Former West Indies opener Philo Wallace described the feeling of watching the West Indies batsmen struggle against spin bowling as “disheartening.”

“It’s very disheartening to see our batsmen continue to struggle against spin,” said Wallace on the Mason & Guest radio show in Barbados on Tuesday.

The West Indies suffered an embarrassing 0-3 series defeat against Bangladesh last week at Providence in Guyana, a surface known to favor spin bowling.

“They have to find a method of how to play slow bowling. I find it very uncomfortable that our batsmen don’t seem to understand how to play on that type of surface,” said Wallace, who played seven Tests and 33 ODIs from 1997-2000.

The inability to play spin meant that the hosts were unable to bat out the full 50 overs in any of the matches, something Wallace said is not acceptable.

“You can’t consistently get bowled out inside 50 overs. When you find yourself three or four wickets down inside the first 20 overs, you’re going to struggle. They’re not getting the starts from the openers. The middle order is struggling and leaving it to some sluggers at the bottom,” he said.

When questioned about a solution to the problem, Wallace pointed to something that has been an issue for the West Indies in limited overs cricket for more than a decade, rotation of the strike.

“You have to be fit and you’ve got to work around the ball and know your partner at the other end. When you get your ones and twos up front, it will make it easier for the guys at the back end,” Wallace said.

He further emphasized his point by highlighting an innings played by South African Rassie van der Dussen against England on Tuesday where he scored 134 off 117 balls hitting only 10 fours and no sixes. South Africa hit no sixes in their innings and were able to score 333-5 from their 50 overs before bowling England out for 271.

Usman Khawaja believes one-day international cricket is "dying a slow death" and claims it is "very tough" to play in all three formats.

England Test captain Ben Stokes retired from ODIs this week, stating it was "unsustainable" for him to play for his country in the longest format, plus Twenty20s and the 50-over game.

Stokes warned that players cannot be treated like "cars" and keep clocking up mileage with such a hectic schedule.

Australia batter Khawaja is not convinced there is a long-term future for ODI cricket.

He said: "My own personal opinion – I know a few of the guys are very similar – you've got Test cricket, which is the pinnacle, you've got T20 cricket, which obviously has leagues around the world, great entertainment, everyone loves it, and then there's one-day cricket.

"I feel like that's probably the third-ranked out of all of them. I think personally one-day cricket is dying a slow death... there's still the World Cup, which I think is really fun and it's enjoyable to watch, but other than that, even myself personally, I'm probably not into one-day cricket as much either."

Khawaja believes it is a big ask for players to play in all formats.

"Not impossible, very tough," Khawaja said, quoted by the Australian Associated Press. "So much travelling. If you're playing all three forms of the game, you're not at home at all really.

"And then the demands on your body, mentally, physically and a lot of the guys might be playing also the IPL.

"There's a lot of cricket going on. Yes, you get to pick and choose, I guess, in certain respects what you want to play, but it can be very tough at the moment."

While Khawaja does not see a bright ODI future, he is not concerned about Test cricket.

"The majority of people I talk to still love Test cricket," he said. "It's my favourite format. [I] think Test cricket still has a very strong presence so don't really see that going anywhere."

West Indies coach Phil Simmons admits he is pleased to welcome Jason Holder back to the fold after the all-rounder was recently rested due to load management considerations.

The 30-year-old former captain has not represented the regional team since March of this year.  Following his return from the India Premier League (IPL), it was announced that the player would be left out of the team, for the upcoming series, considering a recent heavy workload.

As a result, Holder has missed the team’s One Day International tours against The Netherlands, and Pakistan and a recent visit of Bangladesh.  The team easily won the first series but could certainly have used Holder’s experience and explosive all-round play as they struggled to find their footing against both Pakistan and Bangladesh.

The player is once again available ahead of the team’s series against India, which begins on Friday and Simmons admits he is impressed by what he has witnessed in training so far.

“It’s good to have him back,” Simmons told members of the media on Wednesday.

“He looks fresh, he had some time out of the game.  He has been bowling well the last two days and batting well too so it’s good to have him back.”

  The West Indies and India will face off in three ODIs.

The West Indies will face India on Friday in the first of three ODIs in Trinidad and Tobago but they will be without one player that Captain Nicolas Pooran would dearly like to see taking the field sometime soon.

Shimron Hetmyer, who has not played for the West Indies since November 2021, has been training with the squad but according to the Windies' white-ball captain, the Guyanese middle-order batsman, still has a lot of work to do on his fitness before he can suit up once again.

“He is here doing a lot of work on his fitness and that is really nice to see, the effort that he has been putting in,” Pooran said during a media session on Thursday.

“He wants to play for the West Indies and trainers and coaches working with him, so expect to see him sooner than later.

“I have full confidence that he will be putting on the maroon colours again. He has a fitness test to pass shortly, so he is preparing himself for that.”

Former West Indies batting coach Toby Radford says the team needs to be more adaptable to compete with the best teams in the world in white-ball cricket.

Radford was a guest on the Mason & Guest radio show in Barbados on Tuesday in the wake of the Windies suffering a 0-3 ODI series defeat to Bangladesh.

“Clearly things have got to change with the white-ball because it is inconsistent. I’m sure the talent is there. It needs good planning, structure and organization,” Radford said.

“50-over cricket isn’t won by hitting balls over the ropes. You have to play the pitch; you’re not going to smash the ball over every boundary. On big grounds, you have to look for you ones and twos then when you get on small grounds, you can look to hit boundaries,” he added.

The hosts had a horrid time with the bat in the series, being restricted to scores of 149-9, 108 and 178 in their three times at the crease, unable to manoeuvre the Bangladeshi spinners on some difficult Guyanese pitches.

 “You’ve got to be adaptable and flexible, play the situation, the team you are in front of and the ground you’re playing on. You can’t play white-ball cricket one way in every game and win. It’s not that type of game,” Radford said.

“If you can’t use your feet or you can’t sweep then you’ve really got to get one side of the ball, either stay leg-side or off-side. You have to do something. Just staying one place and allowing somebody to bowl at you and build up pressure is not going to take you anywhere,” he added.

Phil Simmons says West Indies must address their batting frailties in a three-match one-day international series against India.

The Windies were consigned to a 3-0 whitewash at the hands of Bangladesh on home soil and face a huge challenge when they face India.

Nicholas Pooran has endured a poor start to his tenure as captain and India are strong favourites to win a series that starts at Queen's Park Oval on Friday.

The highest total West Indies posted against the Tigers was only 178 and they have failed to bat out the full 50 overs time and again.

Head coach Simmons is demanding more application at the crease ahead of the series in Port of Spain.

"We have players quite capable of batting for long periods, but we need to get it together and hold strong," Simmons said.

"Players like [Shai] Hope and [Kyle] Mayers are Test batsmen, so they have the temperament to bat right through the innings."

He added: "The main thing is how we bat our 50 overs…we have to bat 50 overs and put our innings together and partnerships together.

"Somebody has to be looking to score a hundred and hold the team together. Batting-wise that is it."

Shikhar Dhawan captains the tourists as Rohit Sharma is rested along with the struggling Virat Kohli and paceman Jasprit Bumrah for a series that does not fall under the banner of the ICC Cricket World Cup Super League.

India have won 10 of their past 11 ODIs versus the Windies, with the only loss coming in Chennai back in December 2019.

Holder return boosts Windies

Good news has been in short supply for West Indies, but the return of all-rounder Jason Holder can give them a lift.

The former skipper was given a break for the Bangladesh series and the Windies will be hoping he is fresh and ready to fire on his return.

Holder needs another four wickets to become the seventh West Indies bowler to take 150 ODI wickets.

India can show strength in depth

Dhawan is set to lead a young side as India look to show their strength in depth with the World Cup to come on home soil next year. 

Deepak Hooda and Arshdeep Singh are among the players who will be looking to make their mark in the Caribbean.

Ishan Kishan will also hope to get another chance at the top of the order.

West Indies coach Phil Simmons expects a much better showing from the team’s batsmen ahead of the upcoming series against India.

The Windies line-up struggled mightily against Bangladesh, albeit in difficult circumstances for batting in the most recent One Day International series.  In three matches the team, batting first on each occasion, managed just a total of 435.

The team’s captain Nicholas Pooran was the team’s scorer with 91 runs but scored 73 in the final game when the series was already decided.  Shamarh Brooks was the next best and he totalled 42 over the three matches.  Despite facing superior opposition, India, in another series beginning on Friday, Simmons does not expect such a brutal showing with the bat.

“You expect a better batting performance.  You don’t really want to make excuses and in the last game we showed what we should have shown in the first two games, on what were bad cricket wickets on whole but we expect differently,” Simmons told members of the media on Wednesday.

“We’ve had two days of practice, we practiced yesterday and a really good session today, something that we did not get between Dominica and Guyana because of the rain that stopped us from practicing.  From the sessions I have seen so far, the guys seem to be switched on again.”

England pace bowler Mark Wood will undergo a second operation on an elbow injury as he bids to recover in time for the T20 World Cup later this year.

Wood underwent surgery on his right elbow in March after sustaining the injury during the first Test of the red-ball side's tour of the West Indies.

It was originally hoped the 32-year-old would return within three months, but he was taken out of consideration for Durham's Vitality Blast game against Notts Outlaws on July 1 before suffering an adverse reaction after featuring for home club Ashington on Saturday.

Speaking to the BBC's Test Match Special, Wood expressed his frustration at the injury, which comes as another blow to England with Jofra Archer, Chris Woakes, Saqib Mahmood, Ollie Robinson and Matt Fisher also sidelined.

"It's not going well actually," Wood said. "I'm off again for probably more surgery on Saturday. 

"I played a club game to see what it was like when I tested it out, so unfortunately it's not pulled up well. 

"To be ready for the World Cup, I'm going to have to get that done.

"I've been bowling for the last two or three weeks in the nets, top speed also off my full run-up. But it just seems to keep deteriorating. 

"When I played that club game it was an indication in a match of how does it actually feel. The next day… I can straighten my left arm fully, but my right arm is still sort of bent a little bit.

"It's crunch week this week. That's why I've been building it up so much. But this week it needed a decision, so that's why I played the club cricket. 

"Unfortunately it hasn't been good. The frustration for me is I've done everything everyone has asked. It's just not giving me a break."

Wood has taken 26 wickets in 19 T20I outings since making his England debut in 2015, with his last appearance in the format coming against New Zealand last November in their T20 World Cup semi-final defeat.

England's next T20 World Cup campaign begins against Afghanistan on October 22 in Perth.

Ben Stokes hopes his ODI retirement will prolong his Test career, as he reiterated his belief the current schedule makes it "unsustainable" for him to continue in all three formats.

Stokes, who has won his first four Tests since taking over as England's red-ball captain, will make his final ODI appearance against South Africa at Durham on Tuesday.

The all-rounder was instrumental in England's crowning achievement in the format, producing a remarkable 84 not out and registering eight in an enthralling Super Over to steer the side to victory in the 2019 World Cup final against New Zealand.

The 31-year-old will play his 105th ODI against the Proteas, having averaged 39.44 runs and taken a total of 74 wickets across his previous 104 outings in the format.

Speaking to Nasser Hussain for Sky Sports ahead of his one-day swansong, Stokes shed further light on his decision to focus on Test and Twenty20 cricket.

"It was a number of things, I think the schedule, everything that's expected of us these days is just, for me... it feels unsustainable," he said.

"It was actually after the first one-day game [against India last week], one person I spoke to [said] probably the best thing that was said to me, which was, 'if there's any doubt, there's no doubt'.

"As I said in my statement, this England shirt deserves 100 per cent of whoever wears it, and unfortunately, I didn't like the feeling of not being able to contribute in the way that I want to be able to. As an all-rounder I want to contribute with the bat, I want to contribute with the ball.

"Also [I didn't like the feeling of] stopping someone else being able to progress in this format for England, who I know is desperate to go out there and able to give the captain and the coach 100 per cent of themselves.

"When I thought about it long and hard and realised I don't think I can do that in all three formats after how the body felt after the Test series, it was easy, knowing that I can't go out there and give my all."

Stokes, who has made 83 Test appearances for his country, revealed giving up one of the white-ball formats to prolong his career was something he had considered for some time.

But he admitted he struggled to choose between ODI and T20 cricket, adding: "Yeah, it was never going to be an easy one.

"I always knew that at some point, I'd have to choose one of the white-ball formats to continue with, I just didn't know which one.

"After that one-day game, it just hit me in the face. I had a quick chat with Jos [Buttler] after the game and said if the game was in a different situation, I would've carried on bowling.

"Now, being the captain of the Test team, and with how much cricket we've got coming up, I've also got to bear in mind that I've got to look after my body because I want to play as long as I possibly can. 

"I look at the way Jimmy and Broady's careers have gone when they stopped playing white-ball cricket, and that's what I want to do. I want to play 140 or 150 Test matches for England.

"It's come a lot earlier than I would have liked it to, at 31 years of age, to give one of the formats up, but there's longevity that I've thought about.

"Hopefully when I'm 35 or 36 and still playing Test cricket and T20 cricket, I can look back on this decision and say I'm very happy with the decision I made."

West Indies batsman Lendl Simmons has retired from international cricket, according to an Instagram post from his sports agency 124notout on Monday.

The post further said that Simmons had written a letter to Cricket West Indies last Friday informing them about his decision to become a free agent and pursue opportunities on the franchise circuit.

Simmons' international career spanned 16 years. He represented West Indies in eight Tests, 68 ODIs and 68 T20Is, scoring 3763 runs across all formats. He made his ODI debut against Pakistan in Faisalabad in 2006. His T20I debut came a year later against England at The Oval and he made his Test debut in 2009 against England in Port-of-Spain.

Simmons has also enjoyed a stellar career in franchise cricket representing several teams like Mumbai Indians, Trinbago Knight Riders, Karachi Kings and Sylhet Sunrisers.

He is the leading run-scorer in CPL history with 2629 runs from 91 innings including 20 half-centuries.

He also helped the Mumbai Indians to two IPL titles in 2015 and 2017, scoring a total of 1079 runs from 29 innings during his time with the franchise.

Simmons played a key role in West Indies' triumph during the 2016 T20 World Cup, blasting a 51-ball 82 in the semi-final against hosts India. In total, Simmons scored 1527 runs in T20Is at a strike rate of 120.80, with nine half-centuries. 

He last represented West Indies during the 2021 T20 World Cup.

Nasser Hussain says Ben Stokes' one-day international retirement came as a "massive surprise" but is understandable due an "absolutely crazy" schedule.

Stokes has announced he will bow out from the 50-over format on his home ground The Riverside on Tuesday, when England start a three-match series against South Africa.

The news came on the back of Stokes announcing he would sit out the T20s versus with Proteas and The Hundred with Northern Superchargers, following a dream start to his Test captaincy.

It follows ex-skipper Eoin Morgan's decision to retire from the international game, and leaves successor Jos Buttler and head coach Matthew Mott with another conundrum in the world champions' middle order.

Stokes said playing all three formats for his country was "unsustainable" for him and although former England skipper Hussain was taken aback by his announcement, he can understand it. 

"It came as a surprise, to be honest," he wrote in his Sky Sports column. "To completely knock 50-over cricket on the head is a massive surprise.

"You thought he would be looked after, in terms of being rested from various white-ball tournaments and formats - he'd already announced he was going to miss white-ball series', and The Hundred. 

"I guess it's the schedule. The cricketing schedule is absolutely crazy at the moment. If you just play in the one format - say Test matches - it's absolutely fine.

"But if you're a multi-format, multi-dimensional player, and even a Test match captain like Stokes, who throws himself into his job 100 per cent on and off the field, eventually something's going to have to give.

"For Ben, it is 50-over cricket, which is a real shame because he gave us and England fans their greatest day for a very long time in 2019, a day we'll never forget with that World Cup final win.

"He's a very bright, smart cricketer, he's a winner and he's a fighter."

Ben Stokes will say farewell to ODI cricket when England face South Africa in the first game of a three-match series.

England's Test captain announced on Monday that Tuesday's clash at his home ground at Durham will be his last in 50-over international cricket.

It will bring down the curtain on a spectacular career in this format, Stokes' defining moment coming when he helped guide England to glory in the 2019 World Cup final.

Stokes scored a remarkable 84 not out and a subsequent eight in the Super Over as England won on the boundary countback rule after an astonishing game against New Zealand ended in a tie.

He began that tournament by claiming a stunning one-handed catch at The Oval against South Africa to dismiss Andile Phehlukwayo.

The player who bowled the delivery for that wicket is back in the England squad, Adil Rashid returning after being granted permission to make the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca by the ECB.

Rashid will give England a leg-spin option they sorely lacked across 2-1 T20I and ODI series defeats to India, who prospered in part due to the effectiveness of their own legbreak bowler, Yuzvendra Chahal.

South Africa are without captain Temba Bavuma due to an elbow injury, meaning Keshav Maharaj will captain the side in his absence.

With the ODI series not forming part of the World Cup Super League, in which England are first but South Africa are outside the top eight in 11th, the Proteas have also elected to rest fast bowler Kagiso Rabada.

CAN STOKES SIGN OFF IN STYLE?

Stokes is 81 runs away from reaching 3,000 in ODI cricket. He will want to bow out on a high at The Riverside Ground, and the omens are good for him reaching that milestone as he has scored over 80 in each of his last two ODIs against South Africa (101 and 89).

SHAMSI EXCITED FOR ENGLAND TEST

Wristspinner Tabraiz Shamsi has excelled against England in ODI cricket and is ready for the challenge of facing a star-studded batting line-up.

He is five wickets away from 50 for South Africa in men's ODIs and has an ODI bowling average of 24 against England, his best against any team (min. two innings).

Shamsi told ESPNCricinfo: "I've always wanted to get the best guy out on the opposition team.

"England is blessed with many good guys, so that's really exciting for me. It's something I'm proud of when I play: it's a great opportunity to be bowling against very good players and having an opportunity to get them out."

Jos Buttler acknowledged England are "not producing what we are capable of" after India won the ODI series 2-1 at Old Trafford.

England followed the trend of a bowler-dominated series, losing early wickets after being put into bat by Rohit Sharma in the decider on Sunday.

But new white-ball captain Buttler led the recovery with 60 alongside Moeen Ali (34) before Craig Overton's 32 helped the hosts post 259 all out.

England appeared well-placed to defend the total when Reece Topley dismissed Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit and Virat Kohli to leave India reeling at 38-3.

Yet Rishabh Pant combined with Hardik Pandya (71) for an unbroken stand of 133 as the wicketkeeper-batsman crafted his maiden ODI century, guiding the tourists to a five-wicket victory with 47 balls to spare.

Pant dazzled with his 125 off 113 deliveries, but Buttler missed a glorious stumping chance when the left-hander was on just 18 and paid a heavy price.

"It was a good wicket once you got yourself in, so we were a bit light with the bat. But the start we made with the ball gave us a chance and that missed stumping cost us," Buttler said.

"Pant is a really good player. If you give good players a chance they will hurt you and had we taken those chances we had a good hold with a long tail. But with the score we put up we had to take all our chances.

"We are not quite hitting our straps as a batting unit, but we are not far off. We are just not producing what we are capable of. So hopefully individually and collectively we can find a solution.

"These guys are fantastic to work and there is still a lot of enjoyment. Hopefully we will find our best cricket soon.

"I am an experienced cricketer but a young captain, so I am not worrying too much. I have lots to learn, and I need time to do that."

Hardik set the tone with the ball for India with career-best ODI figures of 4-24 that included the all-rounder having the final say in a short-ball battle with Liam Livingstone (27) by getting him caught on the boundary.

Livingstone and Hardik exchanged words throughout the contest and, despite the India star's wry smile upon the England batter's dismissal, he says the pair's relationship is amicable.

"White ball cricket is something very close to me," Hardik said after India completed 2-1 series victories over England in both the T20I and ODIs.

"I cherish my white-ball game. We all know England are such a good team. For us it was important to check ourselves out with our plans and the World Cup ahead.

"It was an ideal chance for us to step up and show what we have. It was important for me to come in and stop the runs and bowl as many dots.

"We took two wickets early, but they recovered well and were cruising. I love short balls. I don't fancy people taking me on, it always gets me into the game.

"I don't mind getting hit for six sixes as long as I take wickets. I am good pals [with Livingstone] but at the end of the day that's his game. He takes his chances on."

Hardik was also quick to hail the efforts of Pant, saying: "Today he played the situation. Our partnership changed the game and the way he finished the game was special."

All-rounder and former captain Jason Holder has been named among a 13-player squad to face India in the three-match CG United ODI Series in Trinidad. Holder missed the just-concluded series against Bangladesh to help manage his workload as one of the West Indies' all-format players.

West Indies and India will compete for the CG United trophy with the matches to be played on Friday, July 22, Sunday, July 24, and Wednesday, July 27, at the historic Queen’s Park Oval. All matches start at 9:30 am (8:30 am Jamaica Time/7 pm India time).

Lead Selector, The Most Hon. Dr Desmond Haynes said he is glad to have Holder back playing again.

“As we all know, Jason is one of the leading all-round cricketers in the world and we’re happy to have him back in the team. He will be refreshed, re-energized and ready to go and we can expect to see his brilliance on the field and meaningful contributions off the field as well,” Dr Haynes said.

“We had a very challenging three matches against Bangladesh in Guyana so we will be looking to rebound when we face India in the conditions in Trinidad. We have seen some growth among some players, but overall we need to regroup and play better against the Indians.”

The full squad: Nicholas Pooran (Captain), Shai Hope (Vice Captain), Shamarh Brooks, Keacy Carty, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Gudakesh Motie, Keemo Paul, Rovman Powell, Jayden Seales.

Reserves: Romario Shepherd, Hayden Walsh Jr.

West Indies captain Nicholas Pooran stroked a responsible half-century and spinner Gudakesh Motie claimed a four-for but still came up short in a 4-wicket loss to Bangladesh on Saturday.

The result saw the Asian team complete a 3-0 series whitewash of the Windies and continue their stranglehold over the Caribbean team in the ODI format, which amounts to an 11^th straight win.  Unlike the two previous fixtures, however, the third and final match proved a more competitive affair.

The Windies were off to another difficult start after losing Brandon King, Shai Hope, and Shamarh Brooks in the first 6 overs and with only 16 runs on the board.  Pooran, however, steadied the ship alongside Keacy Carty, and the two combined to put on 67 for the fourth wicket.

The partnership was, however, ended when Carty was caught at mid-on, on 33, after a loose shot failed to clear Tamim at mid-on.

Pooran then partnered with Rovman Powell to put on another 34, but Powell was clean bowled by Taijul Islam, leaving the team on 117 for 5.  The Windies captain struggled to find partners to occupy the crease and his outstanding innings came to an end on 73, after also being bowled by Islam. 

Romario Shepherd added a useful 19 from 22 and the Windies ended with their highest score of the series on 178.

Islam ended with the best figures for Bangladesh after taking five for 28.

In pursuit, Bangladesh got off to a strong start as Liton Das had an even 50, while captain Tamim Iqbal played his part with 34.  The team found themselves in trouble mid-innings after some rash strokes left them struggling at 5-116, before an unbeaten 32 from wicketkeeper-batsman Nurul Hasan in partnership with Mehidy Hasan saw them home.  Motie had career-best figures for the Windies after taking 4 for 23.