Brendan Nash: reject or resource?

This piece was written about two years ago when Brendan Nash was trying to get into the West Indies cricket team. Since his selection he has performed creditably and was made vice captain on the 2010 tour to Sri Lanka.

West Indies vice captain Brendan Nash

The Australian-born Jamaican cricketer Brendan Nash displayed Jimmy Adam’s like character on Saturday April 26, as he scored a patient 117 to help his team beat Trinidad and Tobago in the Carib Beer Challenge final at Sabina Park. This was his second century for the national team, having scored 102 against the same opposition earlier in the competition.

Okay, so why is this important? Well, it has nothing to do with ‘dual citizenship’ – or does it? Nash’s father Paul is Jamaican and represented the country at the Olympic and Commonwealth games in swimming in the 1960s. Also, while I doubt that the younger Nash had to sever ties with Australia, sources indicate that he applied for and got his Jamaican passport. Besides, the fact that he is performing and Jamaica is winning should put to rest any arguments about citizenship – certainly among locals. What has caused a regional debate though is whether this former Australian pro player should represent the West Indies in the upcoming tour against – guess who? The Aussies.

There is no doubt that he is eligible for selection, having represented one of the six regional teams from which the WI selectors choose players for the Test teams. Would he merit that selection? In the context of this season’s regional competition, he would. Nash amassed 422 runs at an average of 46.88, making him the leading Jamaican batsman and fifth overall. He scored two centuries and one half century – 91 not out against Guyana at home. He was also instrumental, albeit with the ball in Jamaica’s KFC cup triumph in Barbados last year.

So what is the problem? Well according to some of the blogs I have been reading, Brendan Nash is a white Australian reject who thinks he can enter West Indies cricket through the back door; at 30 he should be at the pinnacle of his international career and not looking to make his debut; it would be unfair for him to be given preference over a young West Indian batsman i.e. Ryan Hinds of Barbados. There is even talk of boycotting the second Test match against the Aussies in Barbados if the runt, as he was referred to by one blogger, gets the nod over Hinds.

Well I certainly do not underestimate the ‘Boycotting Bajans’. They did it in 1992 on that historic tour by South Africa to the West Indies, when the selectors left out Anderson Cummings at the Three Ws Oval in Bridgetown. Unfortunately, those who stayed away missed one of the more memorable Test matches of all times. The WI on the back of scintillating performances from Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh and a solid all-round debut performance from Jimmy Adams made a desperate comeback to win a game that is still enthusiastically talked about.

Fast forward 17 years and the hypocrisy and insularity still plague the game in the Caribbean. Instead of judging a player on performance and merit we criticise him for his colour and background. The fact is whether white, black or purple, Brendan Nash’s seven years of professional experience in Australia could prove invaluable to a WI setup that NEEDS it. And this thing about age is rubbish! Herbert Ironmonger debuted for Australia at age 46. Fourteen matches later when he retired, he had taken 74 wickets at 17.97 apiece.

In less than a month the mighty Australians will be here. The miracle that we need in order to beat them, could be the early arrival of one who has been amongst them. For God’s sake, let us really ‘Rally Roun Di West Indies’ now and forever more.