Let me say from the outset, like Michael Holding, I think the only thing missing from a T20 match is (in our case) a case or two of Carib and a pot of pelau, some bottle and spoon and a DJ, plus some ‘winer gyul’ (the IPL & the CPL …
Read More »T2021 W/C: ‘Jaiks’ puts Hope in dream WI XI, while Mayers, Akeal and Alzarri among subs
“[…] Shai Hope: batsman/wicketkeeper. My first surprise selection. Easily among the best batsmen in the West Indies at the moment; can accumulate without offering chances, stabilises the middle overs…” Ken Jaikaransingh, who rarely missed a day of Test cricket at the Oval when the WI were still the WINdies, selects …
Read More »T2021 W/C: F Warner names Narine, Hetmyer, Allen and Walsh in his dream WI XI
“[…] I am going to play chief chef and put together 18 ingredients that should make a mouth-watering dish come 17 October. My major challenge is whether I should include, for different reasons, Christopher Gayle and Sunil Narine: one is definitely available but should I? “If both are available, would …
Read More »Brathwaite leads from the front but WI bowling fails to break through against S/Lanka
After Kraigg Brathwaite West Indies’ largely encouraging First Test performance, the selectors surprised many with the XI they announced for the Second Test against Dimuth Karunaratne’s Sri Lanka. But the unchanged side earned an honourable draw, entirely justifying the panel’s faith in them and reinforcing the idea that the best …
Read More »Bravo and Holder are only Test inclusions, as CWI retains core from WI’s Bangladesh triumph
All-rounder Jason Holder and batsman Darren Bravo were the only changes to the West Indies Test squad, as the Cricket West Indies (CWI) selection panel kept faith with the core of its squad who participated in the 2-0 Test series win away to Bangladesh last month. West Indies are captained …
Read More »Gayle, Fidel and Akeal named in WI’s limited overs team; no space for Hetmyer, Narine and Cottrell
Veteran batsman Chris Gayle, 41, will wear the maroon strip next month, as he was recalled to the West Indies limited overs team, which will face Sri Lanka from 3 March at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua. Gayle joins experienced pacer Fidel Edwards, 39, as well as spinners Akeal Hosein, …
Read More »Dear Editor: How Hugh Brisse can help Hetmeyer; my Windies ODI Team for Sri Lanka
“[…] The selectors have no room for sentimentality; in order to qualify automatically for the October/November 2023 World Cup in India, we have to get the points against Sri Lanka. We must pick the best 18-man squad from among all the available players. “I would go with three openers: Evin …
Read More »Mayers? De Silva? Captain Holder or Brathwaite? Best muses over WI Test changes for S/Lanka Tigers
Nothing happened in ODI play in Bangladesh to warrant imminent adjustments to the pre-tour line-up. But that’s hardly the case with the Test unit where the successful second-string challenges to the incumbents are now being awaited with more than a little anticipation. And they will be welcomed. Why? Easy. Given …
Read More »Dimanche Gras! Not deflated, not defeated, will Brathwaite’s WI double up in Dhaka?
A double-century on debut! And in Asia to boot! That’s the stuff of which West Indian boyhood dreams are made. As well as come-from-behind West Indian victories. Guardian cricket reporter Vinode Mamchan did not seem to know about these dreams. Or to care about them. On television on Friday evening, …
Read More »WI look past Bangladesh ODIs, as hosts sweep Mohammed’s men out of their way
In today’s Third ODI, West Indies won the toss, the only outcome that was not seemingly pre-ordained. They opted not to bat first; cynics who watched all three games might be tempted to omit the last word. When they did eventually take their turn at the crease in Chattogram, halfway …
Read More »Pollard, Holder, Pooran among 12 withdrawals from Windies’ Bangladesh tour, amidst Covid concerns
West Indies Test captain Jason Holder and One-Day International captain Kieron Pollard are among 10 cricketers who rejected call-ups for next month’s tour of Bangladesh due to ‘Covid-19 related concerns or personal fears’. The other players who ‘declined the opportunity to tour’ for similar reasons are: Darren Bravo, Shamarh Brooks, Roston …
Read More »The Old, the Young, the Unwanted—Pt 2: will CWI find more measured role for Gayle?
The second T20I in St Kitts. Andrew Balbirnie contrives only to send his attempted slog off Romario Shepherd skywards. The sure-handed Dwayne John Bravo settles under it. The overly excited 25-year-old gets in the way. The chance goes a-begging. The Ireland skipper benefits from an early reprieve. Bravo’s bemused expression …
Read More »