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***Official*** Sri Lanka in the West Indies

Mr Mxyzptlk

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Amit Jaggernauth and Sulieman Benn in the squad for the first Test. Good to see some opportunities granted to spinners finally. Rawl Lewis excluded.

Interestingly, Pedro Collins is also in the squad despite, afaik, signing for Surrey as Kolpak. Is he just getting some last chances at international cricket out before he essentially retires? Good to see Ryan Hinds there also. And no Runako Morton. No Daren Ganga either, so it'll be either Devon Smith or Sewnarine Chattergoon with Gayle at the top. Good money is on the in-form Smith.

West Indies 1st Test squad (15)
1.Chris Gayle (captain)
2. Sewnarine Chattergoon
3. Devon Smith
4. Marlon Samuels
5. Ramnaresh Sarwan
6. Shivnarine Chanderpaul
7. Dwayne Bravo
8. Ryan Hinds
9. Denesh Ramdin
10. Sulieman Benn
11. Amit Jaggernauth
12. Pedro Collins
13. Fidel Edwards
14. Darren Powell
15. Jerome Taylor
 

Mr Mxyzptlk

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And my first Test XI:

CH Gayle (c)
DS Smith
RR Sarwan
MN Samuels
S Chanderpaul
DJ Bravo
D Ramdin (wk)
JE Taylor
A Jaggernauth
FH Edwards
PT Collins

12th Man: RO Hinds

Hinds unlucky to miss out, but with Sarwan back, there's no room for him. Bravo is not a third seamer, so Edwards has to play. And Collins is in brilliant form for the second season running. He's earned a recall. Amit Jaggernauth hopefully will get a good run in the team, because he's been a fine bowler for Trinidad and Tobago, outshining the great Dave Mohammed.
 

garage flower

State Vice-Captain
Windies 15-man squad for the 1st test has been announced. It’s:

1.Chris Gayle (captain)
2. Sewnarine Chattergoon
3. Devon Smith
4. Marlon Samuels
5. Ramnaresh Sarwan
6. Shivnarine Chanderpaul
7. Dwayne Bravo
8. Ryan Hinds
9. Denesh Ramdin
10. Sulieman Benn
11. Amit Jaggernauth
12. Pedro Collins
13. Fidel Edwards
14. Darren Powell
15. Jerome Taylor

Seems a pretty balanced squad generally, though I think the selectors have abdicated responsibility to a degree in selecting 2 specialist spinners and 3 specialist openers. Darren Sammy should feel hard done by and would have provided another option (i.e. 3 specialist bowlers and deeper batting line-up).

Otherwise, Ganga and Morton have paid for a succession of failures, while Devon Smith just about deserves to hang in there after regaining form in recent weeks. Ryan Hinds is presumably included to provide cover if Samuels succumbs to off field pressures or, perhaps, to offer a similar option to Sammy, as above.

Can’t argue with the quicks, though it’s a shame none of the domestic bowlers have made a strong enough case to oust Powell, who continues to disappoint at test level.

Good to see specialist spinners given a chance, though not sure whether consistent domestic success will translate to effective performances at test level.

Still another round of first class games to go before the 1st test and Devon Smith, in particular, could sway the selectors one way or the other depending on his performance against table topping Jamaica, but my 1st XI would look like this:

Gayle
Smith
Chanderpaul (best batsman should bat at 3 – simple!)
Samuels
Sarwan
Bravo
Ramdin
Taylor
Jaggernauth
Edwards
Collins
 

garage flower

State Vice-Captain
Sorry Mr M - my post took a while to sort out and hadn't seen yours. Even though we've ended up with the same team (batting order aside), I wasn't copying (honest!).
 

Mr Mxyzptlk

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Heh. Admittedly I started a new thread for it, as I didn't see it on page one of CC and didn't think to check page two for it. So we were posting in two separate places. If not for me splitting my posts into two, we probably would have posted at the exact same time, given that I had to merge the two threads as soon as I realized.

I also agree on Chanderpaul batting at 3, but I don't see it happening. It's good that practically everyone in that lineup is in excellent form right now. A rarity for WI heading into a series.
 

roseboy64

Cricket Web Content Updater
Agree with both your lineups and Camps' batting order except for Samuels at 5 and Chanderpaul at 4.
 

Mr Mxyzptlk

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Must be Samuels at 4 IMO. He's been told that that's where he's batting and he's lived up to the responsibility of it. He's looked closer to Test class at 4 than he has at any other position. If he bats at 5, he's followed by Bravo and Ramdin. Neither of them are exactly reliable to score heavily.
 

roseboy64

Cricket Web Content Updater
That is true but was toying with best bat idea where the best batsmen bat higher in the order. No problem either way though.
 

Mr Mxyzptlk

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I'd also consider Dave Mohammed for Twenty20 and ODI cricket. He's been intelligent and potent in both forms. Decent fielder and can bat too.
 

roseboy64

Cricket Web Content Updater
True. Heard word though that Gayle want to give up the Jamaica captaincy next season. also that he wanted Lambert to continue being captain for both the 20/20 and FC. Was forced to though with Lambert's indifferent form. Reluctant to be the captain.
 

Prince EWS

Global Moderator
Amit Jaggernauth and Sulieman Benn in the squad for the first Test. Good to see some opportunities granted to spinners finally. Rawl Lewis excluded.

Interestingly, Pedro Collins is also in the squad despite, afaik, signing for Surrey as Kolpak. Is he just getting some last chances at international cricket out before he essentially retires? Good to see Ryan Hinds there also. And no Runako Morton. No Daren Ganga either, so it'll be either Devon Smith or Sewnarine Chattergoon with Gayle at the top. Good money is on the in-form Smith.

West Indies 1st Test squad (15)
1.Chris Gayle (captain)
2. Sewnarine Chattergoon
3. Devon Smith
4. Marlon Samuels
5. Ramnaresh Sarwan
6. Shivnarine Chanderpaul
7. Dwayne Bravo
8. Ryan Hinds
9. Denesh Ramdin
10. Sulieman Benn
11. Amit Jaggernauth
12. Pedro Collins
13. Fidel Edwards
14. Darren Powell
15. Jerome Taylor
Top selection IMO.
 

aussie

Hall of Fame Member
And my first Test XI:

CH Gayle (c)
DS Smith
RR Sarwan
MN Samuels
S Chanderpaul
DJ Bravo
D Ramdin (wk)
JE Taylor
A Jaggernauth
FH Edwards
PT Collins

12th Man: RO Hinds

Hinds unlucky to miss out, but with Sarwan back, there's no room for him. Bravo is not a third seamer, so Edwards has to play. And Collins is in brilliant form for the second season running. He's earned a recall. Amit Jaggernauth hopefully will get a good run in the team, because he's been a fine bowler for Trinidad and Tobago, outshining the great Dave Mohammed.
Well with the selectors not willing to keep Ganga anymore despite 1 bad series in England after he seemed to be transforming his game as a test opener since IND 06, i am a bit surprised they kept Ramdin after he has just been getting starts & not carrying on with Browne coming on very well in SA.
 

chaminda_00

Hall of Fame Member
Likely Sri Lankan ODI squad:

M Udawatte, U Tharanga, T Dilshan, K Sangakarra (wk), M Jayawardene (c), C Silva, C Kapugedera, T Kandamby, C Vaas, M Bandara, T Thurshara, N Kulasekara A Mendis, C Welegedara, I Amerasinghe

Talk is that isn't likely to a lot changes to side that was useless in Australia. Jayasuriya as mentioned above is expected to be dropped for Udawatte. I can't see it happening and I expect the Sports Ministery or Ranatunga to step in and get him re called. Tharanga is expected to be given another chance. Kamdamby is expected to come in for Perera with Dilshan and maybe Sangakarra acting as backs ups to opening spots.

Thurshara is expected to take Maharoof spot in the squad, as a bowling all rounder. Which should be pretty gun IMO. Mendis will come in for Murali and Bandara will basically come in for Malinga. Mendis selection is pretty gun as well, the kid averages 10 with the ball.

Lokuarachchi, Matthews and Kolesa Kulasekera are unlucky IMO. The squad needs another all rounder. With Maharoof out this would have been the perfect change to through batting all rounders likes Kulasekera or Matthews into the fray.
 

garage flower

State Vice-Captain
Well with the selectors not willing to keep Ganga anymore despite 1 bad series in England after he seemed to be transforming his game as a test opener since IND 06, i am a bit surprised they kept Ramdin after he has just been getting starts & not carrying on with Browne coming on very well in SA.
Notwithstanding the fact that Ganga’s been a pretty consistent failure at test level since his debut in 1998, he hasn’t made a test 50 since the 1st inns at Karachi (Nov 06). His last 12 test inns are (most recent first): 11, 3, 22, 3, 45, 33, 6, 0, 0, 5, 9, 5. Of course, this is a little selective, as the scores immediately prior reflect something of a career purple patch, but even then his average from the NZ tour in early 2006 up to & including the Lords test was a shade under 40.

Ramdin hasn’t made bucket loads of runs in his comparatively short test career, but he contributed in each innings of the last 2 tests in South Africa and kept well throughout the series.

Ganga, a specialist batsman, doesn’t make many runs, drops his fair share of catches and is a very occasional bowler. On the rare occasions when he does make a start, he tends not to carry on, despite the fact that – unlike Ramdin – he is rarely handicapped by being stuck with a weak tail.

Overall, not a good comparison, though Browne did impress in South Africa and might get a run in the ODIs.
 

roseboy64

Cricket Web Content Updater
Besides Ramdin has scored some runs since SA while Browne hasn't really. If that were reversed Browne might have gotten a chance.
 

garage flower

State Vice-Captain
Besides Ramdin has scored some runs since SA while Browne hasn't really. If that were reversed Browne might have gotten a chance.
True. As Mr M says above, most of the selected players appear to be in decent nick.

Sounds like Browne is p'raps being pushed too far up the order by Barbados, presumably on the back of his showing in South Africa.
 

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