West Indies T20 vice-captain Nicholas Pooran has heaped praises on under pressure batsman Chris Gayle, insisting the veteran remains a valuable part of the team ahead of its attempted World Cup title defence.
The 42-year-old Gayle has found himself in the crosshairs of critics in recent months, with many insisting the player should have been overlooked in favour of younger talent. The batsman'ss recent form will not have helped matters. In the last year, Gayle has played a total of 16 matches, scored a total of 227 runs with an average of 17.46 and strike rate of 117.61, well down from his career average of 139.18.
Criticism of the batsman recently came to a head when he took exception to comments made by former fast bowler Curtly Ambrose who suggested that Gayle was not the same player he used to be. Pooran is, however, certain of the value the player brings to the team.
“As much as everyone has questioned it, 14,000 runs doesn’t come about just like that. Not many people know how to win T20 matches and T20 leagues and that sort of experience is invaluable,” Pooran told members of the media on Wednesday.
“The experience batting out in the middle, talking about intent, talking about taking on players when to go when not to go, you just don’t get experience like that,” he added.
“We are very happy to have him, even off the pitch he is someone who supports you 100 percent, someone who backs you 100 percent. You talk about positivity, he is one of the most positive guys we have on the team, in the Caribbean.
“He’s a special human being. Only when you play cricket with him or against him you’d know what it feels like to have him around.”
CWI announces re-election of Azim Bassarath as Vice-President
Cricket West Indies (CWI) today announced the re-election of Azim Bassarath to the role of Vice President of its Board of Directors.
Pursuant to the CWI Articles of Association, a Special Meeting of Members was convened on Friday for the sole purpose of electing a new Vice President.
At the close of nominations, Mr. Bassarath was the sole candidate, having been nominated by the Jamaica Cricket Association and Leeward Islands Cricket Board. The nominations were circulated as customary, and every territorial board, which constitutes the shareholders, was adequately notified.
Of his re-election Azim Bassarath said, “I’m excited to return to my duties for the good of West Indies cricket, working alongside my dedicated colleagues at Cricket West Indies. Since March of 2023 when myself and Dr Shallow took over, we made great strides in the most popular format of the game – T20 and we are determined to continue making these strides in the other two international formats. I have committed and remain committed to serving with integrity and respect for the process, while upholding the best governance practices. This vote of confidence signals that we can move forward with the business of cricket and deliver the results shareholders and fans across the region and around the world are eager to see, under the leadership of Dr. Kishore Shallow.”
All Territorial Boards except the Guyana Cricket Board attended the Special Meeting of the Members. Guided by its Articles of Association, CWI reaffirms its unwavering commitment to democratic principles and transparency.
At the close of the meeting, CWI President Dr. Kishore Shallow thanked members for their participation and reiterated calls for unity amongst West Indies Cricket stakeholders.
CWI will host its next quarterly board meeting on September 28, 2024. The meeting will be held in Trinidad and Tobago.
Chandimal and Karunaratne hand Sri Lanka comfortable advantage
Dinesh Chandimal and Dimuth Karunaratne forged a 147-run partnership to propel hosts Sri Lanka to a lead of 202 on day three of the first Test against New Zealand.
Chandimal (61) and Karunaratne (83) notched 12 fours between them, having seen Pathum Nissanka (two) fall inside the first two overs to Will O'Rourke (3-37).
New Zealand resumed on 255-4 but were restricted to adding just 95 runs to their overnight total, with Prabath Jayasuriya (4-136) starring for the hosts.
Nissanka's early dismissal handed the tourists a lifeline, only for Chandimal and Karunaratne to take centre stage and increase Sri Lanka's advantage.
Karunaratne's innings came to an end after being bowled out by Ajaz Patel (1-68), with Chandimal following his partner in the following over.
However, steadying knocks from both Angelo Mathews (34 not out) and Dhananjaya de Silva (34 not out) saw the Lions inch toward their hard-earned lead at stumps.
Data Debrief: Double trouble for Sri Lanka
Chandimal and Karunaratne took the fight to New Zealand, with their respective innings coming to a close with impressive numbers to show for it.
Karunaratne ended with a strike rate of 65.35 from the 127 deliveries he faced, while Chandimal finished on 40.67 having batted against 23 more balls than his team-mate.
Bumrah reaches landmark wicket milestone in ruthless India display
Jasprit Bumrah reached 400 international wickets for India as the hosts concluded day two of their Test match with a 308-run lead against Bangladesh.
Bumrah ended the contest with 4-50 as India ripped through the tourists' batting order before ending their second innings at 81-3 at stumps.
Bangladesh started the day positively, restricting their opponents to adding just 37 runs to their overnight score, with Hasan Mahmud (5-83) doing most of the damage.
However, the tourists' first innings started poorly as Shadman Islam (two), Zakir Hasan (three) and Monimul Haque (zero) fell inside the first eight overs.
Bangladesh found themselves 92-7 within 30 overs with Ravindra Jadeja (2-19) and Bumrah ripping through their middle order.
Mohammed Siraj concluded a dominant bowling display with the wicket of Nahid Rana (11), as India returned to the crease to hammer home their advantage.
Shubman Gill (33 not out) and Rishabh Pant (12 not out) will resume play on day three, with the hosts now in a commanding position to claim the triumph.
Data Debrief: Bumrah joins elite club
Bumrah was the pick of the bunch for the hosts with his four-wicket haul putting him among the elite bowlers in Indian cricket.
He became only the 10th Indian bowler to reach 400 international wickets, while his bowling average of 21 is the second-best among all bowlers to have hit this milestone in men's cricket (Joel Garner - 20.2).
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