Rayad Emrit jumps in celebration after he bowled the Cayman Islands’ opening batsman Keniel Irving in the Stanford 20/20
The selection of Rayad Emrit for the four-match one day series against India was understandably a surprise to many, but for others who were aware of his performances, particularly against Barbados in the Carib Beer final last season, it may not have been that alarming.
What was particularly surprising for me was the timing of the selection. With the World Cup just four international matches away (the internationals in India being the last for the West Indies before the tournament) there is hardly enough time for Emrit, and even opener Devon Smith, to convince the selectors they should be included in the World Cup squad ahead of others who have been preparing for the big occasion for a much longer period.
That it came so close to the World Cup, when the finishing touches should be virtually completed, is unfortunate but, in the context of modern day West Indies cricket, Emrit has obviously done enough to get the attention of the selectors.
Emrit was not part of the sixteen-man A team squad that toured England last summer and only played a solitary ODI when the Sri Lankan A side visited the West Indies towards the end of last year. He scored 10 and took one wicket for 37 runs in eight overs.
So far this year Emrit has scores of 35 and 15 for Trinidad and Tobago, along with two wickets at 22 runs each in two Carib Beer matches. In one KFC Cup match he picked up none for 30 in four overs and did not bat. In the 2005-06 KFC Cup, Emrit scored 67 runs in four innings with a highest score of 33 not out and in four matches took none for 52 in eight overs at an economy rate of 6.50. Incidentally his economy rate in his lone appearance for Trinidad and Tobago this year is 7.50.
It must either be his performance in last year’s first class season that has belatedly impressed the selectors, or a stroke of insightful genius on their part. The more cynical among us may suggest the selection is as connected to the nationality of the captain as to either of the two reasons I have put forward.
In 23 first class career matches Emrit, a right arm medium fast bowler and lower middle order batsman, has scored 591 runs at 15.97 per innings. He has just two scores above 50 in 39 first class innings, a century against Barbados and an unbeaten 55 against Guyana.
In six matches in the 2005-06 first class season prior to the final against the Bajans, Emrit scored 172 runs at 17.2 and took 12 wickets for 173 runs.
Like the initial selection of Fidel Edwards a few years ago with an even shorter CV, the picking of Emrit may prove to be an inspiration. Little has changed for Edwards since then though after some encouraging early signs. Prior to his surprising Test debut three and half years ago, he was not a regular member of the Barbados side and on the evidence of this season so far is still struggling to find an automatic place in the team.
Hopefully Emrit will not become the most recent of a number of players who have been exposed too early, having done too little at regional level. It’s a list that, apart from Edwards, includes Dwayne Smith, Xavier Marshall, Donovan Pagon, Dwight Washington, Lincoln Roberts, Daren Ganga, David Bernard, Darryl Brown et al.
Maybe it will be different this time and Emrit will not only go on to make the World Cup team and inspire a memorable West Indies performance, but will become one of the leading players in international cricket for the next decade or so.
