 We're halfway through the Sportsmax zone on this Wednesday and we're going to switch now to Cricket. The Cricket West Indies on Wednesday confirmed a number of personal changes as the board revealed its decision not to renew the contracts of several selectors across the various West Indies teams including Roland Butcher, Travis Dowlin and Robert Haynes. CWI's director of Cricket Miles Baskum stressed the significance of the selection review process which led to the men's selector Butcher, women's team selector Dowlin and Haynes from the under-19 panel being released. Here's what Miles Baskum said, we are dedicated to refining our selection processes to better serve the needs of West Indies Cricket, the ongoing evaluation and restructuring efforts are integral steps toward achieving this goal. The review has been planned to coincide with the end of the contracts of some selectors to enable a seamless transition. Now the chief executive officer of CWI, Johnny Grave, in the meantime said the board's commitment to continuous evolution as an organization resulted in the redistribution of other roles within its ranks including that of commercial marketing and communications director Dominique Warren and media and public relations manager Philip Spooner. And Johnny Grave said, we have concluded a thorough appraisal process resulting in the realignment of responsibilities of some of our team members. As part of this process, while some contracts have reached a natural conclusion including those of Dominique Warren, commercial manager, commercial marketing and communicators director and Philip Spooner, media and public relations manager. Both individuals will continue supporting us in the extremely important year ahead in new roles working directly on the upcoming ICC Men's T20 World Cup and that will be in June. Now joining us via Zoom to assess the story's veteran cricket commentator, Joseph Reds-Barrear. Can we say Happy New Year to Reds and a man who has covered sport and West Indies Cricket for over 50 years, born in Guyana and based in St. Lucia. What is your take on this story which hit us late on Tuesday evening? First of all, let me wish you and Mariah and Ricardo, who's absent a very good 2024 year with good health and I hope Mariah has worked back a lot of goodies from Trinidad, a lot of bubbles, I'm sure she's got that to surprise you all maybe tomorrow for lunch. I don't ever bring back food, Reds. It's one, it's not allowed in the airport and two, I don't eat hot over food. Like I need fresh food. Okay, well make some for Lance and Ricardo. But Reds, you never asked me if I could make a roti? You were trying that young girl and you're back to the topic, Lance, your opening question. Yes. Your take on what has happened here because it from some angles appears sudden. Yes, sudden and surprise. Sudden and surprise. I'm going to ask you to go back to a statement you read from the CEO, Johnny Graves. But quickly I got in touch with Roland Butcher, the man probably most affected and he provide me some information which I shared with you that doesn't really back the view of the authorities that in any way form he did not provide the right kind of decisions in the decision making. And Roland points out that they won seven series in 2023 and one drawn. Now if you were not carrying on a man's contract you would think that it's the opposite way around that it was a very poor performance by the team and hence the selectors must take some responsibility. That certainly was not the case, Lance, and I think I did pass on the information to you and you would read it for yourself. Yes, there were some failures along the line though because the historic non-qualification for the 50 over World Cup would have had a lot of impact as well on the cricket community in the Caribbean. But that was not in 2023 was it? And they lost an ODI to India and want to have some balance, they lost a test to South Africa. But I would think that seven successes and one draw doesn't indicate that the selectors in general and Roland Butcher in particular did a very poor job. The work of qualifying tournament was early in the year, wasn't it? Early in the past year. And I just want to say that his contract had ended. Now when we read closely the press release that the CWI put out this morning, there is a suggestion that a lot of things are being reviewed and the expectation that some things are going to be handled differently. It may have been a skillful way on their part to communicate to the cricketing public that they're in the process of doing things differently. But I'm not sure how to take that Reds, is it that the panel will be reduced or expanded or because there is a clear indication from the press release that at least in the immediate future he will not be replaced? Well, I think they're now forced to come up with a new panel because there's only one person in place and that's the honourable Desmond Haynes. When they're going to do that, I do not know. But there is work to be done by the selectors in a short while. I'm told that they did pick the white ball squad for Australia. So that is out of the way. But I just want to go back before I further answer your question. We have concluded a thorough appraisal resulting in the realignment and responsibilities. Lance question, when was that done? Was Butcher ever spoken to? Did he have an interview? Did he have a chance to interact with a committee, that committee? Who was the committee? And as a former West Indies respected player asked me this afternoon, was the cricket committee involved? But yes, Lance, they have to look at maybe changing what the vice president then Dr. Shalo came up with with a two-member panel, whether they will now widen that. We just have to wait and see. They could, of course, provide the Dara Sammias coach with more authority as England did with Silverwood, but it didn't work in the manner that they were hoping. I had to change that. So we wait for a number of things to come out. For example, there is a director for the academy to be announced. And all the many people who have been moved on, sometimes you have to replace them. I mean, after the work up in June, according to what we hear, what we read, there will be no more Roland Holder. There will be no Philip Spooner. There will be no Dominic Ward, who are now, of course, applying their trade with the ICC for the 2020-2024 work up. So many, many questions and not a lot of answers. Yeah. Reds, you are on record, to be fair, as not a huge fan of the Kishore Shallow-Rikki Skerritt administration, which we have had for the past couple of cycles, based on some of the criticisms that you have leveled on this program among them. But Shallow appears to be very busy and there appears to be some plan to do things differently. Is this something good? Is this something that fans can feel encouraged by? I think when we are aware of the final picture, when we have the final information, we can then judge whether it's in the benefit of the future within this cricket. Right now, there's a lot of questions, there's a lot of missing pieces in the puzzle. And just to go back to what you said quite rightly, I have been critical previously of the Skerritt administration and that goes back to changing selectives and changing the coaches after we had beaten England. And I feel that there's not been enough information coming out on the board. Communication is very, very important. Who is doing what, when are you doing it? What's happening with the cricket committee? There are a lot of questions, there are more questions than answers that. And Desmond Haynes' contract is up for renewal, I think in the middle of this year. You are a man that follows these stories closely. From what you're gathering, do you think his contract will be renewed? I expect Desmond Haynes' contract to be renewed. I'm surprised that they did not extend Roland Butcher's contract to June, which would have been nice uniform to then make a decision for the selection committee. I'm told that Ann Jones' contract is being extended to June or it's always been in June. So they've got the decision to make there. But I expect, directly to your question, the Honorable Desmond Haynes to remain as the head of the selection committee, I expect a different selection committee. One maybe of a wider input from other ideas and other views. Well, we have to leave it here, but I want to suggest that based on the pressure that Des Haynes has been under for some recent selection decisions, a viewer may be questioning your backing of him having his contract renewed. And if that doesn't happen, are there any names that you can think of that could fill in this role? Well, I can give you names, but are they available? Are they willing to drink the chalice wine? I'm not sure. But when you look at other options in terms of a head selector, we don't have a cupboard full of ex-players who are willing or who can be asked. It's a very small number of people that right now you can think about. I would like to believe that maybe Jeffrey Dujan has still got a role to play. I would like to see Lillian Johnson be given some opportunity to be a head selector. I wouldn't be surprised if Lockhart Sebastian is brought back into a possible selection panel. One of the questions I missed to raise is that many people have been asking, what's the back room staff in Australia? We know that Coach Coley is there. We know that Jimmy Adams is in fact the batting coach. But who make up the rest of the back room staff? Those questions were in fact very much aware last night in the discussion in Barbados. A lot of people said they do not know, and I do not know. When I ask you a question, Lance, do you know the back room staff in Australia? No, I don't. But hopefully by Thursday's show we can get some information on that and furnish our viewers with that story. Yes, it would be good to try and ask a few more questions. All right, Reds, we're going to leave it. They're always a pleasure talking to you and all the best for the remainder of the evening and 2024. The best wishes with Maria's booking. Reds, you're trying to set me up on the show, you know. Thank you. I know your capabilities. I know your capability. Your mother would be proud of you and your sister. All right. Well, thank you, Reds, and all the best for 2024. I know we'll be chatting with you again very soon. Thank you. Take care. Break time.