regards, it would still not be sufficient to erase the tremendous damage already done.”
