Carl Hooper Slams Senior Windies Players, Says Shame They Don't Play

Former Windies skipper Carl Hooper has slammed his senior national team players for opting out of the ongoing series against India. Big names like Chris Gayle and Evin Lewis were missing in the ODI squad for the tourists after they opted out of the squad citing personal reasons. Carl Hooper, after the first Twenty20 International (T20I) against India at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata said that it's shameful but a clear indication that the players are not interested to play.

"It's a shame that some players are not interested in playing for the West Indies. I don't know why they are not interested to play for the team, but it's clear that they are not interested," Hooper told reporters on the sidelines of the first T20I.

The Windies had also lost the Test series 0-2 and the ODIs 1-3.

"This is a young squad and these players need time. Had the senior players been here, it would not have been this easy for India," he added.

He further said: "In the final of ICC World Cup Qualifier, we lost the match against Afghanistan. If we had the full strength, we could have won."

According to Hooper, consistency is the main problem of the current West Indies team. "Some days we are playing well, some days we are not performing according to the situation. We need to be consistent," Hooper opined.

Hopper signed off by saying that there is no dearth of talent in the Caribbean, but they need to be nurtured well.

"We have the talent, but they need to be nurtured well. Cricket West Indies needs to adopt good policies. If you look at Shai Hope, he has the talent, but somehow he is not suited for T20 cricket."

(With IANS inputs)

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team West Indies Cricket Team Carl Hooper India vs West Indies 2018 Chris Gayle Cricket