New Zealand took the series 2-1 after winning the first T20 international by 13 runs last Wednesday and humiliating the West Indies by 90 runs on Friday, which meant that Sunday’s match was a dead rubber with only pride at stake for the home side.
Set a target of 147, the West Indies cruised to 150-2 from 19 overs.
The victory was set up by an opening stand of 102 between Brooks, who was unbeaten on 56 and King who entertained the small crowd gathered with 53 from 35 balls, his first T20 international half-century on home soil and his fifth overall.
It was the first opening stand of 100 or more by the West Indies since January 2020 against Ireland.
King eventually got out in the 14th over attempting to pull Tim Southee over the square-leg boundary but was caught by Martin Guptill running in from deep.
Devon Thomas wasted an opportunity to get some runs under his belt when he was caught at deep midwicket by Glen Phillips for five to leave the West Indies 113-2 mid-way the 15th over.
Stand-in captain Rovman Powell ensured that there would be no jitters. He scored 27 not out including the match-winning six over the midwicket boundary from James Neesham’s final delivery.
Powell and Brooks shared a 37-run partnership that took the home side to victory.
For the first time in the series, the bowlers and batsmen were on song.
Odean Smith took T20I career-best figures of 3-29, Dominic Drakes bowled tidily to finish with 1-19 and Akeal Hosein 2-28 to restrict New Zealand to 145-7, their lowest total of the series.
Phillips followed up his 76 from the second T20 international with a 26-ball 41 but New Zealand lost wickets at regular intervals and were unable to put together any meaningful partnerships.
In fact, it was a 47-run fourth-wicket partnership between Kane Williamson (24) and Phillips that helped the tourists set a respectable total after struggling to 57-3 in the ninth over.
Devon Conway’s 21 was the only other score of note as the West Indies bowlers maintained a stranglehold throughout the 20 overs.
After Ireland won the toss and chose to field, vice-captain Shai Hope and debutant Justin Greaves were tasked to open the innings for the home side.
The pair battled to 18-0 from 5.4 overs before Greaves was removed caught off the bowling of pacer Mark Adair for 7.
Nicholas Pooran joined Hope and the pair brought the score to 36-1 after 10 overs with Hope on 17 and Pooran on five.
They reached 59-1 in the 17th over before Pooran was dismissed, caught on the boundary off the bowling of off-spinner Andrew McBrine for 13.
Shai Hope was the next batsman to go, caught by wicketkeeper Lorcan Tucker off the bowling of medium-pacer Curtis Campher for 29 to leave the West Indies 59-3 early in the 18th over.
Roston Chase replaced Hope at the crease and didn’t last long, becoming McBrine’s second victim, for one, leaving the West Indies 62-4 after 19 overs with captain Pollard joining Brooks at the crease.
After 20 overs, the Caribbean side were 66-4 with Brooks on five and Pollard on one.
The same pair were at the crease when the West Indies brought up their 100 in the 27th over with Pollard on 20 and Brooks on 17.
After 30 overs, West Indies were 121-4 with Pollard on 26 and Brooks on 27.
Brooks brought up a debut ODI 50 off 61 balls in the 36th over to move the score along to 159-4.
Pollard followed suit in the 37th over, hitting consecutive sixes off McBrine to bring up his 13th ODI 50 off 51 balls.
With 10 overs remaining, the West Indies were 204-4 with Brooks and Pollard looking comfortable on 70 and 66, respectively.
Pollard finally went for 69 off 66 balls in the 42nd over to leave the Windies 217-5.
Brooks was dismissed narrowly short of a debut hundred in the 45th over, going off the bowling of Mark Adair for 93 from 89 balls to leave the West Indies 238-6 with five overs remaining.
Romario Shepherd was the seventh wicket to fall, caught off the bowling of Craig Young in the 47th over for two to leave the score at 246-7.
More misery followed as Jason Holder went off the very next ball for 13 to leave the Windies 246-8 off 46.5 overs.
Alzarri Joseph was next to go in the 48th over for a duck to leave the score 253-9.
Mark Adair was the pick of the Irish bowlers with 3-38 from his 8.5 overs and he was supported by Craig Young who recovered from an expensive start to his spell to finish with 3-56 from nine overs.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh and Afghanistan will have direct entry into the Super 12s.
The West Indies, champions in 2012 and 2016, lost four of their five group matches in the world cup and slipped to 10th in the ICC T20 rankings and find themselves below Sri Lanka, who are ninth as well as Bangladesh, the only team to lose to the West Indies and Afghanistan, who beat the West Indies in their final warm-up game prior to the start of the T20 World Cup.
Bangladesh has risen to eighth because of their home-series wins over Australia and New Zealand. Afghanistan is seventh in the rankings.
Permaul took 5-35 from his 13 overs to help restrict Sri Lanka to 204 all out on day two of the second Test in Galle.
The Guyanese bowler, who is playing in his first Test match since 2015, reacted joyously to his achievement.
“First of all, I’d like to thank God for giving me strength. I’m very overwhelmed. Over the years I’ve been working really hard to get back into the team and now it is paying off,” he said.
Permaul said trying to spin the ball as much as possible served him well in the Sri Lankan conditions.
“I tried to adjust to the conditions and see what pace is good for the wicket. I also tried to spin the ball as much as possible and I think that is what brought me success,” he said.
He also referred to the bowling partnership between himself and fellow left-arm spinner, Barbadian Jomel Warrican, who took 4-50 from his 18.3 overs.
“I think Warrican bowled really well. He was the one that was controlling the scoring rate. He was bowling tight at one end and I was attacking at the other end and that is the key to a good bowling partnership,” he said.
When asked how the Windies bowling performance can carry over into future encounters, Permaul said consistency is key.
“Moving forward, it’s very important that we stay consistent as a bowling unit. Be patient and don’t look for wickets. Try to create opportunities rather than experimenting,” he said.
The West Indies ended day two on 69-1 in their first innings reply to Sri Lanka’s 204 all out with captain, Kraigg Brathwaite, at the crease on 22 and Nkrumah Bonner on one.
Jermaine Blackwood is the only batsman out so far for 44.
A chastening World Cup campaign has ushered in a new era for England although it was largely the contributions of individuals out in India who had the biggest impact in the first of three ODIs.
Three weeks on from their final match in the subcontinent, Brook top-scored in England’s 325 all out, with all of their batters reaching double figures except for Buttler and number 11 Gus Atkinson.
Buttler had a torrid World Cup, averaging 15.33 without passing 50 once, and never got going in Antigua before being dismissed for three off 13 balls after gloving a reverse sweep to the lone slip.
Sam Curran and Brydon Carse put on 66 in 38 balls down the order to get England over 300 after they had slipped to 239 for seven against a new-look Windies side who failed to qualify for the World Cup.
Phil Salt gave England a turbocharged start with a boundary-laden 45 in 28 balls after winning the toss under sunny skies while the tourists went on to record the highest ODI score at this ground, helped by occasionally shoddy fielding from their opponents.
Salt wasted no time in settling, crashing five fours and three meaty leg-side sixes off fast bowlers Alzarri Joseph and Romario Shepherd, forcing Windies captain Shai Hope to turn to spin after six overs.
The change worked as Salt ended an electric innings in tame fashion. He has struggled against left-arm spin in the past and he was snared by Gudakesh Motie after backing away to leg and lofting to cover.
Will Jacks had been in Salt’s slipstream in a 77-run stand but still dispatched a 96-metre six arcing over cover, aided slightly by a breeze blowing across the ground, before nicking off as England’s openers departed in quick succession.
Conditions seemed to grow trickier, with the ball occasionally keeping low, as Test openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett attempted to build on England’s rapid start.
Duckett’s customary sweeps, both orthodox and reverse, came to the fore but he had his leg-stump pegged back by one that skidded on from leg-spinner Yannic Cariah, who should have had Crawley on 30 but a top-edged which looped gently to long-on was spilled by Motie, possibly unsighted by the sunshine.
Crawley was run out for 48 after setting off for a single, only to see Brook had not budged, allowing Hope to whip off the bails following Alick Athanaze’s throw from point.
Brook was initially quiet, nudging and nurdling 12 singles from his first 18 balls before reverse sweeping Motie for his first four. His second boundary was the result of more Windies misfielding as Keacy Carty got in a tangle and the ball sailed underneath his legs.
He kept England ticking over then accelerated after Buttler’s departure, clubbing Shepherd then Cariah for sixes. Cariah was also taken the distance twice by Livingstone in an over costing 23 but the England all-rounder fell for 17, trapped lbw by a grubber from Shepherd.
Brook was dropped at point on 70 but added just another run before being deceived by Shepherd’s pace-off delivery and thumping to mid-off.
At 239 for seven, England’s lower order had work to do but Sam Curran, who had a fringe role at the World Cup, and Carse, an unused squad member, helped the tourists finish with a flourish.
Both lower order batters cleared the rope twice to carry England beyond 300 before Curran was run out on 38. Carse was unbeaten on 31.
England’s woeful group-stage exit at the World Cup was followed by an ODI reset getting off to a false start with a 2-1 defeat in the Caribbean, while they then lost T20s in Barbados and Grenada.
But Phil Salt’s maiden T20 hundred and Brook’s 31 not out off seven deliveries – thumping 24 off the final over – saw England chase down 223 on Saturday.
The tourists arrived in Trinidad on Sunday with hope renewed and Brook believes a pair of wins this week could do wonders for them a few months out from the T20 World Cup in the region.
Brook likened England’s predicament to last year’s series in Pakistan, where they came from behind to win 4-3 before sealing T20 World Cup glory.
“We’re a fair way away from the World Cup but these two games can make a big difference, especially getting the experience of these pitches and these crowds,” Brook said.
“We had it against Pakistan before the last T20 World Cup where we needed to win the last two games and we just tried to play them all like finals. We’ve got to do that for the rest of this series.
“We can take a lot of confidence from that win. You’ve got so much clarity chasing a big score like that, you know you’ve got to get out the blocks quickly.”
England were behind the eight ball at the start of the 20th over with the Windies calling upon Andre Russell, who has been confronted with this situation many times.
Requiring 21 to avoid losing the series and with Salt on 109 at the other end, Brook, on seven off two balls at the time, whipped the all-rounder fine for four.
Russell overcompensated by bowling too wide, allowing Brook to free his arms for a six over extra cover, before a full toss was larruped over the rope to leave England needing five off three balls.
The Yorkshireman clipped to midwicket for a couple before taking England to a seven-wicket victory in style by carving another wider delivery over backward point.
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“I’m just trying to be as cool as I can be,” Brook said. “I’m trying to be free-flowing – as soon as I get tensed up in any format, I’m never as good.
“It was really nice to go out there and finish it off. Hopefully I can do it plenty more times in my career.”
Brook has been conspicuously bowling a lot in net sessions, most notably attempting to improve his off-spin.
He memorably snared New Zealand captain Kane Williamson in Wellington earlier this year – so far his only Test wicket – but as a military medium-pacer.
While adding extra depth to England’s bowling is still a way off, Brook is optimistic of being able to turn his arm over in The Hundred for Northern Superchargers next year.
“It was jokey at the start but then I’ve actually started to get pretty good at it,” Brook added. “I’m just trying to work on it and see what can happen.
“The seamers are still there for Test cricket. But I am trying to look towards The Hundred. I might not bowl but it’s a little target I’ve got.”
The Windies had set the hosts 290 to win the opening match of the three-game series, Shai Hope leading the way with 115 as he scored his ninth ODI century.
It was a target that looked like it could well be beyond Sri Lanka after their innings lost impetus following a 111-run first-wicket partnership between Avishka Fernando (50) and captain Dimuth Karunaratne (52).
Thisara Perera played an in important role with a 22-ball 32, but when he was caught off the bowling of Alzarri Joseph the match was very much in the balance with Sri Lanka on 253-7.
However, Hasaranga (42 off 39) produced a performance that belied his ODI average of 14.37 to get Sri Lanka over the finish line.
Hasaranga's ability to find the rope – he struck a quartet of fours and one maximum – and inaccurate death bowling from the Windies left the scores level going into the final over.
A direct-hit run out from Sunil Ambris to remove Lakshan Sandakan frayed the nerves a little, but the one run Sri Lanka needed came from a Keemo Paul no-ball off the next delivery.
Batting first, anchored by a resilient half-century from Danushka Gunathilaka (56), the Sri Lankans posted a creditable 160 for 6 after winning the toss and choosing to bat first. Gunathilaka and Pathum Nissanka put on a blistering 94 off the first 10 overs.
In response, the Windies were also off to a strong start at 45-1 before losing five wickets for just 21 runs.
Chris Gayle, who made a first-ball duck on Wednesday in his first appearance in two years, didn’t comfortable in making 16 before falling to a catch by Ashen Bandara off Hasaranga.
Opener Lendl Simmons (21) was next out, lbw failing to pick a Hasaranga googly.
Nicholas Pooran, Jason Holder, and Dwayne Bravo all followed quickly for single-figure scores.
Hasaranga ended with 3-17, off-break bowler Akila Dananjaya, who was the victim of Kieron Pollard's midweek assault claimed 1-13. Wrist spinner Lakshan Sandakan took 3-10, including accounting for Pollard who made just 13.
Dananjaya earlier accounted for Evin Lewis who made six. Hasaranga added Fabian Allan to his list of victims with the West Indies then struggling on 89-7 in the 16th over.
With more than 22 an over required, Sandakan then got the wicket of Pollard, who was caught in the deep for just 13 having surprisingly opted to bat at number seven.
The final match of the series is on Sunday.
The Proteas secured their first series victory away from home in the longest format since 2017 on Monday, bowling the Windies out for 165 at the Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium.
Set 324 to salvage a 1-1 draw, West Indies collapsed on the penultimate day in St. Lucia following a battling half-century from Kieran Powell (51).
Kagiso Rabada took 3-44 and Maharaj (5-36) became only the second South African to take a Test hat-trick in a sensational over just before lunch, with the tourists retaining the Sir Vivian Richards Trophy in the afternoon session.
Rabada reduced the Windies to 26-2 early in the day by removing Kraigg Brathwaite and Shai Hope, but Powell and Kyle Mayers showed defiance.
They put on 64 for the third wicket before Mayers (34) top-edged to Dean Elgar at second slip attempting to hook the rapid Rabada.
Spinner Maharaj then took centre stage, dismissing Powell, Jason Holder and Joshua Da Silva in the penultimate over before lunch to join the Test hat-trick club.
Jermaine Blackwood (25) and Kemar Roach (27) added 40 for the seventh wicket, but Maharaj finished off the Windies with his fifth wicket by getting Jayden Seales caught at deep square leg, with Roston Chase unable to bat due to a quad injury.
MAHARAJ MAGIC
Geoff Griffin was the only South African to take a hat-trick for South Africa against England at Lord's in 1960 before Maharaj worked his magic in the penultimate over of the morning session.
He had Powell taken by Anrich Nortje in the deep on the leg side and snared Holder before Da Silva was taken by Wiaan Mulder at leg slip, sparking jubilant scenes.
The left-arm tweaker put the icing on the cake by helping himself to a seventh five-wicket Test haul after lunch.
POWELL A PLUS FOR WINDIES
Opener Powell was recalled for this series after being left out in the international wilderness since 2018.
He made only 14 in the second innings of the first Test after being selected as a concussion substitute for Nkrumah Bonner and fell for only five in his first knock in this match.
Powell, 31, showed the sort of defiance West Indies have been lacking in a 116-ball knock, but there was an all-too familiar collapse after he departed.
Leg-spinner Hayden Walsh Jr has been named in the match-day squad while all-rounder Fabian Allen returns from an injury sustained in the recent series against South Africa. All-rounder Jason Holder is being rested for this series as part of his workload management, and he is expected to feature in upcoming One-Day Internationals and Test matches.
Roger Harper, Lead Selector said: “Hayden Walsh Jr adds variety and another wicket-taking option, while Fabian Allen, who was unavailable for the last game because of injury, returns. Considering the opposition, it is important that the team plays well in all departments, especially the batting, which needs to deliver more consistently.”
This CG Insurance T20I Series forms part of the West Indies’ World Cup preparation with a total of 15 T20Is to be played across three months in the build-up to the ICC T20 World Cup to be played from October 17 to November 14 in the United Arab Emirates and Oman.
Fans in the Caribbean can watch exclusively live on Flow Sports or via the Flow Sports app. West Indies fans can also follow live ball-by-ball scoring in the www.windiescricket.com live match centre, featuring the new live match blog. Live radio commentary is available on a number of radio stations across the Caribbean and available worldwide, except in India and Bangladesh, on the Windies Cricket YouTube channel.
Fans in Australia can follow this match and the entire West Indies vs Australia CG Insurance T20I and ODI Series live on Foxtel’s Fox Cricket channel as well as via live stream on Kayo Sports.
Fully vaccinated patrons will be able to buy tickets for the series from the stadium ticket office at the East Gate on presentation of their vaccination documentation and their national ID, with tickets available at EC$50 per match. A three-match ticket promotion is available for just EC$120, with a special Series five-match season ticket special at EC$200.
FULL SQUAD: Kieron Pollard (Captain), Nicholas Pooran (Vice-Captain), Fabian Allen, Dwayne Bravo, Sheldon Cottrell, Fidel Edwards, Andre Fletcher, Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Evin Lewis, Obed McCoy, Andre Russell, Lendl Simmons, and Hayden Walsh Jr.
Travelling Reserves: Akeal Hosein, Kevin Sinclair, and Oshane Thomas.
After producing some stellar performances in 2024, it comes as no surprise that West Indies’ Hayley Matthews and Sherfane Rutherford were named in the ICC Women’s and Men’s ODI Teams of the Year, respectively.
The West Indies drew the ODI series 1-1 before enjoying a 2-1 victory in the T20s.
“Yes, Hetmyer was available. He did send through an email to Jimmy (Adams), our director of cricket, stating that he was available for the tour,” Haynes said.
“We have a new captain in Shai Hope and he was very happy to express his views about the type of camaraderie we had in the team in South Africa.
We as selectors saw some commitment and a real change in our approach to one-day cricket and we thought it’s only fair to stick with those guys at this time,” he added.
The left-hander, currently representing the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL), last represented the regional side in the ODI format in 2021 against Australia. His last T20I appearance for the Windies came in August last year against New Zealand.
Although initially selected for the T20 World Cup in Australia between October and November last year, he was replaced in the squad after failing to board a rescheduled flight to Australia.
Haynes, however, made it clear that this is by no means the end for Hetmyer or any player who wasn’t selected.
“I must say, though, that I want the public to know that nobody has been ruled out of selection for the West Indies. We do not have the depth of players to rule out anybody for selection,” Haynes added.
The West Indies will take on the UAE in three ODIs from June 5-9 before moving over to Zimbabwe for the World Cup qualifiers from June 18-July 9.
Cricket Australia on Monday confirmed a 14-man squad for the series opener at the Gabba following Sunday's 419-run rout of the West Indies in Adelaide.
Cummins has been named in that squad despite missing the Adelaide pink ball Test with a quad injury, but Hazlewood is absent again with an ongoing side strain issue.
The return of the Australian skipper would mean one of Scott Boland or Michael Neser would likely miss out in Brisbane against the Proteas. Uncapped WA tearaway Lance Morris retains his place in the squad but appears unlikely to break into the XI.
"Pat continues to improve, bowled with freedom on Saturday and appears likely to play this match, although Josh will need more time," selection chief George Bailey said. "With that in mind we have retained Michael Neser and Lance Morris in the squad for this match.
"Michael bowled superbly in Adelaide, as did Scott. We were impressed as always with their performances that backed up what they have achieved in the past. Lance is a very exciting prospect who will benefit from time with the squad.
"With so much cricket ahead, we continue to seek opportunities to grow and maintain our fast-bowling experience and depth."
Neser took five wickets for the match in the second Test against the West Indies, while Boland only managed three, but the latter's trio came in one devastating over in the second innings.
Hazlewood joins skipper Pat Cummins (quad) in missing the second Test after helping Australia to a comprehensive 164-run victory in the first Test in Perth.
Australia's stand-in skipper Steve Smith won the toss and elected to bat on Thursday for the day-night Test at Adelaide Oval which rounds out the two-game Test series, before taking on South Africa in a three-game Test series starting on Saturday 17 December.
Neser comes into the Australia side for his second Test appearance, with his only previous game coming at the same venue 12 months ago in similar circumstances with both Cummins and Hazlewood dropping out.
Uncapped tearaway Lance Morris, who was added to the Australia Test squad along with Neser earlier this week, misses out on the final XI.
"Unfortunately, Hazlewood was pulled out last night. I'm not entirely sure of his availability for South Africa," Smith said at the coin toss. "But Neser bowled really well last year so we're thrilled to have him back."
Australia had previously indicated they were optimistic Cummins would be available for the first Test against the Proteas.
The West Indies made three changes to their side, with Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales and Kyle Mayers out through injury, replaced by Anderson Phillip and debutants Marquino Mindley and Devon Thomas.
Walsh took charge of the team in 2020, on the back of a difficult period that had seen the WI Women swept aside 5-0 during a tour of England and four straight series defeats prior to that. The team was also the subject of criticism for their overall fitness levels.
Fast forward a few months later and a fitter-looking Windies Women have shown signs of improvement, putting together much stronger performances that saw them win 2 of the last 3 ODI series. Matthews believes a new approach has slowly started to show benefits for both herself and the team.
“I think it’s been fantastic, just looking at the structure. Our entire camps and training session have been going really well. He’s brought in some fantastic coaches to work with us, you have Corey Collymore as a fast bowling coach, you have Ryan Austin as our spin coach, Steve Liburd for the fielding and the wicketkeeping and then Robert Samuels has been working with us for batting as well. So, I think there’s a really good balance at the moment,” Matthews told the Mason and Guest radio show.
“Everyone has been getting a bit more zoned in on the specifics and that’s something we were missing in the past, not having as much firepower in the coaching area. Really breaking it down to the basics in those general areas. That’s been really good and Courtney has done a fantastic job bringing in the right people to blend with the girls.”
Matthews has had an exceptional season herself and is one of three nominees for the ICC Women’s ODI Player of the Year award.
On Wednesday, Hope maintained a rich vein of form that has seen the batsman score centuries in consecutive series. Against Pakistan, the opening batsman racked up 127 runs in an innings that featured 15 sumptuous fours.
Despite occurring in a losing effort, the score saw Hope move past into fourth on the all-time list of most ODI hundreds for the West Indies. His tally of 12 edged him ahead of the likes of Gordon Greenidge (11), Viv Richards (11), and Shivnarine Chanderpaul (11). Desmond Haynes (17), Brian Lara (19), and Chris Gayle (25) are the batsmen ahead of Hope.
“He continues to show his class,” Pooran said, following the match.
“He is one of the best batsmen in this format and today was a magnificent innings, especially in those tough conditions he just showed his class today,” he added.
Hope’s cameo led the team to an innings score of 305 but Pakistan successfully chased down the total with four balls remaining.
The 27-year-old off-spinner was recently selected as part of a 15-man Test squad that will face New Zealand in a two-match series later this month.
After putting in several strong performances at the regional and A-Team level, the player made his debut for the West Indies senior team against India last year.
Cornwall has since gone on to appear in three matches, where he has claimed 13 wickets with a best innings of 7 for 75 against Afghanistan. Discussions surrounding the player have, however, inexorably centred around his weight. At an estimated 1.96 m and 308 lbs, he is believed to be the heaviest man to ever play Test cricket. The debate surrounding the issue has settled mainly into two camps, with some believing the player should continue to be given a chance because of his achievements to date and others believing he should be judged on the same fitness merit as other players selected for the squad. Rose has trended toward the latter.
“He has a lot of talent, but no disrespect, I have a problem with his fitness,” Rose told the Mason and Guest radio program.
“Say for example they play him in the first Test and he makes 100 runs. ‘Very well done, congratulations’ but when he goes out into the field to field, how many runs is he going to give away?” he added.
“No disrespect, it doesn’t fit the profile of a Test cricketer. Maybe try him with the T20. Can he bat for three days? Do you think he can bat for three days in a Test match? Can he chase the ball to the boundary, pick it up and throw it back in?”
Cornwall is often deployed in the slip positions when the team is on fielding duty.
The 32-year-old pace bowler had a first Test to forget, failing to claim a wicket for the entire match. Overall, he ended with figures of 0 for 89 in 27 overs. The bowler last went wicketless in a match last year, in the second Test against England where he ended 0 for 122.
In assessing the player’s most recent performances, however, Simmons dismissed Gabriel’s first-match struggles as just a blip and looked forward to a much better showing in the second Test.
“I thought in Bangladesh, he bowled exceptionally well in both Test matches and he was the main one, on the occasion in the first Test, who turned things around with his spell in the evening,” Simmons said in an assessment of the player’s recent form.
“He had a bad game and bowlers have that. Two of the main bowlers did not have a good game but that’s one game,” he added.
“I think he has been unsung, in New Zealand he was unsung, in Bangladesh he was unsung, so, one bad game does not change him being the strike bowler.”
In New Zealand, despite a tough series for the regional team, Gabriel, who was the pick of the bowlers, extracted plenty of pace and bounce from the surface to claim six wickets in two matches, where New Zealand only batted once.
The West Indies have had a mediocre start to the first Test, with the young bowler’s performance on the first day, where he claimed 3 for 34 one of the few highlights of the match so far.
The inclusion of the 19-year-old, in the absence of lead strike bowler Shannon Gabriel, had proven to be somewhat of a controversial decision. Critics insisted that the player’s limited experience, having played one First-Class match prior to his debut, meant that more experienced bowlers were being overlooked in his favour.
Ngidi, who himself lit up the first day for South Africa after claiming a sensational 5 for 19, insisted that he had so far been impressed with the young bowler’s talent.
"He is a bit of a danger and a very exciting future lies ahead for West Indies with him in the line-up," Ngidi told members of the media.
"I was keeping a really good eye on him and his seam presentation is pretty much what I tried to do when I was bowling. I think he has a great wrist behind the ball and a very clean action and he seems he can run in all day."
Two years ago, the 33-year-old was one of the most explosive fast bowlers in the sport and was bought by the Kings XI Punjab ahead of the Indian Premier League season. The bowler has, however, since struggled to build on that momentum and has also been plagued by recurrent injury.
His selection would have come as somewhat of a surprise for many having not represented the T20 team since earlier this year when he played in series against India and England. The player also missed out on this season’s IPL and has not featured regularly in the CPL so far.
The left-arm seamer, who recently recovered from injury, only just returned to action for the St Kitts Patriots and has not made a telling impact so far.
In 8 overs bowled, in the three CPL matches to date, he has produced figures of 2 for 73 at an average of 36.50. The economy rate for his 8 overs bowled has also been an unimpressive 9.12. Haynes, however, believes once fully fit the player will have plenty to contribute to the campaign.
“He does the job for us up front but he is coming back from an ankle injury, so everyone is going to be assessed before we go to Australia,” Haynes said.
“I think that with Cottrell we know that he has been very good for us and that’s the reason we would select him.”
