Seales played a leading role in the team’s one wicket over Pakistan earlier this week, in the process of securing his first-ever five-wicket haul. In the process, he also made history by becoming the youngest West Indies bowler to achieve the feat at 19 years and 336 days.
With many already predicting a big future for the young player, however, Seales himself believes it is important to keep both feet firmly planted on the ground. Over the last few years, several young fast bowlers have threatened to make the breakthrough for the Caribbean team but have seen their development stalled at various points.
“It’s just for me to stay in the moment. I will ride the fame and everything, but for me, it’s about continuing to work on my game. I’m not where I want it to be. I’m not the finished product. I know I can be better,” Seales told members of the media on Tuesday.
“It’s just for me to work on my game a little more, build on the things I want to improve on, build from there and eventually become better.”
In three matches so far Seales has claimed a total of 13 wickets.
The second match of the two-Test series will begin on Friday at Jamaica’s Sabina Park.
On Wednesday the government body had issued a release stating that both the restaurants Old Harbour and newly opened Kingston location would be closed for breaching COVID-19 regulations.
Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Desmond McKenzie, however, then claimed that the both establishments were operating in contravention to other regulations. The ODPM has since claimed that the release had been prepared but was sent out in error.
There is yet to be any update in relation to the claims of other permit violations later referred to by the minister.
Russell, one of the region’s biggest T20 stars, opened the Old Harbour franchise in 2017 before adding the Kingston location earlier this month.
The visiting Proteas handed their hosts a deflating innings and 63 runs defeat in the first Test in St Lucia. In total, the Windies managed just 259 in both innings after scoring just 97 in the first. South Africa was tasked with batting once and 322 was comfortable enough to win the game.
The manner of the defeat was perhaps all the more surprising as the team headed into the series on the back of an exceptional away performance against Bangladesh and a solid home showing against Sri Lanka. Roach has, however, backed the unit to recover its fortitude quickly ahead of the second Test.
“I know the guys had their batting meeting. I’m sure they spoke about what is required to put on a better showing in the second Test match,” Roach told members of the media.
“The dressing room is good, relaxed. We have had a good year of Test cricket. One bad match doesn’t make us a bad team. It about us remaining positive, trust our process, gain some confidence for the second Test match and take it from there.”
The 26-year-old burst on the scene during the 2019 CPL season, when he was the tournament’s most lethal bowler with best match figures of 5 for 19 and a total of 22 wickets.
Walsh struggled to replicate that form this season, managing just 7 wickets in 10 matches, at an economy rate of 7.65. Notably, the bowler suffered a brutal onslaught from a rampaging Kieron Pollard, which saw him end with figures of 44 for 1 in that match. Nonetheless, Walsh was selected as part of the T20 squad for the tour of New Zealand next month.
The bowler, however, remains confident of making an impact, perhaps as much as he did in India last year where he was decisive in the second game.
“I would agree that the results didn’t quite go my way, but I was still quite satisfied with the way I was consistent, but as I said, you can’t win all of them all of the time so it really was a good learning opportunity and a good learning tournament,” Walsh told the Antigua Observer.
“That one game or that one over doesn’t determine who I am as a leg-spinner on a whole. I always try to get back to my feet because my father always taught me that cricket and life go hand in hand. So, it is just like life, when you fall down today, we still have to get back up the next day and keep going again.”
The 34-year-old, who took charge of the ODI team in September 2019, called time on an international career that spanned some 16 years and a three-year spell in charge of two regional teams. In ODI’s, Pollard led the team for 24 games, winning 13, losing 11, and drawing none for a win percentage of 54.17.
Alone that would not seem so impressive, turns out that’s not so bad, as far as West Indies captains go. Pollard’s win percentage puts him ahead of Dwayne Bravo (44.44), Darren Sammy (36.00), and Jason Holder (27.91). The big-hitters win percentage also puts him above the like of legends Brian Lara, who won 47.20 percent of his games, and Chris Gayle who had a 32.08 win ratio.
His success rate for T20s has been much less than the ODI’s. Pollard’s 33.33-win ratio puts him well behind Sammy at 59.57, Bravo at 50 percent, Gayle at 41.18 percent, and Carlos Braithwaite at 36.67.
Earlier this week, Sanasie admitted to beginning procedures to bring Skerritt before the CWI Ethics Committee. If the complaint is ignored at the regional level, the Guyana Cricket Board Secretary has not ruled out instructing his attorneys to bring the matter before the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Sanasie has accused Skerritt of improper conduct after alleging that a meeting between the latter, other board members of CWI, and Guyana Minister of Sports Charles Ramson Jr was not only illegitimately convened but that the decisions stemming from it, namely a quickly convened Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) election, were specifically designed to keep him off the ballot. Ramson Jr has flatly rejected the assertions.
In response, Skerritt painted Sanasie’s actions as more of a desperate ploy than anything else.
“He is creating an illusion that somehow I will be disqualified from the election,” Skerritt told Sports Grill.
“It is his dream and his hope that I will be disqualified from the election because it is the only chance they would ever have of winning,” he added.
The CWI presidential elections are set to take place this Sunday.
The team’s struggles, particularly at the top of the order, have been well documented in recent times. The issue of finding a consistent partner for team captain Kraigg Brathwaite is one of the primary concerns.
Over the last five years, Brathwaite, who has scored 2188 in 40 matches during that time, has been consistent but it has proven to be somewhat of a carousel in terms of finding an opening pairing with Kieron Powell, John Campbell, and Shai Hope all being trailed for the spot at various times.
In November, Jeremy Solozano was also set to be trialed in the position, against Sri Lanka, but did not get the opportunity after being struck on the helmet while fielding. Ahead of the England series, Haynes and the selectors have decided to turn back to Campbell who was dropped from the team in June of last year.
The batsman has had a strong start to the West Indies Championship after scoring 213 runs in two matches so far. Since 2019, Campbell has played 15 matches for the West Indies scoring 640 runs.
“There was good discussion regarding the opening. That in itself is something we want to resolve shortly. I think in all the good teams you find they have good opening batsmen so we are hoping to get our opening batsmen some confidence and make sure they can do the job for us,” Haynes told members of the media on Tuesday.
“I think we went with Campbell not just because he got the 100 but talking to the captain and him batting with Campbell in the games that he has played, we had a bit of success there,” he added.
“It was a bit unfortunate for Jeremy but we decided we would put him in the president’s XI’s game where the selectors could have another look at him because it was a bit unfortunate because after being struck on the head he didn’t get a chance to play in Sri Lanka.
Ahead of the start of the New Zealand tour, the Windies batting struggles have been well documented. In their previous series against England, the team’s batting average teetered at around 27.86 and that was one of the team’s best in recent years.
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.
While they have struggled at the crease, however, the team has developed a strong bowling line-up, a four-pronged attack that consists of captain Jason Holder, Shannon Gabriel, Kemar Roach, and Alzarri Joseph.
“What I would like to see improve overall is the batting of the team. I think that our bowlers have been doing brilliantly for us, but we have not been getting big enough scores for them to bowl at,” Chase told members of the media from the team’s training camp in New Zealand.
“Mainly in the first innings, the first innings sets up the game for the whole Test match. Once you put the team under pressure with a good first innings total, they’ll always be chasing the game and that is a good thing to have the opposition doing in Test cricket…as a batting unit we need to give the bowlers more to work with.”
In two letters, one to Ramson and the other to Ramkarran, the attorney’s pointed out that they deemed the appointment, made in accordance with Section 17 of the Guyana Cricket Administration Act, Chapter 21:03, Laws of Guyana, to be illegal, based on the fact that it was carried out more than once.
In addition to vehemently disputing Ramson’s claims that the Cricket West Indies (CWI) board was consulted, the letters pointed out that a 7-day period for holding the proposed elections was unreasonable.
“This is the third such appointment to be made by a Minister of Sport. The first person appointed under that section was Professor Winston McGowan. He served in the office for some time and then resigned. The Minister is only once required to exercise his power to appoint a Cricket Ombudsman. The Minister claims to have “just” consulted with CWI in his Notice appointing you as Cricket Ombudsman, which was published on the 19th February 2021,” the document read.
“We are instructed that the Minister did not meaningfully or at all consult with CWI. There has been no meeting with CWI convened for this purpose. Our client is aware that the Minister shares a close relationship with the current President of CWI and supports his re-election as President of CWI in elections slated for March 2021. Our client is his challenger for the post of President at the upcoming CWI elections.”
Should Sanasie be defeated in the election, he would be ineligible to challenge Skerritt for the post of CWI president.
“The consultation which was critical to the validity of your appointment was improper for the foregoing reasons and was motivated by an improper purpose and was taken in furtherance of the interest of the current President, Mr. Ricky Skerritt who did not raise the issue of the Cricket Ombudsman of Guyana with the Board as is required by the Cricket Administration Act.
Meaningful consultation could not in the circumstances take place by a phone call between the Minister and a single member of the Board of CWI. Your appointment is, therefore, illegal and we call upon you to decline the appointment and/or resign. The Minister has fixed a time frame of less than seven (7) days with which you are to fulfil your obligations of the establishment and verification of a Register of Clubs.”
The attorneys have demanded Ramkarran resign from the post or legal proceedings would begin to quash the appointment.
The defending champions have been handed back-to-back losses at the hand of England and then South Africa. Both losses were underpinned by underwhelming performances at the crease, which first saw the West Indies dismissed for 55 and then in the second match collapsed to 143 for 8 all-out after a promising start at 73 for 1.
Following its substandard showing against England, the team tinkered with its batting line-up promoting Nicholas Pooran up the order while pushing Chris Gayle and Shimron Hetmyer further down.
“I think the planning season to be all over the place,” Lloyd said in assessing the team’s performances thus far, on the Mason and Guest radio program.
“I think if you look at what has happened. Fifty-five runs, we are much better than that. Our planning seems to be terrible. (Against South Africa) We had a wonderful start, and we didn’t promote people in the proper order,” he added.
“You expect the captain to come up when you are going at 9 an over, to continue, but you send Pooran who hasn’t been batting well and you have Hetmyer who has been batting well and making very good scores. So, the batting order seems to be all over the place.”
Lloyd believes that for the team to be successful someone has to take control of the batting order.
“At one stage the prediction was 174 and we were down to so, but somewhere along the line, we feel like this game is about hitting sixes. We are getting caught on the boundary, it’s a big ground. If I’m at 58, I’m looking to get to 80 or 90, get more runs and take the game away from the opposition.”
In assessing the difference between the fitness levels of some of the current crop of bowlers and those who dominated oppositions in his time, Lloyd admitted that the players of yesteryear had the advantage of much heavier involvement in English County Cricket.
“Joel Garner was a big fellow, but he was terribly fit. Walsh was a big fellow, tall fellow, but he was fit. Those guys were accustomed to playing in County cricket, where you would have to bowl four spells a day and travel the next day and start again. They got accustomed to that, our guys are not accustomed to that,” Lloyd told the Mason and Guest radio program.
He, however, insists there should be no excuses when it comes to athletes being in the very best physical shape for cricket.
“We should have our young men fit, we have the climate and we have the coaches. You should have fitness guys there who are strong, mentally, like Dennis Waite. When he says run four laps, you have to run four laps,” he added.
“We don’t do enough of that. I think that is why our players are not bowling as many overs as they should. You ask Malcolm Marshal at 4:30 in the afternoon ‘Malcolm I’d like four overs from you’. He would say ‘no skip, I will give you six’. That’s the sort of thing you need, Walsh wanting to bowl, Crofty you can’t get the ball out of his hands. We have to get that kind of hunger again.”
Dottin suffered a career-threatening injury early last year which required reconstructive surgery to her right shoulder. This caused her to miss three international series against England, Australia and India. She recovered well and was able to play in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in Australia earlier this year but did not bowl.
She’s now back bowling, and on Saturday made a return with the ball taking two wickets in the third T20I against England in Derby. It was the first time she bowled at this level since February 2019. She also scored a sizzling 63 – to follow up 69 and 38 in the other two matches at the Incaro County Ground in Derby. In so doing she has scored more than 40 percent of the team’s three totals.
Bolstered by a strong support system led by Merissa Aguilleira, Dottin credits the outstanding former West Indies captain and current teammates for getting her through her time away from the game.
“There were times where I thought that was it… the pain actually gave me strength in terms of fighting and getting back out there… to play cricket for West Indies,” Dottin said in a recent interview with windies cricket.
“In that down period, I was talking to Merissa a lot. She has been telling me to don’t give up and keep praying and a couple of players had messaged me wishing a speedy recovery.”
One of the top five women with the most T20I career runs, Dottin admitted that is was a good feeling and she’s looking forward to getting to the top spot in the near future.
“Of course, I plan to be at the top, to be the Number one.”
The 22-year-old Paul, who has earned 3 Test match caps so far, was previously invited to join the team for the tour of England but along with Darren Bravo and Shimron Hetmyer turned down the series due to health concerns.
“Keemo Paul to me at this time is not suited to play Test cricket,” Gray told the Mason and Guest Radio program.
“He’s too inconsistent with his bowling, he tries too many things and he cannot work to a game plan. In Test cricket you need a plan. You need the sort of deliveries to be patient but also having the wickets to take deliveries but the thing about him is he is not patient. His batting has declined too,” he added.
Paul made his debut against Bangladesh in 2018 and has taken six wickets in his three games, while conceding 189 runs. Gray insisted there were enough seamers and spinner Roston Chase already in the squad. He believes the team would have been better suited keeping discarded batsman Shai Hope around the squad, even if not a part of the first team.
In wake of a vicious attack on the team bus of a touring Sri Lanka team, in Lahore, in 2009, the country had been blacklisted as a destination for international cricket. As a result of opponents refusing to visit Pakistan, the country was forced to use the UAE as a home venue for a decade.
A thaw in relations began five years ago, with teams like Zimbabwe, West Indies, and Sri Lanka among the first to tour the once shunned country. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Ehsan Mani has, however, claimed that often came at a heavy price. Mani claimed that prior to him taking charge, in 2018, the board had paid a whopping extra US$25,000 per player to Windies players for a series in Pakistan. A weakened West Indies team played three T20 international matches in April 2018. The PCB board boss claimed another team was given $USD 15,000 per player. Mani insisted things were now back to normal.
“This PCB regime has not paid anything extra to any player for playing in Pakistan,” told Pakistan news publication Dawn.
“Pakistan hosted Sri Lanka and other teams which was a big boost for Pakistan cricket.”
Holder was one of 12 first-team players to opt-out of the tour, citing health and safety concerns as the primary reasons. The player and others opting out of the tour were roundly criticised in some quarters, with Holder taking the brunt as the leader of the unit.
From his perspective, however, Holder believes he has more than proved his commitment to West Indies cricket over the years.
“A lot of people just don’t understand. I would hate to think people would question my commitment to West Indies cricket,” Holder told the Mason and Guest radio program.
“Over the last five, six, seven years I’ve been on the road. Eight years consistently I’ve played for the West Indies. I’ve had tons of opportunities to go abroad and play domestic, T20 leagues. I could have done county cricket, well I have done it, but I’ve had opportunities to go around the world and I’ve always put West Indies cricket first,” he added.
“So, for people to come now and question my commitment that shows me that people just don’t understand. My reasons for not going to Bangladesh, yes I had concerns over the integrity of the bubble, but it was mostly mental fatigue.”
Resuming the score with a comfortable overnight total of 113 for 1, the Sri Lankans were 204 all-out just before lunch. The decision to use left-arm spinners Permaul and Jomel Warrican proved to be a masterstroke that paid rich dividends for the visitors.
Permaul, ended with overall figures of 5 for 35, while Warrican took 4 for 50. With the other wicket going to Roston Chase on the first day, it was only the fourth time the typically pace-dependent Windies saw their spinners claim 10 wickets in an innings.
In response, the West Indies came up with an all-around solid batting display and put 69 for 1 on the board, leaving the visitor trailing by 135 runs. Jermaine Blackwood, who put 44 on the board from 91 balls was the lone casualty before the rains came. Blackwood was dismissed lbw after misjudging a Praveen Jayawickrama arm ball. Kraig Brathwaite was unbeaten on 22 off 77 deliveries, and alongside him was Nkrumah Bonner on 1 at the close of play.
Led by a half-century from Test batsman Jermaine Blackwood the Scorpions appeared to be on course for a more promising total at 118 for three. Permaul, however, then grabbed 7-59 from 30.5 overs to destroy the Scorpions batting.
Having racked up wins in their two previous matches, the Scorpions were dismissed about 25 minutes before the close of play. Blackwood led the way with a typically flamboyant 59, his third half-century in four innings, and Denis Smith made 23 and was the only other Scorpions batsman that passed 20.
Scorpions were 60 for three when Blackwood and Nkrumah Bonner put on 58 for the fourth wicket.
But there was little resistance be found in the Scorpions batting line-up after Blackwood was dismissed lbw to Permaul, the home team found themselves wobbling on 156 for five.
There was to be no comeback for the Scorpions, and they lost their last five wickets – three to Permaul – for 44. The spinner has carried his tally of wickets to 37 this season.
If confirmed, it could mean a second consecutive challenge for incumbent Wilford ‘Billy’ Heaven. Heaven easily saw off opposition from former vice-president Mark Neita in 2019 to secure a third two-year term.
While insisting that, at this point, a decision had yet to be made, Perry admitted that he was far from pleased with the current state of cricket on the island of Jamaica and it was an option he was strongly considering.
“It could be a possibility. I’m not confirming that but I’m still giving it some thought. It’s a lot that you have to give up,” Perry, who recently became president of Jamaica Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (JAIFA), told the Mason and Guest radio program.
“I strongly believe that we need some very good leadership and we need some serious work to bring back our cricket. Our cricket is in a desperate situation and I think that management and leadership, we have to start from there to get everything streamlined so that the pathway is very clear,” he added.
Heaven has been president of the JCA since 2013 when then-president Lyndel Wright did not seek re-election. Of interest, however, is the fact that Heaven’s upcoming re-election bid will be the first since the JCA is believed to have voted against fellow Jamaican Dave Cameron in his re-election bid for Cricket West Indies (CWI) president. The move was widely condemned in some quarters of Jamaica’s local cricket fraternity.
Promoted to open, Nkrumah Bonner steered Sheldon Cottrell for four and drove Ish Sodhi for the game’s first Hero Maximum, but in trying to pick up a second off Imran Khan he chipped to Cottrell at long-on. The Tallwahs reached the Powerplay at 28 for 1.
Jermaine Blackwood got off the mark with a Hero Maximum off Sodhi, but Imran continued to be hard to hit. Patriots captain Rayad Emrit brought himself on, going for seven, and at halfway the Tallawahs were 53 for 1.
The first ball after the break, Blackwood carved Cottrell for four. Phillips ended that over with his first four off his 24th ball, but the Tallawahs lost Blackwood when he picked out Dunk at long-off off Emrit.
Phillips finally hit his first Hero Maximum off his 28th ball, lofting Jon-Russ Jaggesar over long-on, but should have fallen two balls later, Nick Kelly spilling a simple chance. Imran tightened the screw, finishing his miserly spell (the most economical completed spell of Hero CPL 2020) with a maiden to Phillips who was now 28 off 36 balls. After 14 overs, the Tallawahs were 79 for 2.
Asif Ali tried to pick up the pace, lofting the last ball of Jaggesar’s spell for a Hero Maximum but fell in the next over, Sodhi’s last, trying to repeat the trick. Evin Lewis must get credit for a well-judged catch on the midwicket boundary.
Phillips, at last, clicked, passing a run a ball off his 46th delivery and reaching 50 off his 47th with three Hero Maximums off Cottrell. While he managed another Hero Maximum off Emrit, the Patriots captain dismissed Rovman Powell and Carlos Brathwaite in quick succession and the Tallawahs reached 18 overs at 126 for 5.
Cottrell started the 19th over with three full tosses, the first a beamer, but finished by bowling the struggling Chadwick Walton. Phillips kept going to the end, levering a low full toss over long-on for a sixth Hero Maximum and whipping a four through square leg. Phillips’ acceleration was stark - he scored 38 off his first 44 balls and 41 off his last 17, and at the end, he was visibly drained, so much so Walton took over as wicket-keeper.
The Patriots too changed their openers, a groin injury to Lewis meaning Kieran Powell came up the order. While Chris Lynn opened his account with a Hero Maximum off Fidel Edwards, Edwards got revenge next ball with a late outswinger that hit middle stump.
Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Veerasammy Permaul bowled two overs apiece and conceded just one boundary, with Kieran Powell dropped by Asif off Mujeeb. The new opener cashed in with a lovely lofted four off Edwards. The Patriots closed the first six at 39 for 1.
The Patriots stumbled further when Ramdin edged a cut to keeper Walton off Permaul. Ben Dunk was bowled fourth ball by Brathwaite as part of a wicket-maiden, and Kieran Powell in trying to break free off Permaul gave Walton a stumping with time to spare. Between the Powerplay and the drinks break, the Patriots faced 20 balls and lost 3 for 6.
That stumping was Walton’s last act behind the stumps, as a recovered Phillips resumed his duties after drinks. After 10 overs, the Patriots were becalmed at 47for 4 with Lewis injured, and with two overs of Mujeeb and four overs of Sandeep Lamichhane still to come.
Emrit got his team their first boundary in 30 balls, but he fell two balls later leading-edging Brathwaite to point. Lewis could be delayed no longer, which in turn brought Lamichhane into the attack. Kelly swept for four, but still, the over went for just six, and after 13 overs the required run rate had climbed to 11 an over.
Rovman Powell brought back Mujeeb who went for just four. Lewis and Kelly managed a brief flurry of boundaries off Lamichhane and Edwards, but Edwards had the last laugh as Kelly dragged a pull onto his own stumps.
The Tallawahs’ elite spinners would be denied no longer. Lamichhane’s seam-up variation saw the valiant Lewis hole out to long-on, Mujeeb grabbed a simple caught and bowled off Cottrell, and Lamichhane bowled Sodhi with a googly. The game was already lost when the final wicket fell, Brathwaite picking up a third as some compensation for his duck today and his mauling by the Tridents’ Kyle Mayers on Wednesday.
Winning without the injured Andre Russell, who is expected to be fit for Tuesday’s game against the Trinbago Knight Riders, will please the Tallawahs camp no end, but the struggles continue for the Patriots who have left themselves with a lot to do in the last group matches of Hero CPL 2020.
In 2019, only a few weeks after replacing the Dave Cameron administration, the Ricky Skerritt-led regime controversially decided to sack Pybus and his entire coaching staff, with the ICC tournament less than a month away.
The move raised even more eyebrows at the time, because it came after the team had, very much against heavy odds, defeated a higher-ranked touring England 2-1 in a Test series, only weeks prior and tied top-ranked England 2-2 in a subsequent One Day International series.
On the back of several disappointing performances in recent months the decision has, on occasion, come back under the microscope and to the fore for discussion.
“It was not even bad, it was one of the worst decisions to have even been made in recent times in West Indies cricket,” Hope told the Mason and Guest radio program.
“Here you were, you had just begun to see some green shoots in the performance of a team. It doesn’t matter who was in charge before or anything like that and it was basically a political decision,” he added.
The West Indies finished 9th at the ICC World after winning just 2 matches and losing 6.
Hope and Guyana’s Anand Sanasie were part of a two-man team that challenged Skerritt and vice-president Kishore Shallow for the leadership of CWI last year.
