*Official* England in West Indies 2022

[SteveNZ]

Strauss said Root wanted Broad and Anderson in the squad to WI.

Of course he ****ing well does, they're two of his best bowlers. And he's under the pump....he wants to win Test matches this week, not in 4 years like old mate Angus Fraser is saying.

The most palpably ridiculous thing about all of this is the re-selection of Chris Woakes - seemingly because he's a nice guy who can bat a bit.

The guy is 32, for a start. He just averaged 55 with the ball in the most lop-sided (towards) bowling Ashes series in a long time - a series where 14...FOURTEEN bowlers averaged under 31. He averaged 24 with the bat - hardly earth-shatteringly great enough to demand a spot when his bowling is nowhere near penetrative enough.

The England selectors are absolutely kidding themselves when they drop Anderson and Broad on the basis of age/future etc (not withstanding that apparently they're toxic, I acknowledge) but Woakes gets to take up a spot. There's still ample opportunity for Anderson/Broad to be played in Test matches whilst Robinson, Wood and whoever else is the next cab (Mahmood, Fisher etc) are allowed to develop too.

 

[Daemon]

Woakes will be fine. Should never tour most other countries though.

 

[honestbharani]

Stuart Broad is getting angrier everyday over his omission.

Any links?

 

[SteveNZ]

Any links?

His Daily Mail column if you search it.

Woakes will be fine. Should never tour most other countries though.

Yeah, he'll probably go OK in the Windies. But so would Broad and Anderson, most likely better. And they bowl much better around the world, and in England, and certainly v Australia which England seem to have this massive fascination above all else in.

 

[Beamer]

Here's Broad's column.

As far as the West Indies squad is concerned, I honestly don't have a clue. We have 2 new selectors in Desmond Haynes and Ramnaresh Sarwan, both of whom have said our player pool is too small to rule white ball players out of Test selection and vice versa. Their first ODI squad included Kemar Roach who hasn;t played white ball for quite some time. So it could be that the likes of Pooran and Evin Lewis get a chance. I just don't know.

We've got 2 rounds of our FC competition before the squad gets selected, one of which has just finished. No openers did anything of note and the incumbant Jeremy Solozano missed it through injury. So God knows who is going to open with Kraigg. THey could even call up Dowrich, ask him to keep and ask Da Silva to open. Madness.

In the middle order Chase and Hope have to go, of that there is no doubt. There are more options to replace them, whether you send for Hety and Pooran or you go with someone with form from FC cricket like Devon Thomas or even Shane Dowrich as a pure batsman.

The bowling is pretty settled and in good shape, the only question is who is the main spinner Rakheem or Permaul.

So current status is:

Kraigg Braithwaite (c)
Who Knows (my pick = Evin Lewis)
Nkrumah Bonner
Who Knows (my pick = Hety or Pooran)
Jermaine Blackwood
Kyle Mayers
Jason Holder
Joshua Da Silva (WK)
Rakheem Cornwall/Veerasammy Permaul
Kemar Roach
Jayden Seales/Shannon Gabriel

Alternatively they could play one less batsman and Holder goes to 6. Or play no spinner at all. It seems ludicrous having Da Silva at 8, he is potentially an excellent test batsman in his own right.

 

[Apex Predator]

Here's Broad's column.

As far as the West Indies squad is concerned, I honestly don't have a clue. We have 2 new selectors in Desmond Haynes and Ramnaresh Sarwan, both of whom have said our player pool is too small to rule white ball players out of Test selection and vice versa. Their first ODI squad included Kemar Roach who hasn;t played white ball for quite some time. So it could be that the likes of Pooran and Evin Lewis get a chance. I just don't know.

We've got 2 rounds of our FC competition before the squad gets selected, one of which has just finished. No openers did anything of note and the incumbant Jeremy Solozano missed it through injury. So God knows who is going to open with Kraigg. THey could even call up Dowrich, ask him to keep and ask Da Silva to open. Madness.

In the middle order Chase and Hope have to go, of that there is no doubt. There are more options to replace them, whether you send for Hety and Pooran or you go with someone with form from FC cricket like Devon Thomas or even Shane Dowrich as a pure batsman.

The bowling is pretty settled and in good shape, the only question is who is the main spinner Rakheem or Permaul.

So current status is:

Kraigg Braithwaite (c)
Who Knows (my pick = Evin Lewis)
Nkrumah Bonner
Who Knows (my pick = Hety or Pooran)
Jermaine Blackwood
Kyle Mayers
Jason Holder
Joshua Da Silva (WK)
Rakheem Cornwall/Veerasammy Permaul
Kemar Roach
Jayden Seales/Shannon Gabriel

Alternatively they could play one less batsman and Holder goes to 6. Or play no spinner at all. It seems ludicrous having Da Silva at 8, he is potentially an excellent test batsman in his own right.

Joseph is in sizzling form in ODIs. Would be blunder not to give him a spot in playing XI vs Eng. I am not so sure but Roach looks finished. Extra pace always works against England

 

[Cubiscus]

Got to say that I think this is the right decision for the long-term. I'm usually a big proponent of 'play your best XI in every test' but feel there are mitigating circumstances here. You have two (undoubtedly class) bowlers who are at the twilight of their career and quite injury-prone.

That would be fine if they were waning, however they're still at the height of their powers and well above the other options. Plus the bigger issue is batting.

Also with what logic would you keep Woakes in?!

 

[Beamer]

Joseph is in sizzling form in ODIs. Would be blunder not to give him a spot in playing XI vs Eng. I am not so sure but Roach looks finished. Extra pace always works against England

You might be right but Alzarri has been so inconsistent in red ball cricket, he is not patient enough. I think Roach deserves to keep his palce in tests until he stops taking wickets. He owns England in the Caribbean usually. He shouldn;t be anywhere near the ODI squad though, that was an experiment they should end IMHO.

 

[quincywagstaff]

Didn't realise Woakes was 32, that makes his selection even more baffling.

Never been impressed with him in an Ashes Test yet he keeps getting picked for the majority of the past 3 Ashes series.

 

[Beamer]

Didn't realise Woakes was 32, that makes his selection even more baffling.

Never been impressed with him in an Ashes Test yet he keeps getting picked for the majority of the past 3 Ashes series.

Ironically the only logic I can see is horses for courses, as the dukes ball in the Caribbean has an even harder seam than the English one and moves a lot.

But that then renders the Broad and Anderson decisions pointless. It really does seem a mess.

Cricket being cricket, he might take a lot of wickets though and muddy the waters for the English summer.

 

[ImpatientLime]

Ironically the only logic I can see is horses for courses, as the dukes ball in the Caribbean has an even harder seam than the English one and moves a lot.

But that then renders the Broad and Anderson decisions pointless. It really does seem a mess.

Cricket being cricket, he might take a lot of wickets though and muddy the waters for the English summer.

I mean let's not get it twisted, in England woakes is legitimately world class. the selection panel just seem incapable of separating the home and away player and it honestly wouldn't surprise me if him being a "good bloke" etc etc plays a massive part in this.

 

[Pothas]

Yep play Wood away and Woakes at home. That part of selection really shouldn't be that difficult.

 

[Xix2565]

Difficult part is finding a new spearhead to go with Robinson really and making sure the spinners aren't treated like ****.

 

[Fuller Pilch]

Difficult part is finding a new spearhead to go with Robinson really and making sure the spinners aren't treated like ****.

Need to score runs as well

 

[Xix2565]

Need to score runs as well

Feels like that's been said quite a bit to bother repeating again. As far as bowlers go it's getting a bit difficult to justify an attack that can't consistently bowl teams out.

 

[Beamer]

Windies squad for the First test:

Kraigg Braithwaite, Jermaine Blackwood, Nkrumah Bonner, Shamrah Brooks, John Campbell, Joshua Da Silva, Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Kyle Mayers, Veerasammy Permaul, Anderson Phillip, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales

Notes:

Shannon Gabriel has a hamstring injury. Roston Chase and Shai Hope have been dropped to play some red ball cricket and get their form back. Rakheem dropped as they wanted a left arm spinner to combat England's right handers. John Campbell picked as he has an established relationship with Kraigg and showed form in 4 day cricket this month. Solozano is in the warm up match XI so he can stake a claim there.

CWI President XI squad for England's warm up match:

Shane Dowrich (c), Raymon Reifer (vc), Colin Archibald, Alick Athanaze, Keacy Carty, Brian Charles, Shermon Lewis, Preston McSween, Shayne Moseley, Jeremy Solozano, Shamarh Springer, Devon Thomas

That's a pretty decent XI tbh, with some solid international experience in Dowrich and Reifer and people competing for key spots in the test team in Athanazae, Solozano and Thomas. The pace attack is decent as well with McSween being the next cab off the rank and Shermon Lewis and Reifer being decent performers at FC level.

 

[Shady Slim]

Windies squad for the First test:

Kraigg Braithwaite, Jermaine Blackwood, Nkrumah Bonner, Shamrah Brooks, John Campbell, Joshua Da Silva, Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Kyle Mayers, Veerasammy Permaul, Anderson Phillip, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales

Notes:

Shannon Gabriel has a hamstring injury. Roston Chase and Shai Hope have been dropped to play some red ball cricket and get their form back. Rakheem dropped as they wanted a left arm spinner to combat England's right handers. John Campbell picked as he has an established relationship with Kraigg and showed form in 4 day cricket this month. Solozano is in the warm up match XI so he can stake a claim there.

CWI President XI squad for England's warm up match:

Shane Dowrich (c), Raymon Reifer (vc), Colin Archibald, Alick Athanaze, Keacy Carty, Brian Charles, Shermon Lewis, Preston McSween, Shayne Moseley, Jeremy Solozano, Shamarh Springer, Devon Thomas

That's a pretty decent XI tbh, with some solid international experience in Dowrich and Reifer and people competing for key spots in the test team in Athanazae, Solozano and Thomas. The pace attack is decent as well with McSween being the next cab off the rank and Shermon Lewis and Reifer being decent performers at FC level.

where's rakheem?

 

[GotSpin]

where's rakheem?

Still overrated

 

[Beamer]

where's rakheem?

I get the impression the new selectors don't rate him.

 

[Red_Ink_Squid]

where's rakheem?

Shouldn't be hard to spot.