Pace bowler Romario Sheperd had captured 3 for 21 and led the way for the West Indies who reduced Bangladesh to 105 for 8 from 13 overs after the match had been reduced to 14 for each team after early showers delayed the start of play.
When play did begin, Munim Shahriar was dismissed in the first over, putting Bangladesh immediately on the back foot at 2 for 1. From there the team lost wickets at regular intervals, with Shakib Al Hasan providing the most resistance with 29 from 15.
Hayden Walsh Jr was the next most successful bowler for the West Indies after taking 2 for 24.
“I think we are getting to where we want to be. The aggression was there, the guys ran in and hit the wicket. They made Bangladesh play,” Simmons said after the match was called off.
“We took four wickets early on and I think we did the right things today. In the field we took all the catches that came to us, so we did all the right things.”
The teams are scheduled to play the second match of the series on Sunday at the Windsor Park Stadium in Dominica.
In a disappointing campaign, the defeat was the third in four games for the two-time defending champions, who in truth since the first ball was bowled never looked likely to mount a strong title defense and were barely clinging to semi-final hopes ahead of the Sri Lanka match-up.
Heading into the tournament, the team had highlighted its experience as a major advantage with several players in the team having won multiple world titles. In reality, however, things never really panned out. T20 star Chris Gayle, a controversial selection for the squad, made 30 runs in four games for an average of 7.50. Lendl Simmons made 19 over two matches for an average of 9.50, Andre Russell, who came into the tournament with an injury, made 7 runs in four matches for an average of 1.75. Pollard did slightly better with 46 runs at 15.33, while Dwayne Bravo claimed two wickets in four matches.
"A couple of young guys are putting up their hands (up) but the experienced guys, myself included, have not done well. We are not going to hide from the fact that it's been disappointing for us,” Pollard said following the match.
On Thursday, it was indeed the younger generation who stood up to be counted. Shimron Hetmyer was the team’s top scorer with 81 from 54, followed by Nicholas Pooran who scored 46 from 34.
"I'm sure all the guys are hurting in that dressing room. It's something we didn't see it coming but we have to face reality," Pollard added.
"I think we were below par. In a crucial match like this, you don't want to see those things (for fielding). Our bowlers did okay, they got 189 but it was a very good batting track.
"I think cricket smarts is something that has plagued us. We have spoken time and time again especially from a batting perspective what we need to do as individuals and we have not done well.”
The 32-year-old Bonner stroked a solid 86 from 245 balls, as part of a match-defining partnership with Kyle Mayers, who managed an unbeaten double century to steer the West Indies to a historic victory.
Mayers and Bonner remained unbeatable for the first two sessions but after cutting loose for a 6 off Taijul Islam, Bonner was dismissed lbw the very next delivery, after missing a flatter length delivery from the spinner.
“Personal milestones are always good but obviously we know that we do everything for the team,” Bonner told members of the media via a Zoom press conference.
“Obviously it would be good to make a 100 on debut but it wasn’t mean to be and I’m really just happy that we won the game,” he added.
Though Bonner did not get to triple digits on debut he still managed to make it into the record books. The 216 runs partnership with Bonner was the second-highest partnership by Test debutants, behind Pakistan's Abdul Kadir and Khalid Ibadulla, who put on 249 back in 1964.
The West Indies will return to international cricket, following an enforced absence due to the coronavirus epidemic, with a three-Test tour of England next month. The unpredictability of the team’s batting line-up, much as it has in recent years, will again be a source of concern, particularly with explosive middle-order batsmen Darren Bravo and Shimron Hetmeyer unavailable for selection.
The duo, along with all-rounder Keemo Paul, opted to miss the tour over health concerns. The West Indies will need no further illustration than the opening Test of their last England tour for an example of a dismal batting performance. On that occasion, the team was dismissed for 168 and 137 in pursuit of England’s 514 declared.
“We've been concerned with our batting for a while, let’s just stop and be realistic. We don’t have the quality of batting that we want," Bradshaw told the Mason and Guest Radio program.
“We don’t have the quality batsmen but what we hope for, is that collectively we can rally and that we can get 300 and 350 and 400 by batting deep and by batting sensibly," he added.
"There are other teams in the world that have a similar challenge and they manage to fight through. For a number of years, we saw that with teams like New Zealand, where each player coming to the crease understood your job was to build a partnership that allowed the team to put a competitive total on the board. Getting runs in England is important, especially in the first innings, so there is no doubt that we will have to bat deep.”
Simmons, who was appointed a coach of the team in 2019, and Pollard, who was appointed West Indies white-ball captain that same year, have come under immense pressure in recent months, following a string of bad results and poor performances.
An aging Windies squad put in a poorly, lackluster showing at last year’s T20 World Cup, where they exited meekly, and followed that up with a historical One Day International series loss to Ireland and 3-0 T20 series sweep at the hands of Pakistan.
The team rallied to beat England 3-2 in a T20 series against England last month but were defeated 6-0 overall, 3-0 (ODI), 3-0 (T20I), in their most recent tour of India. In particular, the batting form of the team has been lambasted with many believing there to be an overall lack of concentration or engagement. Best believes given the results the leaders of the squad have to be judged on what they have accomplished to date.
“What kind of leader is not going to be accountable for the results that occur under his stewardship,” Best told the Mason and Guest radio show.
“If we are going forward, we have to focus primarily on performances and those performances have to be result oriented…Do we want a winning team and can we find that winning formula, certainly we do not have that formula now with either captain Pollard or coach Simmons. It’s as simple as that,” he added.
“The writing was on the wall a long time ago when he made the comment publicly that IPL and Trinidad came before West Indies cricket that is well documented and yet he finds himself as a Putin of West Indies cricket.”
The 32-year-old batsman was one of five players dropped from the Red Force squad, after a disastrous showing against Barbados Pride last weekend, in the West Indies Championships. Ramdin made a pair of ducks in a 299 runs loss. The team will take on the Leeward Islands Hurricanes this weekend.
The out of favour Windies player, however, revealed that the issues with the coach seem to spread deeper than just the one game.
“The coach does not want me on the team. We don’t talk, probably a good morning here or there but we don’t communicate,” Ramdin said in an interview with the T&T Guardian.
“It all started last year in St Kitts when we needed 140 runs from 15 overs and I was batting at the time. I called off the game because the next three batsmen to come after me was very young and it would have been difficult to get that score. I was told he left the ground and called the chairman of selectors (Anthony Gray) and the president of the board (Azim Bassarath) to get me fired,” he added.
According to the player, he has officially filed a complaint with the T&T Cricket Board (TTCB) but was told the situation could not be assessed immediately.
“I have complained to the board because this can’t be good for the team. The environment there is not good at all. The players on the team are not comfortable and this cannot be good for the young cricketers on the team.”
Despite starting the series in strong fashion, the West Indies were beaten eventually beaten 3-2 after failing to successfully chase a target of close to 170 in three of five matches.
Fabian Allen had the team’s highest average with 67 in four matches, followed by Evin Lewis with 35.60 in five and Andre Fletcher 32.50 from two matches. However, there will have been major concerns about some of the team’s seasoned batting stars who struggled to find a way into the series.
Veteran batsman Chris Gayle played four games and averaged just 18.66, with a high score of 32. Andre Russell averaged 15.50, also in five games, with a high score of 25, team captain Pollard had a high score of 51, but also struggled, managing to average just 22 in five matches.
A few of the team's younger, but seasoned T20 players also struggled, with Shimron Hetmyer averaging 19 and Nicholas Pooran 17.75.
The panel of selectors has come under pressure in some quarters for picking the veteran’s trio of Gayle, Fidel Edwards, and Darren Bravo. However, while Edwards picked up two wickets in two matches and Bravo was the leading wicket-taker with 10, the spotlight has continued to shine on Gayle’s struggles.
“Certainly, Bravo was the leading wicket-taker and Fidel played a couple of games and started to get into stride in the second game. But from a batting perspective we expect quite a bit more from the senior guys,” Harper told the Mason and Guest radio program.
“Maybe we just got carried away with the manner and the method that we used to win that first game from a batting perspective and just thought that we could continue in the same vein and found ourselves in a hole in the middle overs because South Africa adjusted their approach.”
In addition, the 81-year-old Perreira says he is totally and utterly disappointed that there has been no cover for fast bowler Shannon Gabriel, who in his estimation has deteriorated.
“We have given contracts to people who played four Test matches in a year, that cannot be fair,” Perreira said on the Line & Length TV Show on Sportsmax.
“The omission of (Shamar) Brooks and (Roston) Chase was surprising given the limited amount of cricket they played, I mean two series? Four or five Tests? I was hoping that WIPA would not have pushed for contracts now, especially since there is no first-class season.
“You dropped players and don’t give them contracts so how will you adequately judge their form and scores. Ideally, because of all that’s going on, those contracts should have been delayed until after the South Africa or Australia tour….or even Pakistan,” he passionately explained.
“(Shimron) Hetmyer not given a contract? He was losing weight and looked good in the IPL and we have to be careful not to lose players. Chairman Roger Harper said they are working with him, but doing what?! We just rushed a bit this year with the contracts,” he said.
As far as Gabriel is concerned, Perreira pointed to the fact that the 33-year-old who has 157 wickets from 54 Tests has slumped over the last season and CWI should have seen fit to contract two younger fast bowlers as cover for him.
“Gabriel is getting on and had an operation on his ankle. He is not the same! He struggled for rhythm and pace in England, seemed out of sorts against Sri Lanka, and in my estimation can’t play back-to-back Tests matches anymore.
“Gabriel is not bowling 140kmph easily and one good spell is not good enough. Surely, if you pick him, then the Board should have contracted two young fast bowlers to work alongside him and (Kemar) Roach,” he said.
The Guyanese Perreira who is a St. Lucian resident also endorsed the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, previously the Beausejour Stadium as the venue to hosts the West Indies vs South Africa series and advocates for a crowd of at least 1,000 spectators in the Johnson Charles stand, once they can prove a certificate of vaccination against the COVID19 virus.
On the back of a patient 86, which proved crucial to the Windies in their first Test win, Bonner once against set himself up to be the lynchpin of the innings. At the close of the first day’s play, the batsman remained unbeaten on a watchful 74 from 173 balls.
Bonner’s stand brought stability back to the innings after the Windies lost three wickets for 29 runs after lunch. The team had gone to lunch at 84 for 1, with Brathwaite on 36 and Shayne Moseley on six.
“For me, every innings that I play, I put pressure on myself,” Bonner told windiescricket following the innings.
“We get paid to make runs and to be consistent and that’s exactly what I’m trying to do.”
Bonner, who will resume batting with Joshua Da Silva on the second day, admits the team suffered from early mishaps but has targeted making around 350 from the first innings.
“We had a few soft dismissals, but that’s the nature of the game, me and Josh are there now, and we still have others to come, so we will have to just bat as long as possible.”
In the end, the West Indies were comfortably beaten by six wickets but at one point seemed set for a higher total than the 157 for 7 that the team eventually posted. At 72 for 2, at the start of the 10th over, the West Indies had a set Pooran and Roston Chase at the crease and seemed set to build on a solid enough foundation.
The introduction of leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi, however, threw a wrench into those plans as he immediately removed Chase who struggled to come to grips with the spinner before being dismissed for lbw. Bishnoi, who ended with 2 for 17, then removed the dangerous Rovman Powell later in the over. The debutant was the chief but not the team’s only issue as Yuzvendra Chahal had also proven difficult to get away on occasion.
“We played the spinners ok today, we would want to continue that and continue to build partnerships,” Pooran told members of the media following the match.
“We still need to negotiate the spinners a bit better, I think today we were caught in two minds how to go about them. Whether to attack them or keep them out of the game and we got caught in both minds there.”
Pooran top-scored for the Windies with 65.
For many decades the Windies was known for producing generations of fearsome fast bowlers. The likes of Joel Garner, Andy Roberts, Malcolm Marshal, and Michael Holding filled the hearts of countless opposition batsmen with fear for decades.
A new generation of Windies bowlers, led by Kemar Roach and Shannon Gabriel along with youngster Alzarri Joseph has shown some promise, in recent times, but are yet to scale the heights reached by the golden generation. Lloyd, who captained and played alongside many of the region’s top fast bowlers, has insisted the players had more than just pace.
“The thing with our fast bowlers is that they all did something different, it wasn’t just inswingers or outswingers. They bowled different things. So, when you came to bat against our players, you had to be at the top of your game and that’s why they were successful,” Lloyd told the Mason and Guest program.
“There was no let-up. We didn’t just have fast bowlers; we had thinking fast bowlers. They were not calypso cricketers,” he added.
The 33-year-old Barbadian-born speedster continued to enhance his own legend this week when he moved up to join Michael Holding on the all-time Windies wicket-takers list. With 249 Test wickets, Roach has established himself as the premier fast bowler of this Windies generation.
At 33, however, the player is heading towards the back end of his career, with the likes of Shannon Gabriel in the same position. For pace bowling wickets though, it seems the Windies will continue to have plenty of options for years to come with the likes of Alzarri Joseph, Jayden Seales, and all-rounder Kyle Mayers all showing plenty of promise in recent times.
“You have Jayden and Alzarri 24, 25, and Kyle Mayers who is showing great skill with the ball and there are other guys on the outside trying to get in as well,” Roach told members of the media on Wednesday.
“It’s good that we have a crop of fast bowlers coming through that can get the job done and they are learning every day at practice, how to improve their skills, their body and technique and whatever, that’s all you ask from these guys. It’s good that we have a pretty big quartet of fast bowlers now.”
The start of the series against the visiting Proteas was no contest, with the regional team losing by an innings and 62 runs inside three days. In a dreadful showing at the crease, the West Indies put up 259 in two innings and scored just 97 in the first innings.
After a string of positive performances against Bangladesh and then Sri Lanka, the outings at the crease against South Africa were more reminiscent of games last year, in New Zealand, where the Windies struggled to 385 in two innings against a fierce bowling attack and against England earlier in the year.
Holder believes the issue has to do with the team’s inexperience and the lack of cohesiveness it causes at the crease.
“It’s not every day that everyone will go out there and perform but what you would like is to have a bit more consistency and not have these massive imbalances when you get performances such as the one we had with our bat,” Holder told members of the media.
“You must also understand that we have a relatively inexperienced batting line-up. Bonner is in about his fourth Test match, the same thing with Mayers, Joshua Da Silva, the majority of the top order is relatively inexperienced. You only have Kraigg who has been around for a while, Powell coming back into the side…Roston coming back into the team after a little while as well,” he added.
“Guys are looking to re-engage themselves in the Test arena, some are looking to engage themselves for the very first time. All these things add up in the grand scheme of things and we have to be a little more patient with this line-up.”
Controversy struck earlier this week after promising batsmen Evin Lewis and Shimron Hetmyer were left out of the regional team, ahead of its series against Sri Lanka after both failed a fitness test. The opener Lewis’ omission came as even more of a surprise in the circumstances, considering the fact that he was the team’s best player in the recently concluded series against Ireland.
“We’ve made it clear to the players for three years now. The last thing we want to do is to be fining any players. The last thing we want to be doing is to be downgrading a player’s contract. The last thing we want to do is to not have any of our players available for selection,” Grave told the SportsMax Zone.
“At the same time if we have really to make a difference in driving a new fitness culture in our cricket and professionalizing all elements of cricket in the West Indies, we have to have minimum standards, accountability for those standards and consequences if players don’t adhere to those standards,” he added.
According to the official over the last two years, CWI has been forced to fine players significant sums of money and significantly reduced salaries.
Both players failed to meet the minimum standard but are expected to be re-tested in a few weeks.
A miserable campaign for the defending champions ended with an 8-wicket loss to Australia, the team’s fourth defeat in five games. The West Indies' lone win of the campaign came against Bangladesh, which preceded heavy losses to England, South Africa, and Sri Lanka.
For some the West Indies were listed among the pre-tournament favourites due to boasting a line-up packed with heavy hitters. The likes of Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Bravo, and Andre Russell were not only household T20 names but already had the experience of winning the tournament.
In reality, however, the team struggled to put runs on the board, ending with the fourth-worst net run rate and the team’s experienced players' general failure to ever really get a foothold at the crease.
"Overall it's been a disappointing campaign. In terms of the batting, we have not done well at all. Our bowling has been decent but not good enough. It's the end of a generation, we have some guys who have done good things for T20 cricket in our team and around the world," Pollard said at the post-match presentation.
"We as people are very proud. We have to look at the way we play T20 cricket. What we've seen is that one guy in the top four has to bat as long as possible. Going forward I need to do that better. We have to start from a foundation now," Pollard said at the post-match press conference."
With the exception of productive cameos from Brathwaite and his opening partner Tagenarine Chanderpaul, the team’s last series against Australia proved to be a chastening experience, especially at the crease.
Over the course of two matches and four innings only Brathwaite, Chanderpaul and Roston Chase managed a half century. In addition, the Australians won the first Test by a massive 419 runs, where the Windies were embarrassingly bowled out for 77 in the second innings.
“We didn’t get the big scores, we didn’t get the big first innings scores that I would have liked. Going into Zimbabwe, especially at home, we know it won’t be a rollover,” Brathwaite told members of the media on Thursday.
“I really look forward to the batters spending time to get runs on the board. I think that will be crucial for us setting up the game to win it,” he added.
“We have to show our worth, I think the batters need to come and show more fight because Zimbabwe will not be easy at home. It’s not like we are going to show up and just get runs against Zimbabwe.”
Despite expecting a difficult task, the team can head into the encounter with some confidence having never lost to Zimbabwe in 10 encounters to date.
The spinner showed himself to be in good form after claiming five wickets against a Bangladesh Cricket Board XI last week. Outside of taking the wickets, Cornwall proved hard to get away and boasted an economic rate of 2.82. Brathwaite backed the spinner to carry that form into the series, on a pitch that is suited for spinners.
“He did a very good job in the practice game, created a lot of pressure, bowling dot balls and such. I think he’ll do well in the series. He’s a quality off-spinner, we all know this,” Brathwaite told members of the media via an online press conference on Tuesday.
“We just need to stick to our plans, support him in the field, support all the bowlers not only Rahkeem but we look forward to him doing well this series, all the bowlers."
Cornwall’s best performance so far for the West Indies came in Asia when he claimed 7 for 75 in an innings against Afghanistan and claimed 10 wickets overall. The West Indies will begin the first Test against Bangladesh at 10:30 pm on Tuesday (9:30 pm ECT).
Top-order batsman Shimron Hetmyer was dropped from the team’s line-up for the third One Day International (ODI) against Ireland, on the back of what has been general frustration with the looseness of his stroke play in the first two matches of the series.
On Sunday, however, the skipper seemed to make it clear the move was just a temporary one with Hetmyer expected to return to the team’s line-up later this week. In the two ODI games played, Hetmyer made 14 runs and was caught on both occasions after questionable shots.
“We spoke about working hard and the discipline and what is required for the team. He is a very important player for us and it is a discussion that we had. We need him to settle down and bat the way that we know he can bat. In India he did it very well for us,” Pollard said following the match.
“These things happen, it just goes to show the dynamics of the team we have, Sunil coming in and getting that opportunity as well. We want guys to be very, very hungry because there are other guys knocking on the door so we can’t relax and take anything for granted,” he added.
“At the end of the day, all is well that ends well. He is a jovial guy. He has helped out throughout the day and we look forward to him making runs in the T20 series.”
The 24-year-old Hetmyer will miss the upcoming T20 and One Day International (ODI) matches against Sri Lanka after disqualifying himself from selection because of a failed fitness test. The player, who recently took part in the Regional Super50 competition, will return to the team for the Test squad after subsequently passing another fitness test, along with Roston Chase.
Of concern, however, is the fact that Hetmyer also failed a fitness test administered at around the same time last year and a result missed out on some matches of an away series to the same opponents.
“It’s very unfortunate that he is out of the squad for fitness reasons but there is a protocol and things put in place. It is beyond my control but it is up to him if he really wants to represent the West Indies and to really help West Indies cricket because he is such a talent,” Gayle told members of the media via a Zoom press conference on Monday.
“West Indies cricket needs that type of talent, it’s just unfortunate and hopefully things work out and these guys take it seriously. These guys are the future. A guy like Hetmyer, with his talent, he is the future. We need him, we definitely need his talent,” he added.
“We don’t want to lose such a talent, so if I see Hetmyer I will try and have a talk with him. I’ve spoken to him before and I will do so if I get the chance again.”
The defending champions opened the tournament with back-to-back losses against England and South Africa but got on the board after squeezing past Bangladesh by 3 runs in the United Arab Emirates on Friday.
Despite notching the win, the team is yet to put a solid batting performance together after getting very little from the top of the order and with several players yet to hit top form. Along with Roston Chase, captain Kieron Pollard and the returning Jason Holder, Pooran, who received the man of the match award, was among those managing to make an impact this time around.
Pooran, who entered the line-up uncharacteristically at number 7, made an impactful 40 from 22 balls.
“Me and Polly talked about batsmen taking responsibility and doing what’s necessary for the team. In the tournament our batting hasn’t clicked yet, so we are chopping and changing,” Pooran said following the match.
“Hopefully guys put their hands up when it’s their day. Today I felt like it was just one of those days that I needed to put my hand up, especially losing Polly there for a bit, someone had to take the responsibility,” he added.
Prior to that, Pooran had struggled to get runs on the board after scoring 13 runs in the first two games.
