THE EDITOR, Sir:

I watched West Indies get thoroughly outplayed by India in the Champions Trophy a couple of days ago and came away with the feeling that the WICB and the selectors had missed a trick when they chose the team for this tournament.

In the spirit of 'horses for courses', I would like to ask Ottis Gibson and the rest of the selectors why Devon Smith and Ramnaresh Sarwan were selected over Dwayne Smith for this tournament.

I do not question Sarwan's abilities - just his mindset. Dwayne Smith is a fabulous white-ball player (just look at his recent performances with Mumbai in the IPL) - a powerful hitter, a more-than-useful bowler and a very good fielder - all attributes that are needed for one-day cricket.

What must he think when he is left out of the team to play in a tournament which is perfectly suited for his style? The decision not to select such a talented cricketer is puzzling and leads one to conclude that the selectors don't seem to have a clue about where the game is heading.

LAS LATTY

laslatty@aol.com [2]