*Official* South Africa in West Indies

[WindieWeathers]

Open the batting with Chanderpaul?

This is Test cricket, not ODI cricket, Windie....

No, Dowlin is the only opening option in that current squad.

In case you're misreading my posts, let me make it clear: I think Darren Bravo is a great prospect for the future, but I don't want to see him rushed in too soon, and made into another Xavier Marshall. I feel he could learn a lot more from batting in English conditions with the A team. As Guillen is discovering, it's quite a different prospect, with the ball seaming and swinging in overcast and humid conditions!

In England, batsmen have to use their feet if they want to stay alive, and it's a good education for our stone-footed batsmen....

Well of course you're gonna push Dowlin's name Mike because you've been doing that from the start!! , but i'm just thinking about what's best for the TEAM, Chanders opening wouldn't be the end of the world, Gayle is in a mess right now and a calm figure like Shiv opening with him just might bring out the best in Chris, then we'd have a strong and DIVERSE middle order to back them up,

As for Bravo, you're acting like a broken record now Mike!! , firstly not every youngster should be judged by the standards of X-man, otherwise by your logic Barath shouldn't have made his debut aged 19!!, Darren will learn a lot more by facing quality players like Steyn this early in his career imo, missing one tour in England won't make or break his career, it's his TALENT that will be the deciding factor and thus far he's showing signs of being a very good player indeed.

 

[TT Boy]

RSA closed day 1 in their tour game with T&T on 347 for 4. Rain may have had an impact on play as they were going at 6 runs an over when I checked in earlier. Declaration presumably will be made overnight.

T&T: Daren Ganga, William Perkins, Lendl Simmons, Gibran Mohammed, Amit Jaggernauth, Yannic Cariah, Kevon Cooper, Akiel Cooper, Kavesh Kantasingh, Rayad Emrit, Sherwin Ganga, Jason Mohammed, Navin Stewart.

South Africa: Captain, Virus, Hash, Prince, JP, Bouch, Steyn, Morne, Tsotsobe, Kallis, McLaren, Botha, Harro, AB.

No Parnell, Lopsy should debut on Thursday. Ntini is an ambassador at the WC, so he wouldn't get the call anyhow.

 

[TT Boy]

Its cause of his injured fingure for sure...he should take a break if its not 100% healed!

Be amazed if he doesn't finish the test series without a ton or two. Imperious record against the Windies in test cricket and he won't be playing ten feet out of the crease or batting on off-stump in the tests.

Shillingford against JP/Prince will be worth watching.

 

[marc71178]

Do WI really need to select a second spinner with Gayle in there?

 

[Prince EWS]

Do WI really need to select a second spinner with Gayle in there?

It's not so much that they need one, but that one is more likely to be effective on a slow pitch than Rampaul or Pascal. I'd think about Sammy to improve the batting a bit and share overs with Gayle but evidence suggests that both Benn and Shilly are better pure bowlers than the other options at this point.

 

[roseboy64]

Well of course you're gonna push Dowlin's name Mike because you've been doing that from the start!! , but i'm just thinking about what's best for the TEAM, Chanders opening wouldn't be the end of the world, Gayle is in a mess right now and a calm figure like Shiv opening with him just might bring out the best in Chris, then we'd have a strong and DIVERSE middle order to back them up,

As for Bravo, you're acting like a broken record now Mike!! , firstly not every youngster should be judged by the standards of X-man, otherwise by your logic Barath shouldn't have made his debut aged 19!!, Darren will learn a lot more by facing quality players like Steyn this early in his career imo, missing one tour in England won't make or break his career, it's his TALENT that will be the deciding factor and thus far he's showing signs of being a very good player indeed.

You're making the mistake of thinking it's to do with age. I'm all for Barath to play but not Bravo yet Barath's younger.

 

[WindieWeathers]

You're making the mistake of thinking it's to do with age. I'm all for Barath to play but not Bravo yet Barath's younger.

Of course it's to do with age, which is why he keeps bringing up X-man, a YOUNGSTER who failed, if Bravo was 25 and performed like he did for the A-team i bet Mike wouldn't be saying a word against his selection, Barath didn't tour England as far as i'm aware but has that effected his game? of course it hasn't but the way Mike is talking about Bravo you'd think him not playing for the A-team in England was a "life and death"!! situation!! .

 

[shivfan]

Well of course you're gonna push Dowlin's name Mike because you've been doing that from the start!! , but i'm just thinking about what's best for the TEAM, Chanders opening wouldn't be the end of the world, Gayle is in a mess right now and a calm figure like Shiv opening with him just might bring out the best in Chris, then we'd have a strong and DIVERSE middle order to back them up,

As for Bravo, you're acting like a broken record now Mike!! , firstly not every youngster should be judged by the standards of X-man, otherwise by your logic Barath shouldn't have made his debut aged 19!!, Darren will learn a lot more by facing quality players like Steyn this early in his career imo, missing one tour in England won't make or break his career, it's his TALENT that will be the deciding factor and thus far he's showing signs of being a very good player indeed.

You're missing the point again....

Barath played four or five seasons for Trinidad, hitting major runs in all of those domestic comps before getting into the WI squad. So, he had FC runs under his belt.

Darren Bravo doesn't have that yet. And as the A team in England is finding out, it's one thing scoring runs against the Bangladesh reserves on flat Bangladeshi wickets, and quite another scoring runs on seaming English pitches against the counties. I hope Lil Bravo does well, but I would feel better if he was in England now. that said, it's an unrealistic expectation of mine, due to injuries to Barath and Sarwan.

As for opening the batting with Shiv, that's just ludicruous, I'm sorry. He doesn't have the technique to be an opening batsman in Test cricket. And it's silly to take a player who's historically your best batsman in the middle order, and to sacrifice him as opener.

 

[WindieWeathers]

You're missing the point again....

Barath played four or five seasons for Trinidad, hitting major runs in all of those domestic comps before getting into the WI squad. So, he had FC runs under his belt.

Darren Bravo doesn't have that yet. And as the A team in England is finding out, it's one thing scoring runs against the Bangladesh reserves on flat Bangladeshi wickets, and quite another scoring runs on seaming English pitches against the counties. I hope Lil Bravo does well, but I would feel better if he was in England now. that said, it's an unrealistic expectation of mine, due to injuries to Barath and Sarwan.

As for opening the batting with Shiv, that's just ludicruous, I'm sorry. He doesn't have the technique to be an opening batsman in Test cricket. And it's silly to take a player who's historically your best batsman in the middle order, and to sacrifice him as opener.

Erm Dowlin was/is mainly a middle order batsman himself isn't he? so i don't see why AN EXPERIENCED PLAYER like Shiv can't do the same, if Chanders was totally against the idea he would have never opened in the ODI's, different format yes but before now he hadn't opened in the ODI's either, so maybe he's not as adverse to the idea as you are.

Secondly i don't think you understood my point about Bravo, the fact is you keep harping on about something that isn't gonna happen, he's with the senior team now, and how can your argument be taken seriously when you keep failing to mention his decent knock against South Africa A also? a South Africa A team who had bowlers who have represented the senior side!! , i'm sorry Mike but you'll never convince me that playing against Glamorgan's second string in England would benefit him more than playing in a serious Test against Steyn and co, it just doesn't make sense.

 

[roseboy64]

Why sacrifice one of your best players in the middle over someone who's opened before and done decent.

 

[shivfan]

Exactly, roseboy....

And the difference is that while Dowlin has played for Guyana as a middle-order batsman, he has also opened the batting for Guyana, unlike Chanderpaul....

Trinidad & Tobago v Guyana at Port of Spain, Jan 4-7, 2008 | Cricket Scorecard | Cricinfo.com

That was two and a half years ago.....

 

[WindieWeathers]

Exactly, roseboy....

And the difference is that while Dowlin has played for Guyana as a middle-order batsman, he has also opened the batting for Guyana, unlike Chanderpaul....

Trinidad & Tobago v Guyana at Port of Spain, Jan 4-7, 2008 | Cricket Scorecard | Cricinfo.com

That was two and a half years ago.....

He's STILL a middle order batsman by trade though!! , And Roseboy we could have Deo, Darren Bravo and Nash in the middle order, a very strong and capable line-up IMO, why be so afraid to try something new?!! .

 

[roseboy64]

He's STILL a middle order batsman by trade though!! , And Roseboy we could have Deo, Darren Bravo and Nash in the middle order, a very strong and capable line-up IMO, why be so afraid to try something new?!! .

I'd rather not sacrifice Chanderpaul to debut a rookie.

 

[WindieWeathers]

I'd rather not sacrifice Chanderpaul to debut a rookie.

And i'd rather not stick with the status quo and lose again!!..

 

[Howsie]

He's STILL a middle order batsman by trade though!! , And Roseboy we could have Deo, Darren Bravo and Nash in the middle order, a very strong and capable line-up IMO, why be so afraid to try something new?!! .

 

[WindieWeathers]

Maybe an OTT statement.. but individually they are all decent imo.

 

[marc71178]

Problem being that Chanderpaul is several notches above all of them so removing him from the middle order would be patently ludicrous.

 

[WindieWeathers]

Problem being that Chanderpaul is several notches above all of them so removing him from the middle order would be patently ludicrous.

Rather that than having an average player opening with Gayle!!.

 

[Howsie]

Yeah because Brendan Nash, Darren Bravo and Narsingh Deonarine aren't average either right? Would be such a stupid move.

 

[sparkey]

What have the Windies honestly got to lose ?? Give lil Bravo a shot and see what happens