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Harper pays the price for Windies failure

Sports 28 Dec, 2021 Follow News

Roger Harper, right, with Windies limited overs skipper Kieron Pollard

Roger Harper has been sacked as West Indies’ chairman of selectors with Cricket West Indies opting not to extend his two-year contract which ends on Friday.

Fellow selector Miles Bascombe, 35, was sacked too. Head coach Phil Simmons will temporarily take on selection responsibilities alongside team captains Kraigg Brathwaite (Test) and Kieron Pollard (limited overs).

Harper took up the position in 2019 with high expectations after years of Windies inconsistency. The 58-year-old Guyanese was a brilliant West Indies all-rounder and was briefly the team coach. His appointment was seen as a turning point in the team’s fortunes. But West Indies won only five out of 16 Tests, 11 out of 21 one-day internationals, and 14 out of 39 Twenty20 Internationals.

Cricket West Indies said it will begin looking for a new lead selector in January. CWI Director of Cricket, Jimmy Adams, will oversee the process.

Disgruntled West Indies fans were on Harper’s case for 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 September, featuring ageing players like Dwayne Bravo, Ravi Rampaul and Chris Gayle. Their fears were confirmed by the players’ poor performances. And when as defending champions West Indies managed only one win in five matches for a painful exit, Harper’s fate looked inevitable.

West Indies play Ireland next in a series of T20s, then England, then India, all at home.


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