West Indies

For the ongoing "A" Team Series in Bangladesh, left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul will travel to Sylhet as cover for fellow left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie, who has been ruled out of the remaining matches due to a lower back injury.

Motie, on the other hand, will travel to Dubai ahead of the West Indies' three-match One-Day International (ODI) Series against the UAE at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Although he will not participate in the matches, he will receive treatment from the medical staff with the aim of being available for the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe, starting on 18 June.

Off-spinner Kevin Sinclair, who is currently with the "A" Team in Bangladesh, will replace Motie in the 15-member ODI squad for the series in Sharjah. Additionally, experienced batter Johnson Charles has been called up as a replacement for Devon Thomas, who has been provisionally suspended from playing cricket due to charges brought by the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit under the Anti-Corruption codes.

Lead Selector, The Most Hon. Dr Desmond Haynes, expressed his thoughts on the changes: "We were forced to make some changes to the squads, and this has presented opportunities for players to come in. Sinclair has been in good form all year and has taken that to the 'A Team' series in Bangladesh. Permaul and Charles are experienced players, and they will be able to quickly adapt to the conditions and fit into the environment in Sylhet and Sharjah."

Haynes further added, "Motie is a key part of our plans for the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe, so we are hopeful he will make a full recovery for that tournament. The decision was taken to have him remain with the squad in Sharjah so he will be closely monitored and receive the best treatment available."

 Updated Squads:

West Indies "A" Squad vs Bangladesh "A": Joshua DaSilva (Captain), Alick Athanaze, Yannic Cariah, Keacy Carty, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Tevin Imlach, Akeem Jordan, Brandon King, Jair McAllister, Zachary McCaskie, Kirk McKenzie, Anderson Phillip, Raymon Reifer, Kevin Sinclair, Veerasammy Permaul (cover for Gudakesh Motie)

West Indies ODI Squad vs United Arab Emirates: Shai Hope (captain), Brandon King (vice captain), Alick Athanaze, Shamarh Brooks, Yannic Cariah, Keacy Carty, Johnson Charles, Roston Chase, Dominic Drakes, Kavem Hodge, Akeem Jordan, Keemo Paul, Raymon Reifer, Kevin Sinclair, Odean Smith.

Match Schedule:

West Indies "A" Team vs Bangladesh "A":

16-19 May: 1st "Test" at Sylhet International Stadium – Match drawn

23-26 May: 2nd "Test" at Sylhet International Stadium 2 – ongoing

30 May to 2 June: 3rd "Test" at Sylhet International Stadium

ODIs vs United Arab Emirates:

4 June: 1^st ODI at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, UAE

6 June: 2nd ODI at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, UAE

9 June: 3rd ODI at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, UAE

Buttler was out for three off 13 balls against the West Indies in Antigua, his fifth single-figure score in eight ODIs, while he has now gone 13 innings in this format without a fifty.

Number 11 batter Gus Atkinson was the only other England batter who did not reach double figures in the first of three ODIs, where the tourists set a target of 326 in their first match since the World Cup.

Speaking after the Windies overhauled England’s total with four wickets and seven balls to spare in an exciting crescendo, Buttler remains optimistic he can turn his fortunes around quickly.

“I feel good, I just keep managing to get out,” he said. “It’s disappointing, frustrating and gone on for a lot longer than I would have liked but there’s only myself who can score my own runs.

“I’m not going to score any if I hide away and don’t get out there. You keep working hard, you keep putting the effort in and trust that it will turn around.”

Buttler is widely-regarded as one of England’s greatest white-ball batters ever and his lean patch has coincided with his side’s listing fortunes – this was their seventh loss in 10 ODIs.

England are at the start of a new cycle and there were positives as openers Will Jacks and Phil Salt, neither of whom were selected for the World Cup group stage exit, put on 77 in 8.2 overs.

Harry Brook top-scored with 71 off 72 balls, Sam Curran and Brydon Carse put on 66 in 38 balls to lift England to 325 all out – the highest total in ODIs at this venue, a record that lasted a few hours.

Rehan Ahmed was the pick of the attack with two for 40 but Curran recorded the most expensive figures by an England bowler in an ODI as he leaked an eye-watering 98 in 9.5 overs.

Curran and Carse were unable to stop an onslaught from Windies captain Shai Hope and Romario Shepherd, who put on 89 in 51 balls to turn the tide after the hosts had slipped to 213 for five.

Hope clattered three sixes in four balls off Curran to end proceedings, finishing on 109 not out, while Shepherd crunched seven boundaries in his 28-ball stay before being dismissed two shy of fifty.

“There’s some young guys in that team who have not played loads and loads of one-day cricket, they’ll learn a lot from this,” Buttler said of a side that had five individuals with fewer than 10 ODI appearances.

“A lot of stuff we did really, really well; not well enough to win the game in the end but guys will be better for the experience, learn plenty from that and come back for the next one.

“I thought we played really well, I thought the two guys at the top set the tone really well. We were positive and aggressive and put the pressure on the West Indies at the start.

“We just didn’t quite close it out. There’s no need to panic, we’ve done a lot of things really well, there’s guys who have gained experience from this and we look forward to the next one (on Wednesday).”

The Windies are also at the outset of a new era, having failed to qualify for the World Cup, but it was Hope, a champion performer who reached 5,000 ODI runs in his knock, who was their star on Sunday.

“This definitely gives us confidence for the rest of the series,” Hope said. “We’ve got to make sure the guys believe they can win in any situation. It’s great we can start this way.”

England raced to 77 for none at the end of the powerplay, then 112 for two at halfway, but collapsed to 171 all out in 19.3 overs, losing their last five wickets for six runs in 15 balls in Barbados.

Adil Rashid marked his 100th T20 appearance – he was presented with his cap by Andrew Flintoff – with two for 25 and became the first English male bowler to collect 100 wickets in the format.

But the Windies batters lived up to their reputation as big hitters, bludgeoning 14 sixes in total, possibly aided by a half-hour rain delay that made bowling conditions trickier.

Buttler accepted figuring out how to stop them so readily being able to clear the rope must be a priority for England’s bowlers in the remaining four matches.

“From the position we were in at halfway, to only end up with 170 is an area we could have improved in,” Buttler said. “The wicket definitely got harder and the West Indies adapted.

“They hit a lot of sixes as a team, that’s something that is a trademark of their side and we’ve got to find ways to limit that. Obviously the swing in the game with sixes is so big.

“You’ve got to find ways to get it out the arc, try and find ways to take wickets as well, be aggressive and be committed. It’s a great test for us and we’ll find out lots over the next few games.

“But certainly we need to find a way to score 20-25 more runs in that phase which would have been a really good score on that wicket.”

Veteran all-rounder Andre Russell marked his first international appearance since the 2021 T20 World Cup with three for 19 and an unbeaten 29 off 14 balls, as the Windies won with 11 balls to spare.

He is a regular on the franchise circuit, but has been coaxed back into the Windies set-up by former team-mate and now head coach Darren Sammy just a few months before they co-host the T20 World Cup.

“I still have a lot left in the tank, but based on discussions with the coach I told him that after the World Cup, I would walk away from international cricket,” the 35-year-old said.

“But if they need me, I will come out of retirement. If West Indies should still need me, I would be willing to put in the hard yards for them. I always want to play for West Indies.

“Sometimes people might think it’s all about playing leagues and all of those things, but I try to make sure that I look after my body and make sure that when this call up is here, I’m ready.”

England have no time to lick their wounds after a miserable World Cup and ODI series defeat against the Windies was followed by another setback here, with the second T20 on Thursday in Grenada.

They were vindicated in selecting two leg-spinners as Rashid and Ahmed shared five of the six Windies wickets and the pair are set to feature in two matches in Grenada and another couple in Trinidad.

“It was great to see them operate together,” the England captain added. “We need to find out if it’s an option here before we get to the World Cup.

Rashid continues to shine for England and will almost certainly be instrumental in their T20 World Cup defence in six months’ time.

“He was class again,” Buttler said. “He’s been a key player for England for such a long period of time, to reach 100 caps shows his longevity, his skill and he’s been such an important member of our team.”

England raced to 77 for none at the end of the powerplay, then 112 for two at halfway, but collapsed to 171 all out in 19.3 overs, losing their last five wickets for six runs in 15 balls in Barbados.

Adil Rashid marked his 100th T20 appearance – he was presented with his cap by Andrew Flintoff – with two for 25 and became the first English male bowler to collect 100 wickets in the format.

But the Windies batters lived up to their reputation as big hitters, bludgeoning 14 sixes in total, possibly aided by a half-hour rain delay that made bowling conditions trickier.

Buttler accepted figuring out how to stop them so readily being able to clear the rope must be a priority for England’s bowlers in the remaining four matches.

“From the position we were in at halfway, to only end up with 170 is an area we could have improved in,” Buttler said. “The wicket definitely got harder and the West Indies adapted.

“They hit a lot of sixes as a team, that’s something that is a trademark of their side and we’ve got to find ways to limit that. Obviously the swing in the game with sixes is so big.

“You’ve got to find ways to get it out the arc, try and find ways to take wickets as well, be aggressive and be committed. It’s a great test for us and we’ll find out lots over the next few games.

“But certainly we need to find a way to score 20-25 more runs in that phase which would have been a really good score on that wicket.”

Veteran all-rounder Andre Russell marked his first international appearance since the 2021 T20 World Cup with three for 19 and an unbeaten 29 off 14 balls, as the Windies won with 11 balls to spare.

He is a regular on the franchise circuit, but has been coaxed back into the Windies set-up by former team-mate and now head coach Darren Sammy just a few months before they co-host the T20 World Cup.

“I still have a lot left in the tank, but based on discussions with the coach I told him that after the World Cup, I would walk away from international cricket,” the 35-year-old said.

“But if they need me, I will come out of retirement. If West Indies should still need me, I would be willing to put in the hard yards for them. I always want to play for West Indies.

“Sometimes people might think it’s all about playing leagues and all of those things, but I try to make sure that I look after my body and make sure that when this call up is here, I’m ready.”

England have no time to lick their wounds after a miserable World Cup and ODI series defeat against the Windies was followed by another setback here, with the second T20 on Thursday in Grenada.

They were vindicated in selecting two leg-spinners as Rashid and Ahmed shared five of the six Windies wickets and the pair are set to feature in two matches in Grenada and another couple in Trinidad.

“It was great to see them operate together,” the England captain added. “We need to find out if it’s an option here before we get to the World Cup.

Rashid continues to shine for England and will almost certainly be instrumental in their T20 World Cup defence in six months’ time.

“He was class again,” Buttler said. “He’s been a key player for England for such a long period of time, to reach 100 caps shows his longevity, his skill and he’s been such an important member of our team.”

Chasing a sizeable first innings score of 436, Nottinghamshire crumbled for 276, despite 111 from opener Haseeb Hameed and not losing their first wicket until they had put 115 runs on the board.

Charlie Morris had the best bowling figures for Worcestershire, after taking 3 for 30 but Joseph chipped in with 2 for 33.  The West Indies accounted for top-order batsman Ben Duckett and Nottinghamshire were then forced to follow on still some 160 runs short of the target.

In the first innings, Joseph was part of a staunch lower-order effort that ballooned the tally late on.  Joseph recorded his first half-century in the competition with 61, Ed Barnard added 58 and captain Joe Leach 84.

The total adds to Joseph’s debut innings of 46 from 55 against Derbyshire last week.  On that occasion, the bowler also chipped in with 3 wickets.

The 24-year-old racked up an impressive 82 from 108 balls, as part of staunch mid-lower order resistance, en route to the Windies posting a satisfactory first innings score of 409.  In the end, Joseph’s aggressive innings was ended when he was caught by Liton Das as he attempted to pull away Abu Jayed.

His total proved a handy one for the team, who will count any runs from the bowler as a huge bonus.  For Joseph, however, a player who prides himself on his batting, it was the second time he was coming close to making his first Test century.

Against New Zealand, in December, Joseph put together a commendable 86, which remains his highest score to date.

“It’s disappointing not to get 100 but I’ve been working hard on my batting, so there will be other opportunities to get that total,” he added.

“When I came to the crease it was just to spend some time and support Josh (Joshua Da Silva) at the crease."

Together Joseph and Da Silva put together an important 7^th wicket partnership.

At the end of the first day, Joseph remained unbeaten on 46 from 81 balls and sharing in an eighth-wicket stand worth 89 runs with Ed Barnard.  The partnership took Worcestershire to 305 for 7, after looking in some trouble at 216 for 7 earlier on.

The total marks Joseph’s second 40+runs innings of the young season, having opened up with 46 from 55 against Derbyshire last week.  On that occasion, the bowler also chipped in with 3 wickets drawing commendation from Worcestershire coach, Alex Gidman, who praised the player's mentality.

When play resumes Joseph could be looking for his first half-century in the competition, having signed a seven-game deal with Worcestershire for the first part of the season a few weeks ago.

The 24-year-old has taken 37 wickets from 15 Tests and shown plenty of ability with the bat of late, scoring half-centuries on successive Test tours of New Zealand and Bangladesh.

With 13 Test match appearances and 29 One Day International (ODI) games under his belt, the 29-year-old fast bowler has done most of his damage with the ball.  Joseph has taken 32 Test wickets and 48 ODI wickets, on occasion, however, he has shown plenty of ability with the bat.

In the recent series against New Zealand, the bowler’s 85 in the first Test was one of the batting highlights in an overall poor showing at the crease for the West Indies.  Despite showing flashes of ability, the player is yet to display any type of strong consistency with the bat, but he admits he is working towards it.

“Personally, I’m aiming to be an all-rounder, but, as of now, I’m just taking everything step by step,” Joseph told members of the media from Bangladesh on Thursday.

“I’m looking to first do my main attribute, which is to contribute with the ball, and then when it comes to batting, I will give my best, whatever performance I can put in with the bat I will put it in,” he added.

The hosts won the toss and decided to bat first, a decision that was proven to be the right one as Markram and Dean Elgar put on 141 for the first wicket before Elgar was dismissed for 71 by Joseph in the 36^th over.

That brought debutant Tony de Zorzi to the crease to join Markram and the pair brought the score up to 221-1 in the 57^th over before de Zorzi was run out for 28.

Before that partnership was ended, Markram, making his return to the Test side after being dropped last year. Brought up his fifth Test hundred off 150 balls.

Two balls after de Zorzi’s wicket, Temba Bavuma, in his first innings as South Africa’s Test Captain, was dismissed for a duck.

Four overs later, Markram’s knock finally came to an end when he was bowled by Joseph for a classy 115. His innings came off 174 balls and included 18 fours.

Markram’s wicket started a collapse for South Africa as they lost their next four wickets for 64 runs as Heinrich Klaasen (20), Senuran Muthusamy (3), Keegan Petersen (14) and Kagiso Rabada (8) all fell in quick succession.

South Africa ended the day 314-8 off 82 overs with Marco Jansen and Gerald Coetzee on 17 and 11, respectively.

Alzarri Joseph has, so far, taken 3-60 off 16 overs for the Windies.

Scores: South Africa 314-8 off 82 overs (Aiden Markram 115, Dean Elgar 71, Alzarri Joseph 3-60)

Joseph ripped through Ireland, who elected to bat first at Kensington Oval, taking 4-32 as they were rolled for just 180.

Lorcan Tucker (31) top-scored for Ireland in the opening game of three ODIs, but they struggled after being reduced to 88-6.

Lewis ensured there were few hiccups in the chase for the Windies as the opener held firm despite wickets falling around him, the hosts reaching their target with 100 balls to spare.

Brandon King (20), Roston Chase (19) and Nicholas Pooran (17) provided enough support for Lewis, who dominated.

The left-hander hit 13 fours and two sixes on his way to an unbeaten 99 off as many balls as he fell agonisingly short of a third ODI century.

Needing one to win and sitting on 95, Lewis produced a huge drive as he chased a ton, but it bounced just before the rope and went for four.

The second game of the series is in Bridgetown on Thursday.

Lara, speaking to ESPN Cricinfo, for instance, believes talented 23-year-old Shimron Hetmyer has personal issues like his fitness that he needs to deal with before he is quite ready to take the world by storm.

“People have challenges in different ways and Hetmyer, obviously, is a very talented cricketer, someone who plays all forms of the game for the West Indies. If he is unfit, he has to see it as a personal challenge. Fitness levels are so very important. So if fitness is his problem, I would like to see him face that challenge himself, and he’ll be a much better cricketer,” said Lara.

Lara though, has much more immediate hopes for others in the West Indies squad like Shai Hope, Nicholas Pooran and Alzarri Joseph.

According to the former Windies captain, Pooran understands his role in the team, while the West Indies can find Hope’s stability useful, even in the T20 form of the game, while Joseph is a gamechanger with his ability to take wickets.

“I like Nicholas Pooran, he’s settling down and understanding his responsibilities more now. Shai Hope could play a part in the T20 World Cup, being that solid guy with a great technique that can hold the innings together. Those are the three players I’m really looking forward to seeing. Alzarri Joseph is someone who I look at and say ‘this guy has got potential, he’s a wicket-taker’. He is someone who I’d like to see do well,” said Lara.

Lara, as he has said before, believes the team can learn much from the example of Virat Kohli.

Kohli, he said, has worked hard on his fitness and that, Lara explained, is the perfect lead for Hetmyer to follow.

South Africa, after winning the toss and batting first, were bowled out for 160 in 54 overs while the West Indies were 97-7 after 28.2 overs in reply, trailing by 63 runs at stumps on day one.

South Africa were made to rue their decision to bat first very quickly as Tony de Zorzi (1), Aiden Markram (14), Temba Bavuma (0) and Tristan Stubbs (26) all fell before the 25^th over to leave them reeling at 57-4.

That quickly became 97-9 when Kyle Verreynne, their last recognized batsman, became Shamar Joseph’s fifth victim of the innings with just 36.1 overs on the board.

With the West indies seemingly on the brink of restricting South Africa to less than 100, Dane Piedt and Nandre Burger showed grit, fighting off some quality West Indian bowling on the way to a final wicket partnership of 63 before Burger finally fell off the bowling of Gudakesh Motie for 23 in the 54^th over.

David Bedingham was South Africa’s top scorer in the first innings with 28.

Joseph finished with figures of 5-33 off 14 overs and was supported well by Jayden Seales who took 3-45, also from 14 overs.

The West Indian reply got off to a disappointing start when Mikyle Louis was bowled by Burger for a duck in the second over.

The hosts then continued to lose wickets at regular intervals as Kraigg Brathwaite (3), Alick Athanaze (1), Kavem Hodge (4), Keacy Carty (26), and Joshua Da Silva (4) all fell within the first 20 overs.

Jason Holder has so far provided the only meaningful resistance to the South African bowling with 33* while Gudakesh Motie’s wicket for 11 in the 29^th over signaled the end of the day’s play.

Wiaan Mulder has dominated the West Indian batting so far with a career best 4-18 off six overs while Burger has taken 2-32 from his seven overs.

Full Scores:

South Africa 160 off 54 overs (David Bedingham 28, Tristan Stubbs 26, Shamar Joseph 5-33, Jayden Seales 3-45)

West Indies 97-7 off 28.2 overs (Jason Holder 33*, Keacy Carty 26, Wiaan Mulder 4-18, Nandre Burger 2-32)

Roach is returning home due to the death of his father, Andrew Smith, last week while Dowrich is said to be returning home for personal reasons. However, the duo are not the only concerns for the West Indies selectors.

Left-hander Shimron Hetmyer is still under concussion protocols following the blow to his head sustained in the second T20 International, while all-rounder Keemo Paul is still being treated for a groin injury.  They are both being closely monitored by the team's medical staff and decisions on their availability will be made at a later date.

As such, in addition to DaSilva being called up a replacement for Dowrich, middle-order batsman Nkrumah Bonner and left-arm fast bowler Preston McSween will remain with the squad as cover.

The second Test will be played at the historic Basin Reserve in Wellington, starting on Friday (Thursday 6pm Eastern Caribbean Time/5pm Jamaica Time). West Indies trail 0-1 after New Zealand won the first match by an innings and 134 runs.

Squad for the second Test:

Jason Holder (captain), Roston Chase (vice-captain), Jermaine Blackwood, Kraigg Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Shamarh Brooks, John Campbell, Rahkeem Cornwall, Joshua DaSilva, Shannon Gabriel, Shimron Hetmyer, Chemar Holder, Alzarri Joseph and Keemo Paul.

On standby: Nkrumah Bonner, Preston McSween

The 22-year-old wicketkeeper/batsman made his senior debut for Trinidad and Tobago in December 2018 and, so far, has made a case for future selection to the West Indies senior team.

In 16 first-class matches, Da Silva has scored 855 runs at an average of 32.88. In those matches, he has scored an unbeaten century and five fifties. It was a good enough record to have him called to the reserve squad when the West Indies travelled to England for the three-Test #Raisethebat series earlier this summer.

He was the only player to score a century in the warm-up matches as the West Indies prepared to defend the Wisden Trophy.

“That experience in England was truly amazing and probably the best experience of my cricketing career, so far,” he told Sportsmax.TV.

“To score that 100 was an amazing feeling. Even to be part of that set-up was something I could only dream of, but definitely I think I can break into the senior team very soon. I just have to keep showing the selectors that I am worthy of playing at that level and just keep scoring runs, that is the only currency there is.

“Jimmy Adams (CWI Director of Cricket) told me that last year, there is only one currency in cricket and that is runs and I am just going to try and do that to the best of my ability, so once I score runs I should be able to move up the ranks very quickly.”

Such is his thinking, that Da Silva doesn’t just want to get into the senior side. Once he gets there, he plans to be there for a long time.

“I think I can be a good asset to the West Indie senior team. My goal is just to get into the team and make my debut, make a statement and be there for a long time,” he said.

“But once I get in, the goal is to stay in. I don’t just want to play at that level, I want to be great at it. I want to perform and represent the West Indies for as long as I can.”

“Keemo Paul has been kept out in the recent past due to injury and we view the management of his body as paramount to his success, not only when on West Indies duty but also when he is with his regional franchise. We have watched him perform in the recent West Indies Championship Four-Day Competition for the Guyana Harpy Eagles and we think he is ready to come back into the fold,” said CWI Lead Selector, the Most Honorable Dr. Desmond Haynes.

During the first-class tournament Paul was the leading fast bowler and second highest wicket-taker overall. He ended the five matches with 20 wickets at an average of 22.8 runs per wicket. He had best figures of 6-50. He was also among the leading allrounders with 169 runs including a highest score of 73.

The West Indies tour of Pakistan will bowl off on Wednesday, June 8. First ball is 4pm PKT time (7am Eastern Caribbean/6am Jamaica).

The series will also form part of the ICC ODI Super League where the teams will have the chance to earn points as they try to secure automatic qualification to the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in India.

Heading into the series, the team’s top batsmen averaged in their 30s, their average performance during the series has not even lived up to that.  The batting average of the Windies’ batsmen in the series was 27.86 and, shockingly, stands out as one of the best for a series in the past several years.

In fact, it is the fourth-best for the team’s batsmen among all the series consisting of two or more matches since 2017.

The team’s highest batting average in a Test series consisting of at least two matches since 2017 is 34.66 and that was against Zimbabwe in 2017.  For Harper, the improvement needed must begin at home, with improved performances in first-class cricket.

“As far as our first-class game is concerned it is important for us to set standards for our players.  I don’t think we can continue to be content with picking players averaging 30 in first-class cricket that has to change,” Harper told the Mason and Guest radio program.

“Our international batsmen have to understand that when they get to our regional competition they have to dominate and average 50 and 55.  That’s what happens in the other international territories.  Players looking to break into the team that’s what they have to be aiming for," he added.

“If we keep rewarding players for mediocrity we are going to get mediocre performances.”

Kings XI finished a disappointing 6^th place in the final IPL standings, after missing out on a spot in the playoffs.  A good portion of the team’s season had, however, focused on a five-game winning streak, which had put them in unlikely contention for the final four after a 1-7 start.

The man at the centre of the winning streak, Gayle, had spent the early days of the competition sitting on the bench, while Australian Glenn Maxwell, who had huge expectations placed on him heading into the season, continued to disappoint.

He wasn’t alone, however, as Gayle’s international teammate Cottrell also failed to live up to expectations after commanding a whopping INR 8.5 crore ($US1,156,239) at the auction.  In the end, Cottrell ended the competition with six wickets in six matches at an economy rate of 8.80.  Chopra believes, ahead of the next campaign, several changes should be considered

"Kings XI Punjab have a reasonable need of a mega auction because they need changes. They have to do something for the fast bowling unit because it will not work out with the ones they have," Chopra said in his review of the season.

"They should leave out Sheldon Cottrell, they should leave Hardus Viljoen also if they are not playing him, and they should leave Maxwell as well," Chopra added.

"They can keep Gayle if he wants to play although he is 41-years old. But the IPL is just a few months away and he was not expensive as well. So they can keep him as he is an X-factor and an intimidating factor," Chopra continued.

The pundit, however, believed the team would have to weigh its options more carefully if there is an IPL mega auction next year, in which case retaining Gayle may not be a good idea.

The most experienced member of the current West Indies bowling attack, the 31-year-old Barbadian is only seven wickets away having so far taken 193 wickets in 56 Tests but he is hungry for much more.

“The 200-mark is on my mind – it would be an honour to get into the 200 bracket on this tour. My focus is getting to the mark and maybe push on to over 250 and maybe 300. But the goal is to beat England. We want to win again and take back home the trophy,” he said during a media session on Sunday.

Roach was the Man-of-the-Series when the West Indies upset the heavily favoured England 2-1 during their Caribbean tour in early 2019. Roach took 18 wickets in three matches and said he is ready for a repeat performance when the first Test bowls off on July 8.

 “The 2019 series was great. We played really well especially that match in Barbados … that was one of the highlights especially in front of many of my fans and family. I rate that as number 1 in my career when it comes to (performances in a) series. We played great cricket but we have moved on … we were high on then but we’ve moved on to this series which is ahead of us,” Roach said.

Roach said the team is working hard to shake off the rust after an extended period of inactivity caused by the Coronavirus pandemic.

“We haven’t played for a while. Our last Test match was December last year against Afghanistan in India. We have been working very hard and we have games coming up to get our bodies tuned. I’m looking forward to it. The body is feeling quite well.”