posted Nov 16, 2008

Very little chance I'm afraid. Perhaps some of the older brigade - Joseph etc should be selected.

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posted Nov 16, 2008

frm what i've seen a average pakistan side beaten a 3 man WI side. And why didnt shoiab akhtar play? and why no nasir jamshed?

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posted Nov 16, 2008

An interesting and well written article Waikato (shame that as always, there's that sad phantom rater who gives every article one star). The West Indies need to keep trying new batsmen to see if they can unearth better players. It's ridiculous that a team that features three world class batsmen should be so unreliable. I think things should improve with the return of Bravo. Although he's hardly set the world on fire, he's young, and I think he has what it takes to become a fine all rounder in both forms of the game - he just needs more time to mature.

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posted Nov 16, 2008

What are west indies holding up there sleeves,i dont think they took this series seriously because of the players that they have picked, why are they holding some of there good players back,Andre fletcher,Dinesh ramdin,Sylvester joseph,Dwayn bravo,Kieron pollard,etc,who there trying to kid?

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posted Nov 17, 2008

Very good article, waikato....

Bravo might be injured, but some of the selections defied logic. Baugh and Findlay should be nowhere near a WI side, IMHO. Sadly, Joseph has retired from the longer forms of the game, in order to concentrate on 20/20 cricket.

But players like Pollard, Fletcher and Ramdin should have been given more of a run in the Abu Dhabi matches. I think Nash will prove his usefulness in the Test side, in New Zealand....

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posted Nov 17, 2008

Well it just goes to show that inconsistancy and inexperience is still a big issue within the West Indian team. You can't expect three batsmen to carry the side all the time, the others have to contribute as well.

But this is nothing new. For how long did Brian Lara carry the batting in the West Indies? We haven't had a decent opening pair since Greenidge and Haynes. Campbell, Adams and Hooper showed alot of promise, but didn't live up to their potential and Chanderpaul was just a youngster coming through. I've lost count of the amount of mediocre, club standard cricketers that have also come and gone in the last 15 years.

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posted Nov 17, 2008

Here's the squad for the new zealand tour. WHo would you start in the first test?

Chris Gayle (capt)
Ramnaresh Sarwan
Lionel Baker
Carlton Baugh
Sulieman Benn
Shivnarine Chanderpaul
Sewnarine Chattergoon
Fidel Edwards
Leon Johnson
Xavier Marshall
Brendan Nash
Daren Powell
Denesh Ramdin (wk)
Kemar Roach
Jerome Taylor.

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posted Nov 17, 2008

Apart from the usual suspects, i guess it depends on who impresses in training and the warm ups.

Given that the conditions in New Zealand generally favour seam and swing movement, the pitches itself are usually slow and doesn't quite come on to the bat, so the batters will need a good eye and alot of patience.

Judging by the squad, here's my selectors hat:
1. Gayle, 2. Chattergoon, 3. Sarwan, 4. Chanderpaul, 5. Marshall, 6. Nash, 7. Ramdin, 8. Taylor, 9. Benn, 10. Baker, 11. Edwards.

Still can't believe Darren Sammy has not been selected. His medium-pace seamers would prove handy in New Zealand, plus his lower-order batting adding depth at the tail.

Also after watching Andre Fletcher in the Stanford 20/20s, i'm amazed that the selectors have ignored him as well. This guy is definately one for the future.

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posted Nov 18, 2008

I agree with your assessment, Silva....

I also can't believe that Sammy has been overlooked, especially since Bravo is injured. I agree with your team from 1-8. I'm not so sure about the inclusion of Benn on Kiwi wickets that offer very little for spin, and in any case we've selected a 'spinner' in the squad who does very little on pitches that don't offer much assistance.

If Miller or Jaggernauth had been selected, I would've gone for either of them, but because Benn is in the squad, I might be tempted to go with two of Powell, Baker or Roach. I've been impressed with Roach, and I would like to see him given a chance.

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posted Nov 18, 2008

I agree with what you're saying shiv, but i'm only choosing based on who the selectors did pick in the squad. I only added Benn for variety, just to bring a different option to the table. The pitches in new Zealand are usually quite slow and that's why i didn't opt for a all out pace attack.

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