Roland holder yesterday conceded that his first-class career maybefinished after his non-inclusion in a squad of 38 for a BarbadosCricket Association (BCA) year-round programme geared at preparingnational squads
Haydn Gill04-Aug-2001Roland holder yesterday conceded that his first-class career maybefinished after his non-inclusion in a squad of 38 for a BarbadosCricket Association (BCA) year-round programme geared at preparingnational squads.”It would be correct to say that. If they haven’t selected me, itwould suggest that,” the 33-year-old middle-order batsman respondedwhen asked by the Saturday Sun if he reckoned his omission suggestedhis lengthy first-class career was over.In announcing the squad, which shows a bias towards youth, the BCAsaid the selectors would have the right to draft new players into theprogramme in light of good performances or recoveryfrom injury.The experienced Holder, who played with some success in 98 first-classmatches since his debut as a teenager in 1986, said he did not thinkthat was applicable to him.”If I am not going to be included in the 38, I don’t think I haveanything to prove to anyone,” said Holder, who scored 5 550 firstclass runs including 17 centuries at an average of 38.27.”If I am not in the 38, there is no need to compete for anything,”added the Barbados captain for the 1992, 1993, 1994 and 1999 firstclass championships.It was, he said, an honour to have played for Barbados.”I’ve always felt it is not your God-given right to play for yourcountry,” he said.”It is something that you have to work at and perform during theseason. It is an honour for someone to have consistently representedyour country for as long as I have and at the level I have performedat.”Holder, however, expressed disappointment that the chairman ofselectors did not personally contact him to inform him of his nonselection.In addition to Holder, other notable omissions are wicket-keeper CoreyGlasgow, batsman Sean Armstrong, all-rounder Antonio Mayers, legspinner Dave Marshall, fast bowlers Hendy Bryan, Dayne Maynard andPatterson Thompson.The emphasis on youth is reflected by the inclusion of 15 teenagersand at least another eight who are under the age of 23.The teenagers include eight Barbados youth team selectees for theforthcoming regional Under-19 championships captain Rohan Nurse,fellow batsmen Alcindo Holder and Kirk Edwards, all-rounders KenroyWilliams and Ryan Wiggins, along with fast bowlers Antonio Thomas,Ryan Nurse and Jason Bennett.Off-spinner Ryan Austin and wicket-keeper Patrick Browne, both inEngland with the West Indies youth team have also been included.The other teenagers are batsmen Jason Parris and Randy Thomas, leftarm spinner Anderson Sealy and pacer Ryan Best.The squad is expected to form the nucleus of players who willrepresent Barbados in the 2001 Red Stripe Bowl limited-overscompetition and the 2002 Busta Cup first-class championship.”The expanded programme is an important component of the BCA’s cricketdevelopment plan and builds on the Texaco-sponsored programme whichhas been in operation for the last two years,” the BCA said yesterday.”It is also a departure from the traditional approach of callingplayers to trials for a particular tournament and reflects the BCA’spresent policy of trying to develop a year-round programme to producerounded and effective world-class cricketers.”A programme has been designed to ensure physical and medical fitness,improve all aspects of cricketing and mental skills and teachappropriate areas of nutrition, injury prevention and management.It is also the intention to expose the squad to a whole range of lifeskills in an effort to prepare and create a modern, successful firstclass cricketer.The squad includes players who may be overseas on various assignmentsbut who are expected to the available for national selection.”It is also to be noted that all players will be assessed on an ongoing basis and must work to keep themselves in the squad,” the BCAsaid.