**Official** West Indies in England Thread

[roseboy64]

The West Indies aren't bad they're just not good enough yet.I'm sure that 16 year old has had better coaching than the West Indian players.

 

[Timewell]

It's not like a 16 year old can be a good cricketer is it? It doesn't matter what age you are - you can still be good...

Pakistan once played a 14 year old (forgotten his name for the moment) and India played someone of similar age. Age is no barrier....

West Indies however, do look like a poor side at the moment...

 

[SpaceMonkey]

It's not like a 16 year old can be a good cricketer is it? It doesn't matter what age you are - you can still be good...

Pakistan once played a 14 year old (forgotten his name for the moment) and India played someone of similar age. Age is no barrier....

West Indies however, do look like a poor side at the moment...

Playing someone at that age at international level isnt really helpful though. Tendulkar apart how often has it worked?

 

[Craig]

But Baugh just made 150* not out in a tour match, and Jacobs is 36 and will obviously soon retire.

That of course will depend on form, fitness, and his desire to keep on playing cricket and I haven't heard anything that Jacobs is quitting anytime soon.

 

[tooextracool]

All you can glean from the 150* is that Baugh is in good nick. It doesn't indicate that he's suddenly ready for international cricket. He would need to have improved all aspects of his game significantly since his last foray - in the 1-dayer against New Zealand - for that to be the case.

if he isnt ready then why is he part of the squad? the fact that hes part of the squad suggests to me that the selectors think he is ready and IMO its best that he gets some sort of international experience away from home. whether or not it would dent his confidence if he failed is irrelevant, because good players only get better with failure.

 

[tooextracool]

Pakistan once played a 14 year old (forgotten his name for the moment) and India played someone of similar age. Age is no barrier....

hasan raza

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

id rather have baugh considering that jacobs is near the end of his career anyways and is continuing to depress with the bat. its a good chance for someone like baugh to get some valuable experience at the test match level away from home.

People act as though Jacobs hasn't scored any runs this year. He's played some crucial knocks for the West Indies this year alone and yet people talk of him like he's way past it. I'd have Jacobs in my team at least until the series is lost.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Not to mention his poor batting his keeping is starting to show the times of age as well. I think he should play in the 3rd test but if they lose or draw and make the 4th test a dead rubber then they should give Baugh a chance.

Jacobs has made only a few mistakes with the gloves on tour so far. He's been rather efficient. He's certainly a better gloveman than Baugh.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

This is my side:
C Gayle
S Joseph
R Sarwan
B Lara
S Chanderpaul
D Bravo
C Baugh
D Mohammed
P Collins/C Collymore
F Edwards
J Lawson

Devon Smith hasn't done much with the bat and Joseph has played well in the warm up games.He also opened in a few innings so shouldn't be much of a problem.

What has Devon Smith done to suggest he's out of form though? He's looked solid in every innings so far. He got a couple of good balls, an LBW decision which could have gone either way and an unlucky back of the bat dismissal.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

If Baugh fails at test level because he's not yet ready that will hit his confidence. Being part of a team that, by and large, is on a long losing streak is also likely to hit his confidence.

More importantly, will a failure from him at this stage in his career cast him out of the selectors' minds.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

West indies are so SO bad that a 16 year old can take 3 wickets against them and he played for DERBYSHIRE

Thanks for the insight Chris.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

My side would include the only 2 quicks who've been at all effective, Bravo who's performed just as well as the bowling "specialists", a specialist spinner and Gayle and Sarwan.

Of the other bowlers, Fidel wasn't really in the picture until the Derbyshire game (not sure how much that proves anyway) and Collymore is ineffective.

The only way I can see West Indies putting England under pressure is by posting a big score. I wouldn't have much confidence in your side managing that. The bowling, no matter who plays, will be sub-standard.

Well that's a disappointing comment. The West Indies bowling attack is raw. Players like Fidel Edwards and Omari Banks will get better in time. Dwayne Bravo is still very young and yet you want him to take the burden of a specialist bowler? Do you not remember last year? Fidel Edwards was exhausted from such a task and he's a bowler! Jerome Taylor broke down under even less of a burden and where is he now? You don't tell an allrounder that he's a specialist bowler and expect either your team to perform or that player to remain fit for very long.

So your strategy is to pile on 600+ and expect the English batsmen to fall away to the bowling of Sarwan and Gayle. That's brilliant!... if not for the basic flaws. You pick players who can take wickets in hope that they will do so. Every bowler in this team has shown that he can take wickets. Form or not, that ability remains there. You don't lose two Tests due largely to conceding 550+ first innings totals and then cut the bowling attack in half.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Why not both?

Because Gayle and Sarwan are more than adequate as another spinner.

 

[garage flower]

Well that's a disappointing comment. The West Indies bowling attack is raw. Players like Fidel Edwards and Omari Banks will get better in time. Dwayne Bravo is still very young and yet you want him to take the burden of a specialist bowler? Do you not remember last year? Fidel Edwards was exhausted from such a task and he's a bowler! Jerome Taylor broke down under even less of a burden and where is he now? You don't tell an allrounder that he's a specialist bowler and expect either your team to perform or that player to remain fit for very long.

So your strategy is to pile on 600+ and expect the English batsmen to fall away to the bowling of Sarwan and Gayle. That's brilliant!... if not for the basic flaws. You pick players who can take wickets in hope that they will do so. Every bowler in this team has shown that he can take wickets. Form or not, that ability remains there. You don't lose two Tests due largely to conceding 550+ first innings totals and then cut the bowling attack in half.

A realistic comment, based on the available evidence, whether disappointing or not.

Whether bowlers like Fidel and Banks will get better in time is largely irrelevant in picking the best XI for the third test.

Bravo would be sharing bowling duties with 3 other specialist bowlers and, as it appears that spinners are likely to figure prominently, I would assume Gayle and Sarwan will be expecting a sizeable workload.

The issues of bowler workloads/injuries needs to be looked at urgently by the WICB and selection policy adjusted accordingly, but the 3 quicks in your team have all had recent or indeed current injury problems, so it seems to be an unavoidable risk at the moment.

The strategy, negative though it may be, would be to concentrate on the one area in which I feel West Indies can outperform England - the batting - and tailor the approach to that strength. Also, bear in mind that I picked my team before the Derbyshire game at which time Fidel didn't really warrant consideration.

 

[garage flower]

if he isnt ready then why is he part of the squad?

Presumably, to get a feel for what touring's all about, to learn from Jacobs and the other senior pros, perhaps to play a couple of - less significant 1-dayers - and to cover for injury. Not, I would have thought, to replace one of the few proven world class players in the West Indies test side.

 

[Dar]

I hope West Indies compete better in the next two games. I'm am an Indian supporter but have always liked the West Indies and i thinkt he team has a lot of ability and i don't like to see them losing like this. Edwards at his best is a good prospect. Shame Best is injured though. My four bowlers would be Collymore, Edwards, Collins and Mohammed with Bravo as well.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

I hope West Indies compete better in the next two games. I'm am an Indian supporter but have always liked the West Indies and i thinkt he team has a lot of ability and i don't like to see them losing like this. Edwards at his best is a good prospect. Shame Best is injured though. My four bowlers would be Collymore, Edwards, Collins and Mohammed with Bravo as well.

Despite the fact that Lawson has bowled better than all of them bar Bravo?

 

[Craig]

if he isnt ready then why is he part of the squad? the fact that hes part of the squad suggests to me that the selectors think he is ready and IMO its best that he gets some sort of international experience away from home. whether or not it would dent his confidence if he failed is irrelevant, because good players only get better with failure.

If you have a better reserve keeper then I would like to hear his name.

 

[Craig]

Play disrupted to rain :sad:

 

[Hit4Six]

Gayles gone! WI: 10-1