Windies Squad for 1st test v Bangladesh

It's Barath time (but knowing our selectors and team management Morton will open the batting instead).

Chris Gayle (c)
Adrian Barath
Ramnaresh Sarwan
Shivnarine Chanderpaul
Brendan Nash
Runako Morton
Narsingh Deonarine
Dwayne Bravo
Denesh Ramdin (vc, wk)
Jerome Taylor
Ravi Rampaul
Andrew Richardson
Suliemann Benn

Positives: Barath and Rampaul finally get the test call up they deserved ages ago and they have seen the light as far as Lionel Baker is concerned.

Negatives: Benn is still there and what the hell is Morton doing back in a test squad against a team full of spinners? Fidel Edwards is being rested after an injury sustained in the 20/20 WC.

Suliemann Benn.


Joke.

Where is Brain Bravo?

castro still unfit?

hope to see him in the champions trophy.

Fidel is being rested. He will be fine for the Champions trophy and the tour of Australia. Darren Bravo is apparently in need of more FC cricket before getting the nod for tests. It doesn't make much sense to me as they gave him a ODI pick on the basis of 5 List A matches.

As for Benn's continued selection, it is indeed a joke. Our selection panel is made up of 3 spinners and yet they can't see that Benn is probably the 7th best spinner in the Caribbean and is therefore completely nonthreatening. Ryan Austin just took 9 Bangladesh wickets for spit in the warm up match after being the leading wicket taker in FC cricket this year but that's still not enough to oust Big Benn.

The problem is, he's like the West Indian equivalent of Ashley Giles. He'll do enough in the opening part of his career to avoid being dropped, then he'll become part of the furniture and in doing so will transform into a senior player who will carry out a mediorce career.


It's quite disgusting that plenty of other decent spinners are being overlooked imo.

He's mates with Gayle. That helps his cause. Certain Trinis and Muddies would mutter that he is of the right complexion for the selectors too (not that I completely buy into that theory). The selectors always go on about his 'extra bounce' compared to other spinners, though after a fair few test matches I think we can safely say that's a myth.

At least Gilo was an honest trier and batted doggedly at number 8 to get crucial lower order runs. Benn can't even do that and almost always gets bowled having a flat footed waft at a full delivery. He also pisses off key members of the side with his continued cussing of fielders (even though he himself is the worst athlete in the team).

It's so typically West Indian. For years I bemoaned that the selectors wouldn't give spin a chance. Now they have finally cottoned on to the value of a specialist spinner, they are picking the worst one at our disposal. If they had been this keen on spin when Dinanath Ramnarine was playing he would have taken hundreds of test wickets.