15 men and Ravi Rampaul -- Posted by Liam on Sunday, October 19 2003
Ravi Rampaul is going to Zimbabwe! In a surprising move, the West Indies selectors continued to prove very unpredictable as they called up 19-year-old (on the 15th of this month) Ravi Rampaul of Trinidad and Tobago to go to Zimbabwe with the senior team. The right-arm pacer has had alot of press in the past couple of years as a potential candidate for the future of West Indies cricket. The WICB have seemingly stated that the future is now.
The squad as a whole is not very much unpredictable however. As expected, former double world-record-holder Brian Lara has been retained as captain for the series, with Sarwan as his deputy.
The Leadership Quotient
After Hayden's 380, Lara stated that he wants to focus more on team goals now, rather than personal achievements. This would indicate that he's not very concerned with the loss of his record. However, he will be going to Zimbabwe to face the same team (and more accurately - bowling attack) that surrendered Hayden's epic innings, so anything could happen.
Lara's leadership has certainly looked much more thoughtful in his latest captaincy stint and this has been reflected in his batting. Against Sri Lanka and Australia, Lara scored heavily to elevate himself once more to a clear number one PWC ranking, until Hayden stole the honours away. His batting is much more mature and purposeful than before. Indeed, at several times it seemed as though the likes of McGrath, Gillespie, Lee, Bichel, MacGill, Vaas and Muralitharan just couldn't get him out even if they had a month to bowl at him. Zimbabwe will be the first overseas team to experience the new Lara and West Indians hope that its not a pleasant experience for the hosts.
Sarwan is at a high point in his career. He had a superb year and a half of cricket to the end of the 2002/03 season, against Sri Lanka earlier this year. In ODI cricket he established himself as a very dependable batsman and in Test cricket, he seems to finally have found that extra 'something' with his batting. With his hundred against Australia, Sarwan proved that he can bat under pressure as he played a fine innings in West Indies' record chase of 418. That innings was his second hundred and his first meaningful hundred in the minds of many, after his maiden ton came against Bangladesh in 2002.
As deputy, Sarwan will no doubt be called upon by Lara to assist in many a decision-making process as he is groomed for the future responsibility. The Guyanese right-hander appears to have all the tools necessary to lead and this series will assist in sharpening those tools.
The Batting
The top two batting duties will expectedly be shared among the Gayle, Hinds and Ganga; and the likely opening combination is Gayle and Hinds, although Hinds generally prefers to bat at three. It would seem as though the best option for the West Indies selectors is to pick six batsmen (including the 'keeper), and Ganga would miss out in such an instance. If that is the case Sarwan should bat at three, with the number four spot obviously reserved for Brian Lara. Chanderpaul and one of Jacobs and Baugh jr. will be the next two in line. Of course there is always the option of swapping Banks with the wicketkeeper slot.
Despite scoring back to back hundreds against the visiting Aussies, Ganga is anything but a sure pick. He followed up his maiden tons with a string of poor performance and had it not been for his responsible innings of 71 in the Red Stripe Bowl on Sunday, he may not have made the cut. Devon Smith for one will be disappointed because he certainly was not the worst batsman in the Australia Test series and yet he hasn't had a look-in since.
In the Tests, Marlon Samuels may well be the odd man out. He showed big signs of improvement during the West Indies tour to India last year, but after his non-selection throughout most of the World Cup, he seemingly fell back into a laxadasical attitude. On more than one occasion he got out to 'don't care' shots. However, in a true mood-swing fashion he bounced back to smash the Sri Lankan bowlers about for a Man of the Series award in the three-ODI series earlier this year.
The Glovework
Personally I would have rested Jacobs for this tour and recalled him for the subsequent South Africa journey, as this would have given Baugh more playing opportunity. Obviously the selectors disagree and Jacobs' presence is likely to shift Baugh into a backup role for the majority of the international tour matches.
The Bowling
In Zimbabwe, the West Indies will have one 'specialist' spin option in Omari Banks, despite the fact that Banks has had more success with the bat than the ball in his short Test stint to date. This means that Dave Mohammed of Trinidad and Tobago misses out yet again, as he did in 2001 when McGarrell toured Zimbabwe ahead of him. The West Indies selectors may well have missed out on the best opportunity to expose Mohammed to international cricket.
One aspect which will go overlooked entering the series is Sarwan's improved leg-spin bowling. During the 2003 Red Strip Bowl, Sarwan was used on more than one occasion to bowl a fair few overs. He did this job with good success and should be quite useful along with Gayle and Samuels in support of Banks.
The fast bowling selections are certainly very much a point of interest. Fidel Edwards (21), Jerome Taylor (19) and Ravi Rampaul (19) all head off on their maiden tours at senior level. Their combined age is 59, which is an average age just under 20.
Edwards made an impressive debut (5/36) against Sri Lanka this year, but will be anxious to prove that that performance was not a fluke. He possesses decent pace and an unorthodox action (a blend of Jeff Thompson and Waqar Younis) with which he still manages to bowl accurately and swing the ball a bit.
Jamaican Jerome Taylor displaces his team mate Daren Powell from the squad and is perhaps the quickest of the three. He bowled well during the 2003 Red Stripe Bowl, with some very aggressive spells. Taylor has not had the sort of initiation as Edwards into Test cricket, but still showed great potential all the while.
In the experience department, Drakes and Dillon lead the charge. Dillon stands as the only current West Indian bowler with 100+ wickets in either form of the game, while Drakes has proven a more than useful recall to the senior side. Drakes adds alot to the batting in the lower order, as he showed against Australia in the fourth Test this year. Perhaps the recent lightning strike would have woken up Dillon and he will regain some consistency in his game.
Corey Collymore rounds out the squad. He made a very successful return to Test cricket against Sri Lanka in June and followed that up with a brief stint of County Cricket for Warwickshire. Collymore's time in England was not exceedingly fruitful statistically, but surely it could only have helped his game. Indeed he is the only West Indian bowler of the current Test crop who has shown that he can consistently swing the ball at a fairly decent pace.
In Summation...
These powers combine for a diverse touring party but a potentially strong one nonetheless. Zimbabwe will be hard pressed against the West Indies batting and will need to bowl accurately to keep the likes of Gayle, Hinds and Lara in check.
West Indies will be looking to find some success in the persons of their fast bowlers ahead of a big tour to South Africa. The series should provide several points of interest: Lara facing Zimbabwe in the aftermath of 380; Edwards' and Taylor's overseas debuts and perhaps the most intriguing - the prospect of Rampaul's Test debut. At this stage, I would say that it is unlikely that Rampaul would play any of the Tests, but cricket is very unpredictable and the West Indian selectors even more so.
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Interesting facts...
1/ In Ganga, Gayle, Samuels, Sarwan, Collymore, Taylor, Edwards, Baugh, Banks and Rampaul the West Indies have a total of ten (10) players who are 25 years or younger and thirteen (13) players who are under the age of 30, with Lara, Drakes and Jacobs being the exceptions.
2/ The average age of the squad is 25.25 years and the average of those under 30 is 23.4.
3/ The West Indies bowling attack poses an average age of 24. They have played just 48 Tests between them with Dillon having played 34 of those Tests - 70.8%. Those 48 Tests are exactly half of what Brian Lara (96) has played in his career. The six-prong pace attack averages 24.5 in age.
4/ Five (5) cricketers - Collymore, Edwards, Taylor, Baugh and Banks - played either their first or second Test this year. Rampaul is the lone debutant.
CW Red Stripe Bowl Preview -- Posted by Liam on Wednesday, October 1 2003
It was certainly an interesting period of play for the West Indies cricket team in the 2002/03 season. With series wins against India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, an unfortunate World Cup exit and a heartful comeback against Australia, the West Indies gave more than a hint of promise and improvement. Now, as we look to the challenging 03/04 season, there is the belated second half of the West Indies domestic season - the Red Stripe Bowl.
Ten (10) teams will compete in two zones of play. Teams range from minnows, Canada to the powerhouses of Jamaica and Barbados. Last year Barbados won it all while dominating with the bat. This season however, there looks to be some stiff competition on the way. As such, without further adieu, here is Cricket Web's Preview Guide to Red Stripe Bowl '03!
Predictions
Winner:- Jamaica
Just a quick glance at the Jamaican squad and you can see why they are the favourites to be there at the end. With names such as Wavell Hinds, Chris Gayle, Ricardo Powell and Marlon Samuels, they pose a Test-class batting lineup. Add that to the talented bowling of Jerome Taylor and Daren Powell, and the all-round ability of Gareth Breese and Dave Bernard jr. and the possibilities seem endless.
Veteran batsman and former West Indies player, Robert Samuels seems to possess the right blend of experience and tactical know-how to effectively marshal such talents. He is still regarded as one of the best captains in the Caribbean and many feel he was hard done by the WI selectors.
All said, I would not be too surprised if any of Guyana, Barbados or Trinidad and Tobago were to upset Jamaica's charge but Jamaica seem to have the goods to get the job done in style.
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Top Run-scorer:- Philo Wallace
In recent build-up matches, Wallace has boasted superb batting form. For years he has been a solid contender at regional level and has gained world-wide notoriety for his big-hitting ways. These factors added to the responsibility of leading a largely inexperienced UWI team, and you'd think Philo Wallace is primed for a massive 2003 tournament. He's a very good shot to improve on the 248 run total which he reached in the 2002 Bowl.
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Best New Player:- Fidel Edwards
Since his spectacular haul of 5/36 on Test debut in June of this year, Edwards has hardly been an unknown in the cricketing world. Previously, he had played just one FC match with very moderate success. Now that he has established himself as all but a sure pick for the Windies African tour, Edwards can go out into the Red Stripe Bowl with no significant pressure and a relaxed frame of mind. Edwards is yet to play a domestic OD game. Indeed, with his unorthodox action and the fact that he is still largely unseen and unplayed by regional cricketers, he goes into the tournament with a noticeable advantage over his opponents.
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Most Improved Team:- UWI (University of the West Indies)
Following up on a dismal 2002 Red Stripe Bowl that saw them heavily defeated on a few occasions, the UWI team can only get better. Now they have Wallace at the helm. His presence alone would expectedly bring an improved performance. Add in the presence of experienced regional players - Ryan Cunningham and Keith Hibbert, and the UWI team may well surprise one or two teams.
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Top Wicket-taker:- Corey Collymore
Against Sri Lanka this year Collymore made an emphatic return to the West Indies Test team. With that he proved that, although his limited overs skills are sharp, he is not a one-dimensional player. Collymore followed up his dream return with a short stint in English County Cricket with Warwickshire. His efforts were heartful but, for the most part, fruitless. However, the experience in English conditions combined with Collymore's natural accuracy and ability to swing the ball both ways seem to suggest that he is set for a great Red Stripe Bowl.
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Top Players:-
Antigua and Barbuda Wilden Cornwall/Kerry Jeremy
Barbados Floyd Reifer/Corey Collymore
Canada Umar Bhatti
Jamaica Chris Gayle/Brenton Parchment
Guyana Ramnaresh Sarwan
Leewards XI Runako Morton/Omari Banks
Trinidad and Tobago
UWI Philo Wallace
Windward Islands Devon Smith/Kenroy Peters
WI Under-19 Denesh Ramdin/Ravi Rampaul
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The Form XII
These are the players whose form (as well as other factors) seem to indicate that they will have a productive tournament.
1/ Philo Wallace - He demolished Bermuda in recent exhibition matches.
2/ Brenton Parchment - Parchment has impressed more than a few in scoring at will during the Jamaican trials.
3/ Brian Lara - Against Australia and Sri Lanka earlier this year, Lara exhibited an impressive maturity in his batting to once again elevate himself to #1 in the world.
4/ Floyd Reifer - Last year, Reifer scored 355 runs in the RSB and has batted consistently for Barbados over the past couple of years.
5/ Ramnaresh Sarwan - Since last year's Red Stripe Bowl, Sarwan has achieved such amazing ODI success as to earn him a reputation as a premiere batsman in the shortened form of the game.
6/ Dwayne Bravo - Bravo has matured at regional level since his induction. He has managed to develop into a very useful bowling option which will no doubt be exposed in this year's tourney.
7/ Denesh Ramdin - Ramdin enjoyed a fine season at T&T club level and earned the MVP in the 2003 Under-19 regional tournament.
8/ Ryan Hurley - Hurley is a firecracker of a player. He took 6/36 recently in a club game and seems to be just itching to perform.
9/ Ravi Rampaul - In the Under-19 regional tournament, Rampaul emerged the best bowler for the second consecutive year to add to his long youth level credentials.
10/ Corey Collymore - Collymore has had a superb year in West Indies colours and remains one of the most potent bowlers in the region.
11/ Fidel Edwards - Edwards' jerky action and lack of exposure will act as a shock element against opponents.
12th Man/ Chris Gayle - Like Sarwan, Gayle has had a fantastic run in ODI cricket since the last RSB. His explosive batting and useful off-spin bowling will definitely be crucial to the Jamaican cause.
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Cricket Web hope to bring match reports and analysis of the 2003 Red Stripe Bowl, so stay tuned.
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