12 players, including captains Jason Holder, Kieron Pollard, and Roston Chase all opted to make themselves unavailable for the series, citing health and safety concerns. Joining the trio on the sidelines are Darren Bravo, Shamarh Brooks, Sheldon Cottrell, Evin Lewis, Shai Hope, Shimron Hetmyer, Nicholas Pooran, Fabian Allen and Shane Dowrich.
The West Indies was one of the first teams to resume international cricket when they visited England, under quarantine protocols, in July. On that occasion, Bravo, Hetmeyer and Keemo Paul opted not to go on tour. The team then travelled to New Zealand earlier this month. On that occasion, Andre Russell, Lendl Simmons, and Lewis opted out of the tour.
With so many players deciding not to accept the invitation on this occasion, however, Roberts has questioned the difference between England and New Zealand vs Bangladesh.
“How do all of these guys who couldn’t make a team two or three years ago now become so big that they are refusing to tour and blaming it on the bubble,” Roberts said.
“Was it a problem when the majority of these players went to England? Was it a problem when the majority of these players went to New Zealand? How now is it a problem when they are going to Bangladesh?”
Bangladesh has a very high rate of COVID transmission with 510,080 confirmed coronavirus cases and 7,479 deaths. However, England also had a high death and infection rate at the time of the tour. Under the CWI Covid-19 rules, however, the players have the option to accept or decline tour invitations during the pandemic without it influencing thoughts of future selection.
The 41-year-old game began the season on a good note, scoring 40 from 28 balls in the first match, a victory against Rajasthan Royals. The veteran batsman has struggled to connect since then, scoring 10, 11, and 15 in the team’s next three games. The Kings have lost all three for a 1-3 start to the season.
Agarkar believes at this age, the Kings must weigh closely the benefits of keeping Gayle in the line-up, if he is not scoring the required runs.
"I don't know, he started well. He got 40 in the first game. The challenge with Chris Gayle is that he did not play the first few games last season and then came back, and he was as good as ever. So, I can understand it is a difficult decision to sit him out," Agarkar told Espncricinfo.
"If he is it and when he has done well, you always want to accommodate him. How long can you go on if he is not firing, especially at this stage of his career?" he asked.
Last season, Gaye was left out of the line-up for the team’s first 6 games but returned to play a pivotal role in their run for a place in the play-offs, following another slow start. Gayle is not the only West Indian struggling at the moment, however, as Nicholas Pooran, a standout performer last season has only scored 9 runs in fours games, including three ducks.
"Their problem is that Nicholas Pooran is not scoring run either, who they must have had high hopes from. It's a tricky one. I don't know how long they can keep playing Chris Gayle if he is not getting runs.”
The 28-year-old batsman went the entire season without scoring a century after eight appearances, despite getting over the half-century mark on three occasions. In fact, the last time Lewis did make it to triple figures was in 2017. On Sunday, in the third and final ODI against Ireland, he ensured that the trend would not continue after scoring 102 in a comfortable win and series sweep over the tourist.
The left-hander had come close to a ton once again but failed to convert to triple figures in the first ODI eventually being stuck on 99 not. Now with 306 runs in three matches under his belt to start the season, which earned him man-of-the-series honours, Lewis is looking forward to a good year.
“I’ve been working hard in the nets with the batting coach. I’ve been trying to open up a little more and hit the ball straight down the ground and it has been working so far,” Lewis said following the match.
“To be honest with you I have been hungry for runs. My last ODI century was in 2017, so this year I’m very determined and I just want to make the best of it,” he added.
“Sometimes when I score 50 I get a little ultra-aggressive. It was a great opportunity to put my head down and bat. We weren’t behind in the game, we were in control most of the time. Going forward I just want to continue batting like that.”
Despite managing to dismiss Lara on a few occasions, Afridi, a fearsome hitter of the ball himself, admits that he was never confident while running up to bowl to the often-brutal left-hander.
“That would have to be Brian Lara. I got him out a few times but whenever I was bowling to him, I always had the feeling in the back of my mind that he is going to hit me for four the next ball. He had an effect on me. I never bowled with any confidence to him,” Afridi said in a recent interview with Wisden.
Lara scored some 11,953 Test runs and 10405 ODI runs in a star-studded career, which included setting the highest individual score recorded in a Test match with 400. Lara scored his highest total against Pakistan with a double century, at Multan, in 2006.
“He was a world-class batsman who dominated the best spinners he came up against, even the likes of Muttiah Muralitharan in Sri Lanka. His footwork against spinners was brilliant, and the way he batted against such bowlers was a wonderful sight. He was sheer class.”
Seales was one of the U19 World Cup’s best pacers with 10 wickets on the way to helping the West Indies to a fifth-place finish.
Now Seales wants to see what he can achieve in first-class cricket and from their break into the West Indies Test team.
“I always told my father I want to play Test cricket. I want to open the bowling in Test cricket,” said Seales.
The pacer, who grabbed 4-49 to help the young West Indies to a three-wicket win over pre-tournament favourites Australia in its opener, understands that there is work to be done to make the transition, but is more than willing to put in the hard yards.
“For me right now it is about staying fit, training harder, getting myself ready to play four-day cricket, and hopefully get into West Indies A team or the senior team soon enough to play for the senior team in Test cricket,” he said.
Seales went wicketless against England but his 0-21 from 10 overs was impressive nonetheless. His 4-19 against Nigeria in the final game of the first round meant the West Indies were unbeaten and looked dangerous ahead of a quarterfinal encounter against New Zealand.
He also went wicketless against New Zealand but his figures of 0-21 were again a testament to his fine bowling.
Seales’ exploits did not go unnoticed by the ICC, who picked him in the team of the tournament as one of two West Indians, the other being allrounder Nyeem Young.
“For me personally, it was a good performance. Coming off the tri-series (against Sri Lanka and England) I did not have the best performance,” he said.
“I wanted to do better for the team so I trained very hard when I came back home and in the World Cup itself [in] the training sessions I worked hard.”
The viral photo of a dejected Russell sitting on the steps did the rounds on social media, and the player has taken the time out to explain the emotions associated with the moment.
“Well, I was very emotional and I didn’t know how to go to the changing room and face all my teammates after leaving a ball and getting out bowled like that,” Russell told KKR.in.
“You know, the job is not complete, and I wanted to take the team over the line. So, I think the emotions got the best of me but staying strong,” he added.
KKR found themselves chasing a sizeable 221 for victory and in real trouble at 31 for 5. Russell and Dinesh Karthik had, however, started to lead the fightback. Russell hit 6 sixes and smashed a 21-ball fifty to give KKR hope and seemed set on delivering on one of his famous comeback specials. He was, however, dismissed against the run of play, for 54, in the 12th over when he left a Curran delivery, which crashed into his leg stump.
The West Indies bowlers have increasingly found wickets hard to come by the longer the Test series has gone on. In the first Test, which the Caribbean team won by four wickets, the West Indies dismissed England for 204 and 313. In the second Test, the team conceded 469 for 9 declared and 129 for 3 declared in the second innings, Stokes, in particular, took liberties with the bowling attack, smashing 176 in the first innings and then 78 in the second.
So far in the third and final Test, England has made 369 and then gone on to make 226 for 2 declared in the second innings. In his first match back from injury, fast bowler Shannon Gabriel has looked a little less than his best, since the first Test, where he claimed 4 for 62 and 5 for 75. Simmons insisted, however, that the players were all fully fit and the best available under the circumstances.
“Fitness is one of the first things we take into consideration and everyone on the park was fit,” Simmons told members of the media, following the end of the third day’s play.
“I think that it was one of the things we took into consideration. The fast bowlers especially have done a lot of work but I didn’t see any of them faltering in this game.”
With 12 regular team players making themselves unavailable for selection ahead of the tour, after citing health and safety concerns, the Caribbean team will start as massive underdogs heading into the series.
The full-strength squad was comprehensively outplayed in 2018, with the hosts comfortably coasting to a 2-0 series win. Brathwaite will lead a squad without the likes of Jason Holder, Darren Bravo, Shimron Hetmyer, Roston Chase, or Shamarh Brooks available. While he himself, and the likes of Jermaine Blackwood, Shannon Gabriel, and Kemar Roach, will provide some experience, four players could be making a debut with five having less than 10 appearances for the West Indies.
“I think I have a good team here, a few guys haven’t played international cricket, some haven’t played in a little while but I know this team is fully capable of doing well at the international level,” Brathwaite told members of the media on Wednesday.
“The guys here, I don’t see them as second-string guys, I believe they can perform at the international level. So, I know they are looking forward to the opportunity.”
A group consisting of Shimron Hetmyer, Chandrapaul Hemraj, and Keemo Paul were reportedly among those present for the drills, which took place on Monday at the Leonora Stadium.
Hetmyer sent tongues around the region wagging earlier this week after it was revealed that the player was left out of the West Indies squad for the upcoming series against Ireland and England, after failing another fitness test. The situation left head coach Phil Simmons notably frustrated.
According to Crandon, some members of the team have received higher scores this time around, but it seems clear that many of the players were still not at the required fitness levels.
“I think what we have seen today is some improvement from the guys, probably not what we were looking for but at the end of the day, most of them, about 97-98 percent would have improved on their previous scores (in the yo-yo test) so that is a good sign for us, and it also tells the entire group that once you put in the work, you will improve,” Crandon told the Guyana Times.
“It is simple as that. I do not understand why it is difficult for some of these players to understand. You are professionals and they have to put in the work to get to the level of fitness we are looking at.”
The coach revealed that there could be another test in a few days for players who were still not at the required level. The team is currently in preparation for the regional Regional 4-Day Tournament next month.
As one half one of a devastating batting duo, the other being Desmond Haynes, for a Windies team that rarely found itself on the losing end, it is completely understandable how the Caribbean team’s recent failures would be a cause of discomfort.
The Windies' struggles now date back decades but recently things have seemed particularly grim. At the last two World Cups, the team failed to progress from the preliminary rounds, while in the Test arena, a recent demolition at the hands of Australia will hardly have inspired feelings of all-conquering nostalgia.
“It used to hurt me but it doesn’t hurt me anymore because I don’t watch cricket anymore. Only if it is Test cricket and only if it is about a young player, who I have heard about, I will try my best to go and watch that kid play and make my own judgment about what I feel about that player," Greenidge toldSportStar.
The former batsman’s recent grievances, however, run deeper than just the poor performance of the West Indies team. Greenidge has also expressed concern for the longest format of the sport, where he scored 7558 runs, and its continued relevance and longevity in the face of the blossoming of several T20 leagues around the globe
“On a personal note, I would not like to see 50-over withdrawn and just T20 being played. I believe T20 is a spectator’s sport, and it is no anymore a cricketer’s sport. Yes, cricketers play, but T20, for me, is like fast food. Test cricket is real cricket. From Test cricket, we came to 50-over, then T20, and now we are going to 10-over, where will we go from here maybe one-over or two-over per side? Keep the cricket alive but don’t banish Test cricket, that is the real cricket we all are here for, we all grew up with.”
The towering speedster earned widespread plaudits after putting together an extraordinarily economical 3 for 28, in a high-scoring encounter against Kolkata Knight Riders on Wednesday.
With some 422 runs scored in the match, Ngidi, who was tasked with death bowling duties after replacing Bravo in the line-up, had a solid economy rate of 7.00. The South African’s skills and variations were on full display after he trapped an attacking Dinesh Karthik with a slower ball dismissal, a delivery that would surely have pleased his West Indian tutor.
“There was a lot of pressure, Bravo has been doing very well for CSK. So, I had to come in and fill his shoes,” Ngidi told the IPL’s official website.
“I have worked very closely with Bravo on the slower bowls at the death. One of the slower bowls he has been teaching me for a long time came off and got us a wicket.”
In the end, CSK won by 18 runs, in no small part thanks to Faf Du Plessis’ brutal, unbeaten 95 from 60 deliveries. The 37-year-old Bravo was rested for the encounter, due to workload concerns.
On that occasion, the Windies showed plenty of grit and determination to beat the much more highly fancied England 2-1. A similar result against New Zealand would be even more remarkable, however, considering the team’s poor showing against the Blackcaps in recent campaigns.
With the regional team having not registered a Test series win against New Zealand since 2012, it is the Kiwis that have won the last three, with the Windies winning just a match. The victories included a 2-1 win over the West Indies in the Caribbean in 2014. Chase, however, believes the upcoming series could be a little different.
“New Zealand is never an easy place to play…but I am feeling something special about this tour. The energy that I’m feeling from the guys. The eagerness reminds me of when we played the series against England in the Caribbean,” Chase told windiescricket.com.
“I just really have a good feeling about this one,” he added.
Chase replaced opener Kraigg Brathwaite as vice-captain of the squad. The West Indies will face-off against New Zealand in two Test and three T20 internationals.
The attacking-minded Mayers burst on the scene with a stroke-filled 210 unbeaten in the first Test against Bangladesh, in February of this year. However, against Sri Lanka last month, the player also had a good turn with the ball. Not only extracting movement from a placid pitch but taking four wickets in the process, with just a short spell.
The display prompted some pundits to suggest that the player had the ability to become a dependable all-rounder for the squad if he could improve his overall fitness.
Bowling would not have been entirely new to Mayers, however, as he was at one point considered more of a bowling all-rounder, having claimed 71 wickets in 30 first-class matches at an average of 21.54. Having displayed more prowess with the bat in recent months, Mayers is convinced that he can do both at the highest level in the mold of former West Indies captain Jason Holder, or England’s Ben Stokes, the world’s top-ranked all-rounders.
“I have it in me to do it. I just have to become fitter,” Mayer’s told SportsMax’s The Commentators podcast.
“I just started Test cricket and people think watching it on tv, it’s very easy, it’s very hard. I will always say that, and I will always let young people coming up know that if you want to play Test cricket you need to work very hard,” he added.
“Preparation is key for me to be up there with Jason. It will take that hard work, but I believe I can do it for sure. Having number one and maybe number two in the world can’t be so bad. If they had two of the world’s best all-rounders the guys would be happy.”
Catch full interview in the Podcast below
Since the advent of the cash-rich shortest format of the sport, the top Caribbean players have often found themselves caught between representing the regional team and earning from the major payday provided by the global T20 calendar.
With the emergence of a new generation of talented West Indies players, the likes of Nicholas Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, and particularly more recently Kyle Mayers, Nkrumah Bonner, and Joshua Da Silva, Lloyd is already worried Cricket West Indies could find itself in a similar position to several years ago.
“I impress on the board and all those that are in charge, to make sure that these guys stick with our cricket,” Lloyd told the Mason and Guest radio program.
“We can’t afford to lose another three guys because I know the IPL fellows are going to come knocking and it’s very difficult for them to say no,” he added.
“They have a lot of T20 games in which they will be able to make money, but the point is the other countries seem to be able to harness their talent. They go to those places and play but when international cricket is being played, they are back there. Let’s just hope that we keep these young men we are grooming that we work hard with and they’ve now come to fruition; so that the captain or whoever will have people to call on. If you keep losing players, it’s like digging a hole to fill a hole.”
Despite some amount of debate surrounding the selection of the inexperienced player, the performance of the 19-year-old Seales was one of the few bright sparks in a wretched series for the regional team.
The teenager, who came into the line-up with the absence of Shannon Gabriel due to injury, claimed figures of 3 for 34 and overall figures of 3 for 75. He did not get the chance at a second innings as South Africa only needed to bat once. Prior to his debut, Seales had only played one First-Class match.
While admitted to being delighted by the young bowler’s potential, Holder recommends caution as a necessity in ensuring he lives up to his full potential.
“I’m very excited for Jayden. It was special to see not just the way he bowled but also the way the team rallied around him,” Holder told members of the media on Tuesday.
“I was actually commenting on his first Test wicket and everyone was saying they really enjoyed how he got around it. I honestly felt like I was taking my first wicket when Jayden got his wicket,” he added.
“The most impressive thing for me about Jayden's debut is the sustenance of his consistency. He was there, thereabouts nagging. He asked tons of questions at multiple stages of the game, which is impressive for a 19-year-old.”
The sky’s the limit for him if he can just stay fit. I just hope that we manage him well. When I say manage him well, we still have to understand that for Jayden that’s his second first-class game, first Test match. The body will take a little bit of time to adjust to the workload and we have to be careful not to bowl him to the ground. I think sometimes we get excited by a young prospect like Jayden and throw him into all formats. I would like to see a gradual build-up with him.”
Brathwaite, who took over as captain of the team from Jason Holder in February, had his worst performance at the top of the order for some time, albeit against a rampant South Africa.
In two matches, the 28-year-old batsman could only manage a high score of 15 and in total scored 28 runs, which included an early duck in the first innings of the second match. Prior to heading into the series, Brathwaite had averaged 33.43, including scores of 126 and 85 against Sri Lanka in the previous series.
The batsman has, however, rejected notions of added responsibility for the team impacting his performance at the crease.
“I’m not feeling any pressure. I enjoy captaining. I didn’t get any runs as the opening batsman, I just didn’t get any runs full stop,” Brathwaite told members of the media.
The player has targeted looking at a few technical issues and better mental preparation ahead of the next series.
“Opening the batting isn’t easy, but it’s a very crucial job because it basically sets up the game to make it easier for guys that follow and we didn’t do that and it put us on the backfoot for most of the time,” he added.
Brathwaite, who officially took over from Jason Holder at the start of the Sri Lanka series, made a total of 26 at the top of the order for the first Test, for an average of just 13. The batsman did, however, manage to occupy the crease, his score of 23 in the second innings coming from 124 balls. While not showing up on the scoreboard, the player believes it was a vital contribution.
“I’m not concerned. In the second innings I managed to spend over two hours at the crease, which was important for us as a batting unit,” Brathwaite told members of the media via a Zoom press conference.
“As I said before, I always enjoy leading and I know what I have to do, I know my role as a batsman and also as the captain. So, I’m not concerned.”
In the previous series against Bangladesh, as the stand-in captain for Holder, Brathwaite scored 149 runs over the two matches, for an average of 37.25. The West Indies unexpectedly won the series 2-0, which played a crucial role in Brathwaite securing the leadership post.
Russell smashed an unbeaten 54 from 22 balls, which included seven sixes and two fours as the team successfully recovered from 80-4 in the 14th over to reach 164-8 with four balls remaining. The total saw them claim a dramatic two-wicket win over Chattogram, who had been powered by Gayle’s blistering 60 off 24 balls.
"The plan was just to stay there until the end. I wasn't worried about the falling wickets but as more wickets fell, it put pressure on me,” Russell told Espncricinfo.
“I just wanted one person from one end, and then let me do my thing at the other end. [Abu Jayed] Rahi stood up with me. Well done to him. I think every run was really important. These scores can be very tricky at times,” he added.
"I love playing in these situations, when it is 12, 13 or 14 runs [needed] per over," Russell said. "Sometimes I love when its like even 15 or 16. I like these challenges. I am strong and I know if I stay as still as possible, I will always have an open mindset and I don't premeditate.”
Rajshahi will face Khulna Tigers in the final on Friday.
The 29-year-old Blackwood was one of the few bright spots for the Windies on a dismal tour of New Zealand that was capped off by massive innings defeats in a two-Test series.
Blackwood, however, managed to do something the majority of his teammates could not and that is score runs. The Jamaica-born batsman crafted a determined 104 in the first innings, of the first match, forming a valuable partnership down the order with bowler Alzarri Joseph. In the second Test, he scored 69, a high score for the second-match batting line-up.
While acknowledging the achievement, the batsman has insisted there is plenty of hard work to be done.
“I did well but it wasn’t enough, because we still lost the two-Test games. So, I think going forward I need to do better so I can actually win some games for my team,” Blackwood told the Mason and Guest radio program.
The batsman believes a huge part of his success was due to the preparation he put in heading into the series.
“I think my preparation was good. I really prepared well. I went to New Zealand and did a lot of work with Roddy Estwick and the batting coach in the nets, doing specific stuff, stuff that I knew I was going to get in the game,” he added.
“A lot of short ball stuff in the nets because I knew I was going to get a lot of that in the game. So, I already prepared for that in the training session so once I stepped out it would be natural.
“Having been out of the Test arena for years my first series back against England I would say I missed out there. I told myself once I got into the 90s again, I was not going to miss out. I’m working hard to get my conversion rate better and get some more 100s. So, I think I am making some good strides.”
Powell made a total of 116 appearances for the West Indies between 1999 and 2006 and is widely considered to be one of the cleanest hitters of the cricket ball. Looking back at his introduction to the West Indies team as a 21-year-old in 1999, he freely admits that he had failed to grasp certain key elements needed for success during his development as a junior player.
“I remember growing up as a young player never understanding what discipline was in terms of the sport of cricket and how that was applied to cricket,” Powell told the Mason and Guest radio show.
“I always thought that this guy is indiscipline, he isn’t disciplined, not knowing that they were talking about the application to the actual game itself and not necessarily your behavior on and off the field,” he added.
In order to mitigate against such deficiencies affecting future generations of West Indies players, Powell believes the region must make a serious investment in mentorship programs.
“Mentorship should be a big thing in West Indies cricket right now because we are living in a different time and everyone wants to be successful overnight because of what T20 has brought to the game,” Powell said.
"I think a lot of mentorship needs to be taking place with workshops for younger players on and off the field. The workshops also have to be relatable, with people like myself who have played the game and understand what it is to come from certain walks of life and make it to the top and understand what it takes to get there and how you are going to stay there.”
