The 26-year-old had to be stretchered off the field after being struck by a pull shot from Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne. The incident happened during the fourth delivery off spinner Roston Chase’s over that had seen the player deployed at the short-leg position.
Shai Hope was brought in as the replacement after the injured player left the pitch. Solozano was reportedly responsive while being taken to the hospital and is currently undergoing scans. Cricket West Indies has promised to give further news on the player’s condition as soon as it becomes available.
After winning the toss and choosing to bat first Sri Lanka were 163 for 1 at the end of the second session. Pace bowler Shannon Gabriel claimed the team’s only wicket so far after dismissing Pathum Nissanka.
The 36-year-old Sammy, who captained the Caribbean T20 team to two World Cup titles, last appeared for the West Indies against a Pakistan XI in 2017. Sammy’s tenure with the team seemed to have come to an end in acrimonious circumstances after he was removed as captain and dropped after publicly criticising the West Indies administration after they won the tournament in 2016.
Pollard, however, noted that as it stands all players are eligible for selection and Sammy is no exception.
“We have made clear to the (new Cricket West Indies) administration that everyone is available for selection in that pool. No one is an exception to the rule. Performances and fitness and everything we are looking for,” Pollard told members of the media.
The 33-year-old Pollard replaced Jason Holder as the ODI captain and Carlos Brathwaite in T20Is last September. Sammy will look to make his mark in the upcoming Caribbean Premier League where he will represent the St Lucia Zouks.
On Sunday, at the end of the 2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup final, either Pakistan or England will join the West Indies as two-time winners of the tournament.
The Caribbean team, however, once the standard bearers in the world’s shortest format, were nowhere close to hitting those heights in this edition as they crashed out of the tournament in the first round following losses to Scotland and Ireland.
Richards, who once thrilled as part of an all-conquering squad, insists such results are difficult for fans in the region to take, particularly given the team’s once proud legacy.
“There is a legacy where this whole thing is concerned and maybe that’s why some of these players are currently on show,” Richards told the Good Morning Jojo Radio program.
“So, there are a lot of things to represent and I just think that’s lacking. The West Indian fans deserve much more because we have had so many issues like the pandemic and we needed something to uplift us and there are times when we look to our sportsmen and women to do that and presently, the West Indies team is basically lacking where that is concerned.”
The former captain, however, also believes the issue of player availability must be addressed.
The sanctions were imposed after the Kieron Pollard-led side was found to be two overs short of the target, even with time allowances considered. Pollard pleaded guilty to the charges, which will negate the need for a formal hearing.
According to Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to minimum over-rate offences, players are fined 20 per cent of their match fees for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time.
The charges were brought by on-field umpires Paul Wilson and Ruchira Palliyaguruge, third umpire Marais Erasmus and fourth official Lyndon Hannibal. Earlier, South Africa and Australia played the Johannesburg T20I where the visitors Australia claimed a big victory by 107 runs.
After that match, South African players faced 20% fine of their match fees for maintaining a slow over-rate. The hosts were one over short of the target after time allowances were taken into consideration.
The players, management and support staff are scheduled to leave managed isolation on Friday and travel to the southern town of Queenstown, where they will play a three-day match and a four-day match against New Zealand “A”. These matches will be on November 20-22 and on November 26-29 at John Davies Oval.
Additionally, all of the West Indies players who arrived in Auckland on Thursday following the end of the Indian Premier League in the United Arab Emirates, have passed initial health screening checks. They are to spend the next two weeks in isolation in preparation for the first T20 International which will be played at Eden Park in Auckland on November 29.
The T20I Series will start with the defending World Cup champions facing the Black Caps at Eden Park in Auckland for a match under lights. The series then moves to Mount Maunganui for two matches at the picturesque Bay Oval – the first a day match and the second under lights. West Indies will then travel to Hamilton for the first Test at Seddon Park and then south to Wellington for the second match at the historic Basin Reserve.
The T20Is will be the start of an 11-month schedule of matches building up to the ICC T20 World Cup, rescheduled for October 2021 in India. The opening contest at Eden Park will have added significance as this is the venue where the two teams met in their first T20I contest back in 2006. That match ended in a tie which forced a dramatic bowl-off, won by the home side. Three years later the teams met again at the same venue and played to another tie which was decided by the first ever T20I Super Over, won by the West Indies.
Rovman Powell may have stolen the headlines with his sensational knock of 107, but Pooran played just as critical a role in providing the backbone that the 20-run win for the West Indies was built on. As a pair, they combined to frustrate the England bowlers after adding 122 runs for the third wicket.
Pooran, who admits he is still working on adapting to batting at the unfamiliar position of three, scored a crucial 70 off 43 balls.
“For me it was simple. The last couple of games, even from Pakistan I got the opportunity to bat at number 3 and I’m trying to figure out how I should bat at number three. Today I just felt like I had to be clear. Today was about being clear and just executing. If I said I wanted to look for a single for example, I looked for a single and picked the gap. I just tried to put the ego away for me it was all about staying in the moment, playing the situations well. Trying to play things as well as I can."
The team was also forced to put in a strong effort in the field as led by 75 from Tom Banton, England made a good effort of chasing the target before falling short at 204 for 9.
"For me the extra 22 runs at the end was key. In saying that England batted well but we knew if we could string a couple good overs together we would have a good chance. It seems like they played more bowlers today, so that was also a big help for us."
The issue was brought to the fore after up and coming fast bowler Chemar Holder was left out of the Test team for the tour. Holder, who made his debut in New Zealand, showed plenty of promise in tough conditions. Chief of selectors Roger Harper went on to explain that the player had been left out to accommodate more spinners, in order to take advantage of Bangladesh’s slow pitches.
The Test squad selected included four spinners but also has the usual pace bowling trio of Kemar Roach, Shannon Gabriel, and Alzarri Joseph and Simmons insists the balance of the first team is yet to be settled.
“I think we are here with a balanced squad, we have three spinners, we have three fast bowlers and a seeming all-rounder, it’s a case where we have balance all round,” Simmons told members of the media via a Zoom conference on Tuesday.
“So, it’s a case where we have balance all around. The decision has to be made whether we go with three fast bowlers, two spinners, two fast bowlers, three spinners, a decision hasn’t been made yet. We just have a balanced lineup and that’s what we came here with. We will make decisions closer to the game.”
The Caribbean side will open the tournament on Saturday against England but despite being defending champions will have several questions to answer. One of those recurring issues has been the ratio of the team’s use of traditional hitting versus rotating the strike with singles.
In the past, the Windies have had success with their power-hitting game, winning the tournament twice in just such a fashion. In recent years, however, the team has shown a propensity to get bogged down looking for boundaries. Pollard, however, insists that the team has been looking to address the issue, but were at the same time not looking to get away from their style of play.
“A lot of work has been done behind the scenes. The guys have worked tirelessly to get to where we are right now in terms of trying to cover our bases,” Pollard told members of the media on Friday.
“I’ve said before that we try to keep our strengths and work on our weaknesses. We’ve accepted certain things and gone back behind the scenes and hopefully, we will see a difference,” he added.
“In terms of the two games that we played, guys didn’t show that intent and different things might have come out but we are confident that the guys have done what is needed and will look to hit the ground running come the first game.”
Recent reports had suggested that the Caribbean was ready to accept a switch in series hosting duties, as most sporting events have faced major scheduling disruptions.
With the virus also now beginning to more heavily impact the Caribbean, Grave admitted that he did not see how the West Indies would be in a better position to host the series if England could not.
"I have not had any discussions with England over whether we can host,” Grave told BBC Sport.
“It would be strange that England can't have cricket but the Caribbean can,” he added.
"Realistically, without knowing anything about pandemics, if England can't hold cricket then it almost certainly means the rest of the world can't hold cricket either. I think it is an unrealistic option."
The official added that the regional cricket governing body has tried to remain as ‘flexible as possible’ but options were yet to be discussed.
"I have been in contact with [England and Wales Cricket board chief executive] Tom Harrison a few times over the last week," Grave said.
"The only discussions we have had are, in principle, having flexibility over warm-up games, when the series would start and how many rest days.
"We have given the ECB assurances that we will be as flexible as we can. We have not had any discussion about not playing them in June.”
The first Test was scheduled to begin in London on June 4, followed by matches at Edgbaston and Lord's starting on 12 and 25 June respectively.
The Caribbean team dominated the sport for the better part of 20-years, during that time routinely beating some of the world’s top teams was commonplace. In recent times, however, the Windies have found it difficult to even remain competitive when facing the likes of Australia, England, and India. One major reason suggested for the decline is the level of investment in the sport, particularly as it relates to youth development and infrastructure. According to Dehring, the harsh reality was laid bare after working in South Africa during the cricket World Cup.
“I always knew the Australias, the Englands of this World had incredible facilities and such an incredible professional cricket structure that I knew the days were numbered. But when I went to South Africa and saw what they had in place, even their high schools, your heart sank,” Dehring said recently on the Mason and Guest radio program.
Currently, the West Indies are ranked 8th in the world in Test cricket, the same in One Day Internationals, and despite claiming two T20 World titles, are 9th in that format, on the back of a disastrous showing at this year’s World Cup.
“We have some talented youngsters in the Caribbean, but we just do not have the professional structure to develop it, own it and churn it out year after year,” he added.
“You see the fruit of that vine now, it’s very inconsistent…there’s no West Indies team that when they step out on the field they don’t look like the athletes of the day. That’s just from a visual aesthetic perspective, we were the athletes…We were the athletic reservoir people would pay to come and see.”
Despite, the introduction of the Yo-Yo Intermittent Test a few years ago, questions have constantly been asked regarding the team’s level of fitness, with some players notably overweight.
Politically, with the West Indies operating as several separate countries, it would not be possible to have a national anthem. Currently, the song ‘Rally Round the West Indies’ by Calypsonian David Rudder, however, serves that purpose. The song was released in 1987 – before being officially adopted as the team’s ‘national’ anthem by the then West Indies Cricket Board 12 years later.
Lloyd, however, believes the song possibly lacks the feel, power, and emotional depth of some of the national anthems of member nations that comprise the regional team. The former skipper made note of a memorable experience, while on tour of Australia.
“When I was manager, in Australia they play the anthem from both teams. The president came to me and said Clyde we would like to play the anthem from your country because you are the manager. I said, ‘No sir you would have to play the anthem of Mr. Walsh, he is the captain,” Lloyd recalled recently, on the Mason and Guest radio program.
“It was performed by an opera singer. When they sang the Jamaica national anthem, it has some drums and so on, hair grew on parts of my body that I didn’t think I had hair. It was so powerful. There was a guy there that was married to a Jamaican woman and tears came to his eyes. I told Walsh, 'if you do not bowl this Australia side out, after listening to this anthem, something must be wrong with you guys'. It was the most powerful thing,” he added.
“We have great anthems around the islands. Let us come together and get one anthem that is powerful. When you listen to all the other anthems, they make you feel proud, they make you feel like doing extraordinary things. I think this is the time we should have that and one flag.”
The absence of the likes of Sunil Narine and Andre Russell, for example, two of the team’s most explosive players, from the unit for the last year has been a sore point. Despite the fact that they have continued to play in lucrative T20 leagues around the world, both players have been unavailable for the regional team.
Russell has not played for the team since last year’s World Cup while Narine has not appeared since 2017. Another player, opener Evin Lewis, remains out of the team after opting out of fitness tests. Recently West Indies coach Phil Simmons expressed frustration with the issue. Richards believes a lot of the issues could come down to communication.
“Guys sometimes try and make that particular decision in terms of what they want to do because they don’t feel that they are represented well enough on the left, and that’s why they will move to the right so it is pretty much troublesome knowing and hearing that from the coach, which means there are issues where these matters are concerned,” Richards told the Antigua Observer.
“There has got to be a meeting of all the individuals who participate and that’s the board and all the individuals they may believe to be in that particular lane where they do not want to play,” he added.
“That’s always your first aim, for you to represent your country as a sports person and then, if you can move further up-field like representing the region, which is obviously the West Indies cricket team, and then expand elsewhere because if that’s what you’re looking for, then that’s the opportunity you’re looking for,” he said.
“Also, there are times when we should look at the lighter side of things where one has got to remember that it was the West Indies platform that obviously gave you an opportunity for you to expand yourself.”
With the talented middle-order batsmen Shimron Hetmyer and Darren Bravo opting out of taking part in series, Ragoonath believes the regional team could struggle to put runs on the board, particularly in humid conditions.
“It going to be tough if you look at the players on the tour, from a batting standpoint. Shamarh Brooks averages just under 35 in his very short tenure, next to him is Jason Holder and Kraigg Brathwaite, each around 33," Ragoonath pointed out to the Mason and Guest radio program.
If you add up our batsmen’s averages, whatever combination you play, you will have an average score that is less than 250, which is not going to complete against England. Especially if the atmosphere is such that the ball is moving around, you re going to be in real trouble,” he added.
"The fast bowling aspect is exciting and I think that’s where our one element of surprise is, but a lot will depend on the weather conditions."
Ragoonath believes the Windies may still be able to do well if the conditions are hot and dry, but once typical English weather conditions prevail, a battery of quality England swing bowler could make runs scoring an impossible task.
The series, which will take place from November 21 to 25 and November 29 to December 3, will be part of the 2021-2023 ICC World Test Championship. In preparation for the series, the West Indies team is currently taking part in the Best vs Best intra-squad matches and Brathwaite insists the team is brimming with confidence and ready for the challenge.
“Sri Lanka is a very strong team, especially at home and as a team, we are looking forward to the challenge,” Brathwaite said.
“We know it won’t be easy. The last time we went down there we did ok, it was a couple of years ago and we look forward to the challenge,” he added.
The team last travelled to Sri Lanka in 2016 where they lost 2-0. Brathwaite did, however, claim six wickets.
“I think we have had a good year so far and it would be good to finish the season strong for the fans.”
The West Indies began the year with a win over Bangladesh, followed by a draw against Sri Lanka, a loss to South Africa, and a draw against Pakistan.
Three changes have been made to the squad that recently played against Ireland in the Caribbean, with Darren Bravo, Rovman Powell and Fabien Allen returning to the squad. With the exception of Bravo, Jason Holder, and captain Kieron Pollard very few of the team have experience playing in Asia.
“The most important thing is for us to adjust quickly to the conditions, that’s why we’ll go in there a few days early,” Simmons said.
“How we played in Lucknow against Afghanistan is the kind of wicket we’re going to be getting there and we need to play in the same way and to train in the same way,” he added.
“We need the same attitude that we played against India. I think if we can get the attitude right we will come out on top in the series.”
The ODIs will be played at Sinhalese Sports Club; the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium in Hambantota; and the Pallakele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy. The ODIs will be followed by two T20 Internationals in Kandy.
The West Indies successfully negotiated the fifth and final day on the back of a patient 113 undefeated from the bat of Nkrumah Bonner. After being dismissed for 169 in the first innings a massive 476 piled up in the second innings would have been a massive concern. The Sri Lankans were led by 103 from Pathum Nissanka and 96 from Niroshan Dickwella. The pair frustrating and blunting the Windies bowling attack.
For large periods of the second innings, it seemed the hosts had lost their way, with a series of poor displays in the field and poor choices to review. Simmons believes if the team is to win a second straight Test series, the errors must be cleaned up.
“I think our discipline when we are bowling has to improve,” Simmons told Windiescricket.
“The few hours in the field that we allow runs to just slip by us, because of the discipline, that definitely has to tighten up, and then we just have to bat in the second innings like we batted in the first innings,” he added.
The Bangladesh team has not played a Test since February when they faced Zimbabwe at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium. The West Indies has in the meantime, played two-Test series against England and then New Zealand.
Relying on that statistic would, however, be slightly misleading as several of the West Indies' first-team players opted out of the tour, leaving the unit to rely on more inexperienced players for the tour. In such circumstances and Bangladesh’s home record, Simmons is skeptical of there being any advantage but hopes the team will be able to captilise once there is.
“There could be a little bit of vulnerability early in the Test because they haven’t played any international Test cricket for a year now and getting back into it might expose some vulnerability early on," Simmons told members of the media.
“I’m sure that, that would be taken care of because they have a fairly experienced team, with the likes of Tamim and Shakib. The experience is there so it might not last too long, but if it does happen, we have to take that opportunity and seize on it,” he added.
“Bangladesh will always have the edge no matter who they are playing at home. They are a very strong side when they play at home. So, they will always have the edge even when they haven’t played any cricket for a year.”
Bangladesh won the previous series, which consisted of three ODI matches, against the West Indies 3-0.
World cricket powerhouses India recently earned plenty of plaudits for a stunning win over Australia, with a squad full of mostly inexperienced developing players.
The West Indies on the other hand, once the world’s best cricket team, have suffered lopsided defeats at the hands of England, New Zealand, and most recently Bangladesh. The defeats have led to renewed criticism of the regional team in some quarters, but Ricardson insists the world’s top team are simply reaping the fruit of their labour, which took the form of talent development.
“It’s a correlation that the boards that have the luxury of having more coaches employed, more facilities, more players on contracts, more A team tours, more money invested in development, are the countries that have been doing well,” Richardson told Grenada’s Talksports program.
“Case in point, India has an academy just for fast bowling,” he added.
“In the 80s, not to knock anything from the Lloyd and Viv Richards era, we had awesome talent. During that time, if you check the history, most teams were setting up their academies to improve their game. We didn’t set up our academy until around 2000. So, they have been reaping the success of what they have put in.”
Richardson insisted that the region still has the talent and pointed to the team’s performances in the youth competitions to stress the point. The West Indies won the U-19 World Cup in 2016 and were runners up in 2004.
The Caribbean team, who are the defending champions, was routed by England in the first match where they lost by six wickets after being bowled out for 55. In the second encounter against South Africa, on Tuesday. after a promising start the team was dismissed for a subpar 143, which the Proteas easily chased down to win by 8 wickets.
The loss leave the West Indies rooted at the bottom of the six-team table, with a net run rate of -2.550. With only the top two teams set to advance to the final four, the Windies are already facing an uphill battle to move on to the next round.
“Well, we just have to do what it takes,” a dejected Pollard said following the team’s loss to South Africa.
“We have to dig deeper as a team. We have to dig deeper as a batting unit,” he added.
“We have to get wins on the board now. We’ve put ourselves in a position whereas from a run rate perspective that’s pretty low, and from a win percentage we haven’t won any games.
“So we have to win the next three games. We just have to take it one at a time and try to improve each and every time.”
The West Indies will next face Bangladesh on Friday at 5:00 am.
On the back of a brisk 95 off 47 balls, which included an explosive eight 6s, the Irish posted 208 for 7. The Windies, led by Evin Lewis’ 53 and a decent all-round team batting performance, made a good chase of the target before running out of enough balls to get there.
In analyzing the match, Pollard commended the bowlers for recovering from a poor start and the batsmen for making a competitive chase of the target. He, however, believes the team could have done more running between the crease.
“When we were batting we did not have the urgency running between the wickets. We know we are a good power-hitting team but when the singles are there and the twos are there we need to run hard between the wickets,” Pollard said.
“When Ireland were batting they hit the ball to our fieldsmen and they ran and that is something we did not do,” he added.
In their total, the Windies amassed 142 boundaries with 55 singles as compared to Ireland’s 124 boundary runs and 74 singles.
