January 24, 2023
One on One interview with Mr. Roland Butcher story written by Steven R Leslie
The journey to the recent appointment of West Indies Junior and Senior selector, Mr. Roland Butcher has been a long one. In an exclusive interview with www.barbadoscricket.org, Butcher believes that his experience of playing first class cricket (Barbados and Middlesex, click here to see playing statistics), coaching, mentoring and being a high-level cricket administrator has prepared him well for this new and exciting role.
Serving as a commentator at the Regional level has also afforded him the opportunity to see many players from the Caribbean on a consistent basis.
Unearthing our talent
Butcher is hopeful that the fortunes of the West Indies side will improve once the existing talent in the Caribbean is properly harnessed and managed. “I am encouraged by the young talent that we have available right now and those coming through for the future. There are some very exciting players out there. We need to nurture that talent, get them into the right systems, good habits, become battle ready and hardened for a higher level of cricket, so that when players get their opportunities, they are not like a fish out of water. Not Learning on the job.” Butcher said He added, “We need to learn from some of our mistakes of the past and provide the support to enable these talented players to transition from being good junior level players into good international players.”
CWI appointment
Having served as a National Selector of the Barbados Pride and an administrator at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Butcher highlighted that his Barbadian nationality in the Desmond Haynes chaired selection panel should not be a distraction from the transparent process he undertook before receiving his appointment.
“I really want to get that notion out of the window completely. I had to go through a very very stringent process of application for the position, then a very stringent one of interviews and preparation before finally I was awarded the position. This is not something that CWI just decided I would be a selector.’ He stated
Balance
Butcher is of the view that the global cricketing environment has evolved in recent years and it is imperative that we in the Caribbean region continue to work on finding the best formula to have highly competitive International sides while not denying players their marketability and earning potential as cricketers.
“We need to get the balance right where our players represent the West Indies as much as possible and still have the opportunity to play in the T20 Leagues. We should ensure that welcome to a common ground where both parties are happy It is something that we have to work out and it is not just a West Indian problem”. Butcher cited an example in Australia where players and administrators have reached a balance between International representation and participating in the lucrative T20 Franchise Cricket Leagues across the world.
Mr. Roland Butcher (left), newly appointed West Indies Junior and Senior Selector and Mr. Steven Leslie, Manager, Marketing and Communications, BCA at Kensington Oval (January 23,2023)