Shakera Selman raises concern about lack of younger players in West Indies

Shakera Selman, West Indies fast bowler, said she would be ready to take the field once the safety measures are put in place in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.



“I think I am ready but obviously I think they will have to be some adjustments,” she told Barbados Today. “We are accustomed to shaking hands with the opponents, signing autographs, taking pictures with fans, these are all adjustments to be made.”



“And then there is the new rule where you can’t use saliva to shine the ball anymore. So, it is just for us to remember those things and be cognizant of what is going on in the world right now. But I am ready to play again.”



In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the West Indies series against South Africa was postponed and West Indies were also scheduled to be part of the Women’s World Cup Qualifier in Sri Lanka, which the ICC postponed.



The 30-year-old pacer found it difficult to adjust to the different training methods under the lockdown with lack access to training grounds. “I had to rely on whatever workouts we were given by by Cricket West Indies. So you have to rely on your own motivation to do workouts at home which is a lot different from what we are accustomed to,” said Selman.



“A small group of us have been meeting to get in some skills work. We have been doing our own fitness at home, but we have been getting together to train at least three days a week as a group. The idea is to stay on top of our game just in case some miracle happens and we can play again.”



Shakera Selman celebrates dismissing a batter. © ICC



Shakera Selman, who represented West Indies in 154 international matches across formats, feels better developmental structure is needed in order to attract young females to cricket.



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“I am actually scared of what will happen when this group of players are finished,” Selman said. “Majority of us that are playing are around the same age. So, I am actually scared that we wouldn’t have sufficient girls left to carry on the sport.”



Selman thinks the cricket boards need to find ways to encourage participation of young girls in cricket. “The onus is on the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) obviously and Cricket West Indies to to find ways to develop sport and encourage the younger girls to play. I find more girls are gravitating towards football and other sports. So, we have to find a way to get the girls interested and to keep that interest in the sport,” she said.



Selman, vice-captain of Barbados, credited the young players at their disposal as the reason behind their domination at the regional level, winning three championship trophies in the last two years. Thus, it's important to bring in more young girls into the set up, she said.



“If we can get some kiddies cricket and some more development structures, you could get a West Indies Under-19 team (women’s) maybe that would encourage the young girls to play,” she said.



“A lot of the girls are just thinking that we have to wait so long before we could make a West Indies team. Not everyone is going to be a Hayley Matthews or a Qiana Joseph who would have started at 16 years old for West Indies. So, if we can get a junior team going maybe that would encourage the young girls to play.”



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Selman, who has been part of the West Indies side since 2005, believes administrators can generate interest at the junior level by conducting softball cricket tournaments and offering sports scholarships.



“As it relates to Barbados if we can get girls cricket into clubs that would help, especially at the junior level. One of the biggest things I have been agitating for is return of softball cricket. I see it working in Trinidad, they have a very strong softball competition and many of the girls start by playing softball and then they become interested in playing hardball. I think that is the way we have to go in Barbados.”



“Maybe a couple of scholarships would help. They have football scholarships, athletic scholarships. So, while people may argue that you can make more money from playing cricket, what happens if you don’t make a West Indies team? So, until you make a West Indies team at least there is a football scholarship and parents would encourage their children to play football which is understandable,” she added.



Selman, who was part of the T20 World Cup winning squad in 2016, said she is hoping to play in to at least two more global tournaments. “I think I’m pretty much at the peak of my career, I have been bowling well over the last two years. I have had a fairly decent return over those last two years and as long as I can manage my injury well, maybe at least the next two years, play two more World Cups and help the team win another one before I call it quits.”