*Official* West Indies Tour of Bangladesh 2018

[Beamer]

Hard to imagine a worse batting side than Australia's atm but the WI are. The regression of Hope has been bad enough but given the preference WI players have for the T20 leagues, they may lose their star Hetmeyer as TT Boy suggests.

Yep our batting is dire, it is absolutely clear. After a promising home season I thought we might be making progress but the last two tours have shown that to be false.

We won a few tests this year but they were all on the back of world class seam bowling from Roach, Gabriel and Holder. The batting was shaky all year and when we didn't have those 3 seamers playing together we couldn't bowl teams out and the batting remained useless.

Unless we find some more solid batting options we won't make progress. Looking forward I don't see any alternative but to bring back Darren Bravo and pick the best performing domestic opener not named Devon Smith.

So 2019 test team should be:

1) Kraigg Brathwaite (though he is in a worrying slump)
2) Opener - Seeking applicants
3) Darren Bravo (if unavailable, seeking applicants)
4) Shai Hope (fix up or lose your place)
5) Shimron Hetmeyer
6) Roston Chase
7) Shane Dowrich
8) Jason Holder
9) Spinner - seeking applicants
10) Kemar Roach
11) Shannon Gabriel

I think we're 3 test class players away from being a decent test side. Unfortunately that's quite a lot! As I keep saying, I can't remember a more important domestic season than this one.

 

[Beamer]

Well done Bangladesh. Got 3 match winning spinners for home conditions now. Become a tougher place to go in future.

Bangladesh in improving their performance level the more cricket they have played of late shocker.

Windies will be glad to get home after a pretty wretched few months away.

True, Bangladesh at home are a tricky prospect for any side now. They batted very solidly and their spinners were so accurate, getting people out with both turn and variations. Fair play to them.

 

[Beamer]

The other thing to mention is that this young team completely lacked leadership. Before the India tour Stuart Law announced he was leaving. He then didn't come on the Bangladesh tour.

This team needs a strong, experienced coach IMHO. Law's replacement is an extremely important appointment.

 

[CricAddict]

Yep our batting is dire, it is absolutely clear. After a promising home season I thought we might be making progress but the last two tours have shown that to be false.

We won a few tests this year but they were all on the back of world class seam bowling from Roach, Gabriel and Holder. The batting was shaky all year and when we didn't have those 3 seamers playing together we couldn't bowl teams out and the batting remained useless.

Unless we find some more solid batting options we won't make progress. Looking forward I don't see any alternative but to bring back Darren Bravo and pick the best performing domestic opener not named Devon Smith.

So 2019 test team should be:

1) Kraigg Brathwaite (though he is in a worrying slump)
2) Opener - Seeking applicants
3) Darren Bravo (if unavailable, seeking applicants)
4) Shai Hope (fix up or lose your place)
5) Shimron Hetmeyer
6) Roston Chase
7) Shane Dowrich
8) Jason Holder
9) Spinner - seeking applicants
10) Kemar Roach
11) Shannon Gabriel

I think we're 3 test class players away from being a decent test side. Unfortunately that's quite a lot! As I keep saying, I can't remember a more important domestic season than this one.

Isn't Cornwall the spinner to be slotted in that vacant spot? I think they should be decent once they go back to WI.

What happened to Blackwood?

 

[Beamer]

Isn't Cornwall the spinner to be slotted in that vacant spot? I think they should be decent once they go back to WI.

What happened to Blackwood?

I'd play Cornwall yep. But these selectors refuse to do so due to his weight so it's Not open place.

Blackwood got dropped for poor shot selection and he hasn't scored 4 day runs since. Having said that, our batting has been so bad that Blackwood suddenly seems to have been very hard done by!

 

[Borges]

After a promising home season I thought we might be making progress but the last two tours have shown that to be false.

Well, the first step is always doing well at home; blithely ignoring the noisy 'away is the only thing that matters' crowd.
Let the focus now be on competing well at home against the top sides. India and Bangladesh away are not easy tours for any side.

 

[Beamer]

Well, the first step is always doing well at home; blithely ignoring the noisy 'away is the only thing that matters' crowd.
Let the focus now be on competing well at home against the top sides. India and Bangladesh away are not easy tours for any side.

Very fair points. The only thing I'd add is that batsmen need to score some proper runs. We can't continue relying on 3 bowlers, 2 of whom have poor fitness records.

 

[Beamer]

Onto the ODIs now and as usual, less than a week before the game we don't know the squad.

I'm tired of being treated so badly. It's hard enough following a poor team so avidly because it's in your blood, at least cricket west indies could treat the few of us left with some respect.

 

[GRAB]

There are a number of spinners (including Warrican, but especially Miller) with ridiculously low bowling averages and high wickets/match. If spin is dominating WI FC cricket so much, surely the players must be exposed enough to it?

 

[ImpatientLime]

4) Shai Hope (fix up or lose your place)

to who?

shuffling deckchairs on the titanic

the talent in that region is borderline non existent

 

[Beamer]

to who?

shuffling deckchairs on the titanic

the talent in that region is borderline non existent

There is loads of talent, just at look at our under 19 and A teams who are always competitive. For whatever reason players don't make the transition to higher level cricket and if they do they then suffer from second seasonitus (Chase and Blackwood for example).

It's a huge problem but noone should be selected over and over again unless they show improvement.

 

[ImpatientLime]

youth sport the world over means nigh on nothing in terms of translation into senior sport.

i mean blackwood? really? bloke has 4 fc centuries in over 80 games and bats like he has adhd.

 

[cnerd123]

youth sport the world over means nigh on nothing in terms of translation into senior sport.

That's because most large countries can produce sufficient talent in major sports, and at youth level there is very little refinement going on. The strength of a country's sport infrastructure is taking these young raw talents and making them ready for international level.

West Indies clearly has a load of young talent, they just utterly fail at utilising it.

 

[Gomez656]

Gayle batted 437 ball for 9 sixes during his epic 333

Hetmyer hits 9 sixes WI record in test in only 92 balls

Hetmyer in making of great player if he cotrol himself, no need Hara Keri every time he forced the pace and spin from very first ball

 

[Gomez656]

BD took all 40 wickets to spin bowling something new in 2 MatCh test series.

 

[Arachnodouche]

BD took all 40 wickets to spin bowling something new in 2 MatCh test series.

Also shows how defensive pitch preparation has become in the subcontinent.

 

[cnerd123]

Also shows how defensive pitch preparation has become in the subcontinent.

What's defensive about it? Spin was the best way for them to take wickets so they went all in on it. It's not like they made a flat pitch destined for a draw.

 

[CricAddict]

What's defensive about it? Spin was the best way for them to take wickets so they went all in on it. It's not like they made a flat pitch destined for a draw.

Both pace-only and spin-only pitches are defensive in one way and makes the cricket one dimensional.

 

[cnerd123]

But it's the opposite of defensive. It's ensuring a result. Playing to one's own strength isn't defensive or negative. It's just not appealing to fans who want to see a diverse display of skills. You may not enjoy what BD did here, but the fact that they won by an innings inside 3 days just shows you that it wasn't defensive.

I think defensive conditions are those where a draw is the most likely result.

 

[SillyCowCorner1]

Gayle batted 437 ball for 9 sixes during his epic 333

Hetmyer hits 9 sixes WI record in test in only 92 balls

Hetmyer in making of great player if he cotrol himself, no need Hara Keri every time he forced the pace and spin from very first ball

Great post