With the T20I World Cup just a few months away, the talismanic batsman, who has indicated a desire to suit up for the Caribbean team for the tournament, could return to the team for the first time in over a year. Gayle last played the West Indies in August of 2019, when he played an ODI against India.
On that occasion, the player had received a standing ovation as many had thought the game was his final in international cricket, after previously announcing his attention to retire.
The West Indies will play Sri Lanka in three T20 series, three One Day International (ODI) series, and a two-Test series. Gayle is expected to take part in the T20I series between March 3 and March 7 before returning to the PSL to compete for the Quetta Gladiators.
The arrangement was made prior to the season, with Faf du Plessis expected to replace Gayle for the matches in which he will be absent. The World Cup is due to take place in India in October-November. The Caribbean team won the last edition of the tournament, also in India, in 2016.
The 38-year-old Bravo, who has been with Chennai Super Kings since 2018, and previously spent four years with the franchise between 2011–2015, was a part of the team’s IPL-winning run last season. Retention policies, however, forced the team to shed a few of the team’s veteran players.
In addition to Bravo, Faf du Plessis, Josh Hazlewood, Suresh Raina, and Cheteshwar Pujara were also among those released. In the meantime, the team retained MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Moeen Ali, and Ruturaj Gaikwad.
Gayle, Pooran, and Fabian Allen, in the meantime, all played for Punjab King’s XI with Gayle and Pooran having seasons to forget. Gayle averaged 21.44 in 10 games, while Pooran averaged a measly 7.72 in 12 games. Punjab retained only Mayank Agarwal and Arshdeep Singh and will have a hefty purse for the auction.
In the meantime, only three West Indies players were retained. The Kolkata Knight Riders kept all-rounder Andre Russell and mystery spinner Sunil Narine, while the Mumbai Indians have kept a hold of Kieron Pollard. Other Windies players released include;
Shimron Hetmyer (Delhi Capitals), Evin Lewis, Oshane Thomas (Rajasthan Royals), Jason Holder, Sherfane Rutherford (Sunrisers Hyderabad).
The recent recall of veteran players Chris Gayle and Fidel Edwards, who are 41 and 39, respectively, caused consternation in some quarters. Some argue the selection of such senior players may have taken opportunities away from younger players looking to secure places in the World Cup squad.
Pollard, however, insists that several players have been given an opportunity in recent years and have failed to consistently provide what the team has needed. With the reigning World Champions currently ranked at 10th in the ICC rankings and the World Cup just a few months away, Pollard believes it’s time to prioritise winning games.
“Some of the guys have gotten opportunities when we started off in 2019, I believe, and it hasn’t produced the results that we might have wanted on a consistent basis. Guys were still in and out for non-cricketing reasons and stuff like that,” Pollard told members of the media via a Zoom press conference on Tuesday.
“These guys (Gayle and Edwards) continue to perform despite their age and one thing that has been said throughout is that the door is open to each and every individual, once you show that you can perform at the highest level,” he added.
“We need to start winning cricket matches, we need to win series…so we have to strike a balance. We are the defending champions of the T20 World Cup and we have to get into that winning habit. If it’s the case that we have a couple of extra senior guys to start that process, so be it.”
As part of preparations for the upcoming World T20 championships the Windies, the defending champions, will be involved in three back-to-back five-match T20 International (T20I) series against South Africa, Australia, and Pakistan.
The squad, which will be captained by Kieron Pollard, will also see the return of the likes of Sheldon Cottrell, Shimron Hetmyer, Andre Russell, Oshane Thomas, and Hayden Walsh Jr. The players missed out on being selected for the team’s previous T20 international series against Sri Lanka, which was won 2-1 by the regional team.
Windies coach Phil Simmons has praised the squad as a combination of experience and youth.
“These upcoming T20Is are crucial in terms of our preparation for the ICC T20 World Cup. We have assembled a very solid squad — with experienced world-class match-winners and some exciting young talented players, ready to explode onto the global stage and do great things for West Indies cricket,” Simmons said.
“We are at that point where we have identified those who we will look to be the core of the squad to defend our World Cup title, so we want to make sure the upcoming matches create that environment — the way we train, the way we plan, the way we execute and the chemistry within the group. We won five years ago, so the next few weeks and months will be major steppingstones on the road towards defending our title and being World Champions for the third time.”
FULL SQUAD SELECTED:
- Kieron Pollard – Captain
- Nicholas Pooran – Vice-Captain
- Fabian Allen
- Dwayne Bravo
- Sheldon Cottrell
- Fidel Edwards
- Andre Fletcher
- Chris Gayle
- Shimron Hetmyer
- Jason Holder
- Akeal Hosein
- Evin Lewis
- Obed McCoy
- Andre Russell
- Lendl Simmons
- Kevin Sinclair
- Oshane Thomas
- Hayden Walsh Jr
The 50-year-old Gibson, who also twice served as bowling coach of England and most recently South Africa, will replace Charles Langeveldt, who quit the post in December. Langeveldt, the former South African cricket coach, spent just five months in the post.
The South African had himself replaced another West Indian Courtney Walsh who left the team following the World Cup. Gibson is expected to join the team in Pakistan for the three-match T20I series in Lahore later this week. Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) CEO Nizam Uddin Chowdhury said Gibson's presence will be a major boon for the team.
"He brings in tremendous experience and has coached or played all over the world. He has also had the opportunity to observe Bangladesh cricket from close. I am sure he will be a very valuable addition to the Bangladesh team's coaching group.”
The 29-year-old Trinidadian-born batsman, who idolizes another big hitting left hander, Chris Gayle, has had some success in the shorter formats of the game, but, unlike Gayle, is yet to play a Test match for the West Indies.
Lewis has scored 1791 runs in 54 One Day International (ODI) matches, at an average of 37.31, with a high score of 176. In 35 T20 Internationals, the batsman has managed 989 runs with a strike rate of 155.74 and an impressive high score of 125.
The batsman, who also has 1229 runs in 22 First Class cricket matches, and a century scored while representing the Trinidad and Tobago Red Force in the regional four-day competition, has not played the format since 2017.
“I’ve always thought the selectors were a little short-sighted for not given him a go in the Test matches,” Hendricks told the Mason and Guest Radio program.
“I’ve been impressed with how he plays in the 50 overs. He is not a real hitter, he plays his shots very well, he always gets into position and so on. So, I’m disappointed that he is not thought about for the team,” he added.
Recently, there have been calls for the selectors to consider widening the pool of available Test players but considering some of the players that do very well in the shorter formats.
Former West Indies fast bowler Daren Powell believes serious consideration should be given to attempting to retrieve the team's former coach Richard Pybus for the recently vacated position of head coach.
Pybus was sacked in controversial circumstances four years ago as part of a raft of changes made by the then-incoming Cricket West Indies administration of president Ricky Skerritt and his vice president Kishore Shallow.
The move had proven to be particularly unpopular at the time, given the fact that West Indies, under his leadership had only just put together an impressive performance in a Test series win against England and showed plenty of good qualities in a battling 2-2 tie in the ODI series between the teams.
In addition to that, several stakeholders and even some players advised the administration against making so many changes with the 2019 World Cup less than two months away.
With the post once again vacant following the resignation of Phil Simmons, Powell believes the opportunity could exist to correct what many consider to have been a grave error in judgment.
As to whether the 54-year-old Pybus, who is reportedly shortlisted for the South Africa job, would be interested in returning after a departure in such acrimonious circumstances, or whether the CWI be willing to make such a drastic reversal is another thing entirely.
"Why can't we go back for him (Pybus) he was doing a good job and we have tried another way and it seems as if things didn't go down the right road," Powell told the Mason and Guest radio program.
As a part of their election platform, the Skerritt, Shallow administration had promised to give priority to Caribbean-born individuals for top leadership positions.
"If you look at Pybus and what he did with the West Indies, I would have been willing to cut off my nose to spite my face for him...how do you know why a man becomes a man when he can accept that he was wrong, apologize and move on," Powell added.
Prior to his appointment as coach of the team, Pybus endured somewhat of a rocky tenure, serving as High Performance director in February 2018, having previously served as West Indies director of cricket from 2013 to the end of 2016.
The 37-year old’s call up to the squad has been among the most controversial made by the Caribbean team, with some fans insisting the West Indies should have focused on selecting younger talent. Rampaul’s effective showing the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), however, convinced selectors that he could be an asset for a team looking to successfully defend its title.
In 10 matches, Rampaul was the tournament’s leading scorer with 19 wickets at an economy rate of 7.96 and a best of 4 for 29. The bowler is satisfied that the work put in merited selection to the team’s T20 World Cup squad.
“In every team, you want to play for, you have to put a performance out there and I know I needed to work hard and show the selectors I could still take wickets and compete at a level. I needed to put the performance out there and show them I could take wickets at the CPL stage,” Rampaul told members of the media on Saturday.
Despite the criticism aimed towards the age of some members of the squad, Rampaul believes the experience of the team will be critical in the bid to retain the trophy.
“Going into big World Cup games you need experience and the team that was selected is a lot of experienced guys and a lot of young guys as well, guys that play around the world in different conditions. We know games come quick and fast and the experienced guys will know how to manage themselves.”
The West Indies will bow into action with a match against England on October 23rd.
Prashad’s appointment means that CWI has reached its allocation for four non-member directors. He joins Trinidadian Attorney Debra Coryat-Patton, Jamaican Surgeon and University Administrator, Dr Akshai Mansingh and former West Indies captain Daren Sammy as non-member directors whose terms will expire at CWI’s Annual General meeting in 2023.
Prashad said being appointed to the CWI was a challenge he relishes.
“I am truly honoured and humbled at my appointment. I see this as a challenge, and an opportunity, to serve West Indies Cricket and to join a team of Directors who are committed to improving and uplifting the standard of our game,” said Prashad, who has more than 25 years of experience in commerce and private sector leadership having held several senior positions in a variety of industries.
He has also held the position of chair for a number of large state corporations including the Cheddi Jagan International Airport and Guyana National Shipping Corporation.
Prashad is also the current Chairman of MP Insurance Brokers and Consultants Limited, Consul General of the Philippines to Guyana, Corporate Coordination and Executive Member of the Private Sector Commission and President of the Guyana Oil and Gas Energy Chamber.
Prashad is a long-standing cricket enthusiast, having served as President of various cricket clubs and leagues including the Gandhi Youth Cricket Club and Eastern American Cricket League.
CWI President Ricky Skerritt said Prashad adds value to the competencies of the board.
“I am confident that Manniram will add significant value to the CWI Board. I have had the benefit of knowing Mr Prashad when we were both serving our respective countries as Ministers of Tourism. He is a very experienced and astute businessman who will help to bring more gravity and focus to the CWI Boardroom. I also expect him to help CWI reach out to much needed commercial partners in our region and beyond,” he said.
Left-hander Mayers made a typically stroke-filled 57 off just 66 balls as the President’s XI took a first-innings lead of 122. He used the match as ideal preparations for the first Sandals Test match, which starts on Sunday at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.
They started the second day on 103-1 and made 294 in reply to Sri Lanka’s first innings 172. In the second innings, the visitors were 56-0 when the match was called off at 4:50 pm.
Mayers hit 11 fours, mainly fierce cuts, and powerful drives and added 76 for the fourth wicket with Shamarh Brooks, who made 19 before he was magnificently snapped up at slip by Lahiru Thirimanne off-spinner Danajaya De Silva (3-26).
Chase then came to the crease and showed his class. The tall right-hander was excellent against the spinner as he scored 52 off 81 balls with eight fours. He was especially fluent through the on-side before he was dismissed leg-before wicket to left-arm spinner Lasith Embuldeniya (3-69). This knock capped a very good match for Chase, who also took 4-12 on the opening day with his off-spin.
In the final session, Sri Lanka’s openers Thirimanne (27 not out) and Dimuth Karunarathne (23 not out) batted out the final 13 overs.
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.
Harding ended with second innings bowling figures of 5 for 57 and was the primary architect as the Red Force scuttled out for a paltry 77 in the second innings. Looking to stage an unlikely rescue mission, overnight batsmen Joshua Da Silva (23) and Yannic Cariah (12) began the final day with the team struggling at 48 for 4.
Da Silva only managed to add another 13 runs before he was dismissed lbw by Chemar Holder. Cariah followed soon after, managing to add just one more run before being caught by Shane Dowrich off the bowling of Harding.
In a steady procession of wickets, Terrance Hinds (2) Bryan Charles (0) Uthman Muhammad (3) and Daniel St Clair (0) all departed while adding just a total of 5 runs added to the total.
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 Leeward Islands and West Indies leg-spinner, who is asymptomatic, first returned a negative test result on arrival into Bangladesh on the weekend, and then had a positive return on his test in Dhaka yesterday. This result was verified by a second positive test today.
The West Indies touring squad has been in individual isolation since arriving in Bangladesh and so there has been no contact between squad members since arrival. In accordance with the established medical protocols, Walsh remained isolated from the West Indies squad and is now under the care and supervision of the Team Physician, Dr Praimanand Singh.
Walsh will remain in isolation until he returns two negative PCR test results and therefore is unavailable to play in the upcoming three-match ODI series against Bangladesh.
All other members of the West Indies touring squad returned second negative COVID-19 tests, after undergoing four tests within the last 11 days.
The three-match ODI Series starts on Wednesday, January 20.
Full Tour Schedule:
- January 18: One-day warm-up match, BKSP, Savar
- January 20 1st ODI, SBNCS, Dhaka
- January 22: 2nd ODI, SBNCS, Dhaka
- January 25: 3rd ODI, ZACS, Chattogram
- January 28-31: Four-day warm-up, M.A. Aziz Stadium, Chattogram
- February 3-7: 1st Test Match, ZACS, Chattogram
- February 11-15: 2nd Test Match, SBNCS, Dhaka
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."
