The decisions to include Chris Gayle, omit Jason Holder from the final 15, and the inclusion of veteran fast bowler Ravi Rampaul have been among those that have drawn criticism. Others have called for the inclusion of players that put in strong performances in the recently concluded CPL, which includes the likes of Sherfane Rutherford and Odean Smith.
Butcher, who has himself sat on a selection panel for Barbados, has insisted some of the picks were understandable and insists that in fact, some players left themselves out of contention and does not see why the panel should bear that burden.
“In terms of the selection, Jason holder really should have been selected, because he may not have done well of late but he is a proven player if we use him correctly. I think Jason is someone you use to bowl four overs there and then, let him bat later on the game, and he is also a good fielder,” Butcher told the Mason and Guest radio program.
“In terms of the guys who didn’t make it, everyone is shouting and screaming that Rutherford should have made it. People forget that Rutherford has played for the West Indies for some time and he has a poor average in actual fact,” he added
“…Roger Harper didn’t say it, but if you notice Rutherford for the last few years has not played for Guyana, except for the white ball competition, that is because he has refused to take a fitness test and that is obviously why he was not selected because he was dropped before, and the caseis obviously still the same. Why are selectors being crucified for leaving him out, by his actions he has made himself unavailable for selection.”
Butcher also did not agree with the criticism of the bowling selection as he is confident that both Rampaul and Chase can contribute meaningfully to the team.
“Roston Chase upset the applecart because no one was looking for him to perform the way he did, by doing that he forced his way into the side. In terms of Oshane Thomas and Rampaul, Fidel Edwards really caused them to have a problem because he was picked for the 15 matches but unfortunately got injured and was able to show his best,” he said.
“In Rampaul’s case he is proven at the international level and I can see why they have gone for him in the current crop of fast bowlers and Thomas, we’ve seen his inconsistency, but Smith is one for the future.”
In the light of the omission of batsman Shimron Hetmyer from the West Indies squad, ahead of the tour of Sri Lanka, based on the player failing to meet the requisite fitness standards, critics have pointed fingers towards other members of the team they doubt are able to meet the requirements.
While a few expressed doubts about legendary batsman Chris Gayle’s fitness level, the majority pointed to the continued inclusion of Rahkeem Cornwall. The off-spinner is listed as 6’ 7” and 308 pounds but has performed creditably for the West Indies on a few occasions, most recently against Bangladesh.
“As is best practice around the world, there are going to be times when players for different reasons might be unable or incapable of achieving minimum standards either across the whole battery of tests or certain aspects of it,” Adams told members of the media via a Zoom press conference call.
“There are exemptions that are given to these players and the four main areas that are considered for these exemptions would be the player’s age, individual physiological limitations, their injury history, and also their training history. This is standard across many high-performance environments and we are no different,” he added.
“There are quite a few players that have been exempted under one of these four headings and it is something that I think maintains robustness about the situation. If I go back and look at an Indian spinner in the 70s who had a withered arm, if he were to have an upper-body strength test he would not be able to complete that test and therefore in that area he would have to have an exemption,” Adams said.
“It is there ensuring that we do not discriminate against players that have issues, injuries, long-standing chronic things that might prevent them from completing some of these tests.”
Since the start of the year, the recently appointed West Indies captain has played in 9 matches, spanning three series. He has averaged a mere 11.22 with a high score of 34.
Heading into Wednesday’s series against Pakistan, Pooran scored a total of 24 runs in three matches against The Netherlands. Despite the added responsibility of captaincy, however, Pooran is backing himself to turn things around.
“This isn’t the first time I haven’t scored runs. If you check my stats I’m always scoring runs so I am not bothered,” Pooran told members of the media on Tuesday.
“I think something big is close. I’m working very hard and it’s only a matter of time,” he added.
In his career so far, Pooran has only faced Pakistan once scoring 34 unbeaten in 2019.
The Windies crept ahead in the five-match T20 International series, on Wednesday, on the back of a brilliant century from Powell. The batsman, who was playing his first match in the series, came into the line-up at four and smashed a stunning 107 a knock that included 10 towering sixes.
Ahead of the match, some considered it to be somewhat of a controversial decision to add Powell to the line-up at the expense of Odean Smith, who has also shown plenty of promise in recent innings. The result, however, spoke for itself. The captain believes it speaks to the versatility of the unit.
“It vindicated the team selection, obviously, it was a good game of cricket we batted first, and we batted well, kudos to Rovman. He came in having been out for the first two games and took his chance,” Pollard said after the match.
“We have a versatile team. Sometimes you have to take the ego out of it and give the opportunity to the guys who have the form and the confidence that’s what we did today, so kudos to the management team and to the players who went out and played a fantastic game,” he added.
Equally important was Powell’s pairing with West Indies vice-captain Nicholas Pooran who went into the line-up at the unfamiliar position of three and scored 70 from 43 deliveries. The pair put on 122 for the third wicket.
The spinner bowled some 44 overs but was rewarded after claiming figures of 5 for 172, his second big wicket haul against England. Against England in the Caribbean last year, Chase claimed eight wickets. The hard miles put into the bowling effort has, however, had a telling effect on the all-rounder.
“I can tell you right now my shoulder is very, very sore. It’s very tight as well. I was actually just getting a massage before coming to this press conference,” Chase told members of the media via a Zoom press conference, at the end of play on Friday.
Chase’s role for the team isn’t over by a long shot, as the player is likely to be called on to contribute with the bat as well. In the first Test, a four-wicket win for the West Indies, Chase played a crucial role in steadying the team in both innings. Coming in at four in the first innings, the all-rounder made 47 but faced 142 balls. In the second, he scored 37 runs but faced 88 balls. The player insists that despite the soreness, he will be ready again when called upon to play what could be a crucial role for the team.
“It’s about managing your body and having the willpower and mindset to come back every day, you might have a little niggle or whatnot, but it’s just that mindset to come back and do it again.”
The 37-year-old Bravo, who recently set the milestone of claiming 500 T20 wickets in this season’s Caribbean Premier League (CPL), picked up a knee injury that delayed the start of his India Premier League (IPL) campaign. Bravo started the IPL four games late but found himself sidelined a few games later, this time with a groin injury.
The injury led to Bravo being ruled out of the team’s tour to New Zealand. The player’s previous CPL season had also been hampered after he suffered a broken finger. While admitting it is a source of concern, Simmons has assured the player will remain in the minds of the selectors once he can recover sufficiently.
“It’s a concern because he was injured in CPL and now he’s injured in IPL,” Simmons told members of the media via a Zoom press conference call from the team’s training camp in New Zealand.
“There’s a break now, so he will go home and do what is necessary for him to be fit enough to play and there are a few series and also another IPL before the World Cup. So, there’s a lot of chance for him to go and get himself fit and we will see what his fitness is like heading into the tournament.”
Batting first in both ODIs played to date, being inserted to bat in the first and choosing to bat first in the second, the regional team fell below 150 runs on both occasions. The stifling spin bowling of Mehidy Hasan and Shakib Al Hasan proved to be a major contributing factor in keeping the West Indies batsmen in straitjackets on both occasions.
Al Hasan claimed a jaw-dropping 4 for 8 runs in the first ODI, with an extraordinary miserly economy rate of 1.09 as the West Indies were restricted to 122. In the second, it was Mehidy who applied the restraints, claiming 4 for 25 with an economy rate of 2.59. The West Indies were restricted to 148 before Bangladesh easily chased down the target.
“They are two quality spinners, especially Shakib, one of the best in the world and Mehidy has been playing very well for Bangladesh as well,” Mohammed said of facing off against the pair.
“They have been good, and we haven’t been able to manage them, that’s why we have been getting those low totals.”
Rovman Powell was the team’s top scorer with 41 in the second ODI, while Kyle Mayers led the way with 40 in the first ODI. The West Indies and Bangladesh will face off for the final ODI on Monday at 12:30 am.
Big hitter Carlos Brathwaite stole the spotlight with four straight sixes off the unfortunate Stokes in the final over, but at the other end, Samuels’ man-of-the-match 85 runs from 66 balls innings provided the backbone for the team.
According to Sammy, Samuels who came to the crease at 11 for 3 and with things looking grim for the Windies, revealed he had received added motivation.
“Marlon told us something, and maybe Root could confirm that when Marlon came in at 11-3. He came to bowl and he said something like ‘you guys, I would like to see you come out of this one’ and Marlon was just taking his time, making sure that comment, whatever he (Ben Stokes) said to him as he walked in, that got him really focused,” Sammy said in a recent interview with Sky Sports’ Cricket Watch in a segment that discussed the tournament. England batsman Joe Root, the team’s vice-captain at the time, did not seem convinced Samuels was telling the truth.
“It would have been a good effort because Ben was at long-on, so I don’t know how that happened. He might have just made it up,” Root added.
Sticking to his guns, Sammy insisted that the event was quite possible.
“When he was bowling to him, Ben Stokes was bowling an over to him and he said something to Marlon during that time. Because Marlon told us about it. He was really pumped. If you notice, in the back end, Marlon said something to him after that. But it’s all cricket man.”
According to Harper, all the blame for West Indies’ performance woes cannot be put at the feet of Cricket West Indies and that individual territories need to take responsibility for the cricketers they produce.
"I think a lot of buck-passing has been done. We are very proud to say when a Brian Lara is breaking all those records that he is from Trinidad but when a player is not doing well, you say what the West Indies cricket board is doing,” said Harper.
The former off-spinner who ended his career with 100 ODI wickets from 105 games and 46 Test wickets from 25 matches, believes that when the Caribbean was in its hay day, the territories were much stronger on their own.
“I think there is some inconsistency and we need to get back what we were doing in the past and take the responsibility of developing quality, world-class players," he said.
In terms of creating more world-class players, Harper believes the players in the region need to be more ambitious as well.
According to Harper, who was speaking on T&T radio station i9555, the goal shouldn’t just be to get into the senior team, but to be dominant, because without more than just a few world-class players, consistent top performances won’t exist.
“We need to have world-class players in the West Indies team. That's how our cricket and our team will get to the top, if we have a number of world-class players in the team giving us world-class performances on a consistent basis,” he said.
“[…] We have to encourage our players to do: think bigger, aim higher, think of putting in world-class performances and raise their standards to be match-winning world-class players,” said Harper.
"If you are just making 30s, and the press is slamming that he deserves a strike... I would like my job to be that I don't have to pick somebody. If you are making 30, we have a person who is making 31, then I have to decide which one to select.
"But if you are averaging in the 60s or 70s, all I have to do is write your name down, you pick yourself.
Harper said the players can compete with the rest of the world at the U19 level but then there is an issue transitioning. While the other teams have players who make the leap to the big stage.
"We have to ensure our guys can make that leap as well. A lot of it has to do with their thinking and maturity in terms of cricket. We have to help them along by developing their mental skills and tactical awareness, and help them apply their skills better."
So far this year’s edition of the tournament, which has been staged in the unusual circumstances of the coronavirus pandemic, has in many instances produced low scores and poor batting performances.
There have been many factors blame for some of the poor showing, the absence of a crowd, poorly prepared pitches, and players that are still rusty, are some of a few that have been advanced. However, another is the length of time some players have been away from family and friends in back-to-back quarantine-required competition.
For players like West Indies captain Jason Holder, Rahkeem Cornwall, Jermaine Blackwood, Shai Hope, and other members of the regional team that toured England, the CPL follows several weeks of quarantine during the international series. With even more restrictive conditions in the CPL, Radcliffe believes the isolation could be taking its toll.
“I’m not making excuses for them but some of those guys have been in a bubble in the UK for two or three months earlier in the summer. I think some were back in Barbados for about 5 days before heading back to Trinidad for another bubble,” Radcliffe told the Mason and Guest radio program.
“They’ve barely been home in the last 3 and a half months, that’s no excuse, but it does have an effect. It is attritional, even if you are away from home for those times normally on tour you can go to a restaurant, you can eat out, meet up with your family and get away from cricket…it does have a mental effect.”
With the start of the tournament just a few days away, there has been some concern raised regarding the form of a few of the team’s potential match-winners based on their performances in lead-up tournaments this year, most recently the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and Indian Premier League (IPL).
Falling into that category and of primary concern would be the form of high-impact pair Chris Gayle and Nicholas Pooran, whose IPL form this season best illustrates the point. The duo set the IPL alight for Punjab Kings XI last season and such form would have been welcome heading into next week.
In 2020, Pooran played 14 matches scoring 353 runs at an average of 35.30, by comparison, the player’s most recent campaign has ended with 85 runs at an average of 7.72, in 12 games. For Gayle, 2020 saw him score 288 runs and average a healthy 41.14 in 7 games, however, this time around he could only manage 193 runs at an average of 21.44 in 10 games.
Pollard, however, believes players who might not be in form still have plenty of time to kick into gear for the global showpiece, where they will start as defending champions.
“If we look too much into the past, then that is where sometimes we get ourselves into trouble,” Pollard told members of the media on Tuesday.
“Let’s deal with what we have in the present, the guys that have confidence, roll with them, the guys that don’t we try to get them into that zone with some practice sessions,” he added.
“We have a couple more games and then the big one, which is the World Cup, so from a perspective of being concerned, I know when it comes to the international stage it is about personal pride and individuals will want to show what they have to offer.”
The 28-year-old has had a splendid start to his Test cricket career for the West Indies, bursting on stage with 210 on debut against Bangladesh. The innings helped lay the foundation for an expected away series win and catapulted the player into the spotlight.
In the recently concluded Test series against Sri Lanka, he again garnered some attention this time with the ball. His brisk medium pace accounted for batsman Oshada Fernando and later Dinesh Chandimal at a crucial period on the third day of the opening Test. The wickets were the first of his international career. Overall, Mayers ended with 28 overs, 13 maidens, and four wickets. On the back of such displays, Edwards believes the player could have the makings of a solid all-rounder.
“He did well. He was a surprise package to the Sri Lankans. They didn’t expect him to get the ball to swing and by the time they realized it was too late and he had wickets,” Edwards said in assessing the player’s performance on the Mason and Guest radio program.
“I’m saying that if he goes on and develops his bowling, he won’t trick batsmen as early as that again and he would have to consistently bowl well, but he can, he has the natural ability to bowl. However, he has to lose about 25 pounds. He is too young to have all that weight carrying around on him,” he added.
“He is a big strong guy, but he has got to drop 20 pounds at least. He will bowl faster and he would be the genuine all-rounder in the side. We wouldn’t be looking to get four overs out of him or five overs but he would be a fellow you can throw the ball to when you are looking to get wickets in a spell of eight overs are so.”
Former England batsman Roland Butcher does not believe West Indies Test cricket captain Jason Holder should be recalled to the T20 squad, despite several recent creditable performances in the format.
The all-rounder last represented the regional team in the shortest format of the game in India last year. Since the resumption of cricket, however, the player has put in a few notable T20 performances. In the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), Holder was the Barbados Tridents' third-highest scorer with 192 runs in 10 matches and had a high score of 69. He also made an impact with the ball after claiming 10 wickets, the second-most on the team.
Despite not being initially drafted to the Indian Premier League (IPL), Holder was called up to replace Mitchell Marsh by Sunrisers Hyderabad. In three matches he has managed to claim six wickets so far. Albeit being currently just outside of the playoff spots, the Sunrisers are still in contention with a handful of games to go. The player has, however, not been included in the T20 squad to face New Zealand next month, which Butcher insists is the right call, at this point in time.
“I think Jason, based on his performance in the CPL, could have come in for some consideration, but again, I wouldn’t want to burden Jason, with all the different disciplines he has to play already,” Butcher told the Mason and Guest radio program.
“He’s doing well as Test captain. He’s an integral part of the 50-over side as a player. Why would you want to go and force T20 on him at this point in time? He’s one of our player’s that’s performing so why would we want to overload him so that he doesn’t perform.”
Arthurton, the left-handed batsman who made 33 Test and 105 ODI appearances for the West Indies, was appointed as coach of the region’s under-15 squad in 2008. Having seen a lot of promising youth players during his time, he believes there is no doubt that the talent is abundant but too many players for one reason or the other are unable to take the next crucial step.
“Because we’re so gifted, we are naturally able to play the sport. At the youth level, you will always see the talent but for some reason, there is a transition [problem]. Based on the experience I have doing academy work and grassroots work and so on that transition is normally made at the age of 16 and it's a crucial transition that will either build you or break you,” Arthurton told the Good Morning Jojo radio program.
One solution, he believes, is to develop avenues that serve to provide consistent exposure and high-level competition for players at that critical stage of their development. The coach revealed that the issue had already been broached with Cricket West Indies but, as it stands, concrete plans are yet to be fully fleshed out.
“You may hear about an under-21 team or an under-23 team but there is no continuation so it may happen for one or two seasons and then it is gone,” Arthurton said.
“We have to understand what we are trying to achieve and what the main purpose of trying to help these guys, the same guys who would be leaving youth cricket and looking to go into senior cricket and how we can maintain that important continuity for players to make the transition a lot easier for them.”
The 36-year-old recently returned to the team ahead of the ongoing T20 series against Ireland, after nearly four years out of action. The return to the fold was an unhappy one as Ireland registered a rare win over the hosts. There were a few bright sparks, however, with Bravo himself claiming 28 for 2.
The veteran all-rounder would also have witnessed up close the new generation of players tasked with taking Windies cricket back to the top. He admits that he is impressed so far and eager to play a part.
“I feel good to know that I am among this talented squad here and I think these guys have 10, 12 years in front of them where they can dominate world cricket at some point,” Bravo said.
“My role is not to come back and try and take anyone’s spot or to play every game but to try and share whatever knowledge I have and have gained over the years. I believe with a captain like Polly and a coach like Phil (Simmons) that these young players can produce great things for West Indies in times to come.”
Russell boasted the team’s highest average of 44.40 last year, having scored 222 runs in 9 matches. The all-rounder also bagged three wickets. Brathwaite largely struggled with the bat, averaging just 12 runs in 11 matches but took 10 wickets.
Powell, who was the team captain, also had a below par season, scoring 106 runs in 11 matches for an average of 11.77, while Walton struggled after averaging 3 runs in eight matches, with a high score of 10.
Interestingly, there has been no mention of the team’s leading run-scorer last season, Glenn Phillips, who has been one of the team’s most consistent performers for the last 4 seasons. The 24-year-old was recently offered his first retainer contract by New Zealand Cricket.
Afghan off-spinner Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, who was the team’s leading wicket-taker with 16 wickets last season, and Nepal leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane, who snared 12 wickets, the second most, have also not been retained.
In the meantime, the Tallawahs have also kept faith with fast bowler Fidel Edwards who showed plenty of pace after returning to the CPL in 2020. The Jamaica-based franchise will also be welcoming back left-arm spinner Verasammy Permaul and ICC America's player from last season, Ryan Persaud.
The rest of the squad, which includes the remaining 10 spots, will be announced in the coming weeks.
In seven games to date, Walton has managed a paltry 14 runs at the top of the order. A closer look at the batsman's individual scores on the Tallawah’s scorecards card makes for even more horrific reading. On three occasions Walton has been dismissed without scoring, in three other matches he made 1 twice and 2 once. His highest total of 10 runs came against the Barbados Tridents.
With the team struggling to hold on to the crucial fourth-place spot, after 3 wins and 4 losses, pressure has continually built on the opener, who suffered a similar fate even when coming further down the batting line-up.
“To be honest when we look at our squad, we still have to back Chadwick. We just have to hope that he comes good at some point,” Powell said following the team’s latest loss to the Knight Riders.
“We are heading into the business end of the competition and hopefully he has the mental strength to pull through.”
Walton also struggled to make an impact for the team last season who had their worst season after finishing in last position.
The symbolic gesture of taking a knee in support of racial equality spread around the globe an adopted by many sports in the aftermath of the death of an African American man, George Floyd, at the hands of the police earlier this year.
To some extent, the symbolic action has fizzled out in the sport of cricket, with some teams claiming other more concrete options in pursuit of equality are being pursued. The WBBL has, however, continued to support the gesture and Taylor has been appreciative of it.
"We have been taking a knee throughout the whole tournament and I am so pleased with the support I got from my teammate, it was really fantastic,” Taylor, who plays for Adelaide Strikers, told the Daily Telegraph.
“Sometimes I even forget, and Megan Schutt will say to me; Stafanie, don’t forget we’ve got to take a knee,” she added.
Taylor also thanked Sydney Thunder and Hobart Hurricanes for statements made by the teams and praised individual players from other teams for adopting the gesture.
“While I wish that all players from all eight teams competing in the WBBL this year were taking a knee, BLM is a global movement and I’m proud that cricket is helping to stamp out racism on and off the field.”
Taylor and Dottin were part of the Windies team that made history after claiming victory over Australia in the 2016 Women’s T20 World Cup. In addition, Taylor is currently ranked second for the most runs scored, her 3062 bettered only by New Zealand’s Suzie Bates. Dottin is ranked 5th with 2565. Taylor also features in the top ten in terms of wickets taken with 94 to date.
The West Indies women’s team captain has also earned a place on the ICC Women's ODI team of the year. There she was joined by spinner Anisa Mohammed. With 120 wickets taken to date, Mohammed is the format’s all-time leading wicket tacker.
Taylor had also been in contention for the ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Decade but was beaten out by Australia’s Ellyse Perry. Dottin was in the meantime in contention for the ICC Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Decade but was also beaten out by Perry.
ICC Women's T20I Team of the Decade
Alyssa Healy (Wicketkeeper)
Sophie Devine
Suzie Bates
Meg Lanning (Captain)
Harmanpreet Kaur
Stafanie Taylor
Deandra Dottin
Ellyse Perry
Anya Shrubsole
Megan Schutt
Poonam Yadav
The 27-year-old was recently dropped from the West Indies squad for the tour of New Zealand, after a nightmare run of form had seen the player averaging 19.48 since December 2017 and just 14.45 since February 2019.
On the England tour, the scene of his triumph three years ago, Hope averaged below 18 in a 2-1 defeat against England. Overall, his Test cricket average has slipped to around 26.27.
“He never suggested to me, even with the games where he scored those two wonderful 100s, as far as the red ball is concerned that he is a force to be reckoned with,” the former Combined Campuses and Colleges player turned analyst told the Mason and Guest radio program.
“If I remember correctly, Shai Hope took a long time before he started to score runs in our regional first-class competition and do well…I think we are always looking for heroes. Certainly, when Shai Hope is on the go, you’d pay your money for two cover drives, but at the end of the day Shai Hope has never suggested permanence at the top,” he added.
“It’s something that at Test level, I keep stressing on his strike rate. He bats about 80 to 90 balls and gets out somewhere between the 15s to 20s. That suggests more to me, rather than him just having to adjust his mindset, that he is technically flawed.”
Smith believes the break from the team will provide the player with an opportunity to address some of those issues.
