West Indies lead selector Roger Harper is pleased with his and his selection panel’s handiwork. Good for him. Not I. “I expect the team to do very well,” he confidently declared during the media conference called to defend his and his fellow selectors’ work on Thursday. “I think we have …
Read More »T2021 W/C: ‘Reds’ and McWatt slam ‘stupefying and bewildering’ WI picks, offer their alternatives
“[…] We are also in full agreement with Sir Andy Roberts’ expressed disgust at the appalling treatment the selectors have meted out to Jason Holder. Not only has he been omitted from the final 15 but, adding insult to injury, he was named by as one of the four reserves. …
Read More »CPL 2021: Powell’s Tallawahs in trouble, du Plessis’ Kings, Pooran’s Warriors leave Patriots fourth
Saturday’s two early games at Warner Park in St Kitts and Nevis saw a somewhat surprising reshuffle in the middle of the 2021 CPL pack. In the morning game, Faf du Plessis’ St Lucia Kings moved easily past the consistently struggling Barbados Royals by 14 runs, leaving Jason Holder’s side …
Read More »T2021 W/C: Come again, Mr Selector! One rule for Gayle, one rule for Rutherford?
“[…] On what basis does one exclude a player from meeting an absolutely necessary standard that is required for the rigours of an international tournament, particularly one that is fast-paced, intense and is likely to demand 40 overs of sustained pressure—the kind which this tournament is more than likely to …
Read More »T2021 W/C: Harper plays ‘rope-a-dope’ with media questions on Gayle, Darren Bravo and WI team
Roger Harper is tall, is built like a broad-shouldered boxer and was a great fieldsman and an off-spinner in his time on the cricket fields of the world. Relevance? At the media conference called to discuss—defend?—the 15-member squad selected by the West Indies lead selector and his panel for the …
Read More »CPL 2021: Pierre, Munro take Pollard’s TKR home; Holder’s Royals left out in the cold
Kieron Pollard’s Trinbago Knight Riders effortlessly disposed of the Barbados Royals by six wickets in Thursday’s morning match at Warner Park in St Kitts, leaving Jason Holder’s struggling side in a near hopeless situation in the 2021 CPL. Needing to win to stay in business, the Royals failed to bring …
Read More »CPL 2021: Can starved fans look forward to more than a huge Bravo vs Pollard treat?
You don’t have to do the math. Dr Eric Williams did it for us all all those years ago when Frank Worrell was still captain of the West Indies team. Well, sort of. One from ten leaves nought, he said. For us, it is one from 11 leaves nought. Injury …
Read More »T2021 W/C: Abdulah wants Chase, Akeal, Rampaul in his dream WI XI; Gayle, Ramdin get in 15
“[…] At number three, my choice is Roston Chase. He is showing that he can hold an innings together—which is crucial in a team of big hitters—and his run rate is not bad at all. He has good technique, which is crucial in all formats of cricket, T20 included, and …
Read More »T2021 W/C: Why Roston, Rutherford and Rampaul are giving WI selectors nightmares
“[…] The bowling surprise of the 2021 CPL to date has been Ravi Rampaul. Making his return to the CPL after several years of absence, Rampaul has so far led the defending champions Trinbago Knight Riders’ bowling with 13 wickets captured at a paltry 10.84 average, and at an economy …
Read More »CPL 2021: Du Plessis’ century stops Bravo’s Patriots short, gives rising Kings big boost
A sparkling, free-spirited, two-runs-a-ball century partnership between Faf du Plessis and Roston Chase on Saturday gave Dwayne Bravo’s St Kitts and Nevis Patriots little chance to extend their unbeaten run to six games. The margin of defeat was a massive 100 runs. On a flat Warner Park track, the St …
Read More »CPL 2021: Best holds his hand on Bravo vs Pollard—but not on Holder
You don’t have to be a film buff with a preference for watching westerns to know the meaning of ‘to holster’. But if you’re not a cricket fan with a preference for watching West Indies matches, you probably do not know the meaning of ‘to holder’. Born about a decade …
Read More »CPL 2021: Cottrell comes good to help Bravo’s Patriots keep clean sheet, with last-ball six
Sheldon Cottrell on Thursday creamed the last ball of Ashley Nurse’s 20th over beyond the boundary at St Kitts’ Warner Park to send his St Kitts and Nevis Patriots team-mates and the home crowd into a frenzy. Mere minutes before, defeat had looked a near certainty for Dwayne Bravo’s side, …
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