Windies Squad to tour Sri Lanka: Darren Sammy is captain

• Darren Sammy appointed captain

• Ramnaresh Sarwan not selected (our best player of spin not touring Sri Lankka great move!)

• Carlton Baugh selected ahead of Ramdin

• Chaos!

Test Squad

Darren Sammy (Captain)
Brendan Nash (Vice Captain)
Chris Gayle
Adrian Barath
Devon Smith
Shivnarine Chanderpaul
Dwayne Bravo
Darren Bravo
Carlton Baugh (wk)
Devon Thomas (wk)
Sulieman Benn
Shane Shillingford
Kemar Roach
Andre Russell
Nelon Pascal

Nash has really jumped up the hierarchy

Nath wrote:Nash has really jumped up the hierarchy

Tbh he is vice captain by default. Gayle and Bravo didn't sign contracts, Ramin has been dropped, Taylor is injured and Benn is a nutcase.

It's a real shame that this squad selection involves a crazy decision like dropping Sarwan as the selection of Devon Thomas and Andre Russell is a very bold and exciting move.

I half followed Barbados v Guyana in a one day match on cricinfo.

Tino Best utterly destroyed the top order. (Guyana bowled out for 100).

The 4.80 economy still looks ugly for a bowler who got a 5fer. Shame that he can't get his act together on the international stage or in the longer forms.

He also bowled Sarwan for 1, which doesn't bode well for his return to international duty (whenever that may be).

DJ_Smerk wrote:He also bowled Sarwan for 1, which doesn't bode well for his return to international duty (whenever that may be).

I watched it on the WICB's new videocast which can be found here. Tino bowled with loads of pace and got Sarwan caught down at third man, cutting at a short and wide delivery.

Davendra Bishoo turned the ball miles to pick up his 6 fer. He's a seriously impressive leg spinner who was pretty unlucky not to make this squad tbh. He had to settle for a place on the A team instead.

The decline of WI cricket is so sad. 20 years ago Viv Richards was coming towards the end of his 6 year spell as captain where he never lost a single series.

Now they a captained by Darren Sammy, a player who wouldn't make the squad of any decent provincial team back in that era.

Would any of the current squad make a team of that era?

Chanderpaul aside, maybe Gayle.

Not really Smerky

G&H> Gayle

Fair point.

Chanders without a doubt.

I think Sarwan or Gayle could have been on the fringes, with the likes of Gus Logie sometimes making the team. Although the young Brian Lara had to wait until Viv Richards retired before he got a chance. Dwayne Bravo would have a shout for the ODI team.

Still, even in 1990 after the original fearsome foresome had gone they could select a fast bowling attack of Marshall, Ambrose, Walsh and Bishop.

The fact they could leave out Patrick Patterson, Andy Gray and the Benjamin brothers, and now we're talking up the likes of Tino Best shows how far they have fallen. And those bowlers circa 1990 were nothing like the strength they had in 1980.

Partly I think its due to the wickets being producing in the Caribbean.

I think the likes of Kemar Roach, Jerome Taylor and Fidel Edwards would have been playing provincial cricket or at least on the fringes. They are all tremendous athletes who bowl very fast and our fast bowling conveyor belt back then would have made somethinhg much more productive of them.

Fidel and Roach are just as fast as anything of that era IMHO, they just need guidance that they simply wont get in modern day West Indies cricket.

Still, our pace bowling on this tour is quite exciting. If Roach, Pascal and Russell play in the same match we will have 3 90mph plus bowlers known for devesatating spells as well as being occasionally expensive. It certainly wont be as dull as watching Sammy bowl.

who the fark are Pascal and Russell?

PlanetPakistan wrote:who the fark are Pascal and Russell?

Russell = Tall Jamaican right arm fast bowler who loves bowling short and rapid. He can also hit enormous sixes down the order. Had a brilliant tour of the UK with the A team.

Pascal = Short and skiddy Grenadian bowler who has a bit of pace and gets decent swing with the new ball. He is a bit wild and can go for plenty of runs but is usually exciting to watch.

Great!

Looking forward to them breaking the jaws,toes and stumps of the Lankan batsmen.

PlanetPakistan wrote:Great!

Looking forward to them breaking the jaws,toes and stumps of the Lankan batsmen.

I rather fear you will be watching lots of deliveries flying towards the boundary given the docile nature of Sri Lankan pitches in recent times.

Windies cricket, or should one say WICB, in a jump the shark moment,.

where is Foo?

How does Devon Smith keep getting selected?

Henry wrote:How does Devon Smith keep getting selected?

He's much better than Sarwan at the bleep test apparently..............

WIFAN wrote:I think the likes of Kemar Roach, Jerome Taylor and Fidel Edwards would have been playing provincial cricket or at least on the fringes. They are all tremendous athletes who bowl very fast and our fast bowling conveyor belt back then would have made somethinhg much more productive of them.

Fidel and Roach are just as fast as anything of that era IMHO, they just need guidance that they simply wont get in modern day West Indies cricket.

Still, our pace bowling on this tour is quite exciting. If Roach, Pascal and Russell play in the same match we will have 3 90mph plus bowlers known for devesatating spells as well as being occasionally expensive. It certainly wont be as dull as watching Sammy bowl.

I really rate Edwards but he really struggles to stay fit - again it comes back to how you manage your fast bowlers. The fractious board / player relationship can't help.

With the incessant musical chairs game they seem to play, it's a wonder they can maintain the fractiousness they do.