But what about the T&T/Windwards game?! From the brief reports I've read, it doesn't sound like the conditions were poor enough to justify the - on the face of it - unacceptably poor batting.roseboy64 said:Leewards beat the 410.Looks like this is the most batsman friendly round so far with Ridley Jacobs getting a century.Dwayne Smith also getting a 63.
India faced some pretty terrible pitches in New Zealand and struggled mightily, yet they are largely still considered a very capable unit. I wouldn't underestimate the importance of a good cricket wicket in terms of runscoring. Keep in mind that most of these games aren't played at international venues and thus the pitches tend to be especially substandard at times.garage flower said:Sounds like the batting standard so far, even allowing for poor weather/pitch conditions, has been pretty awful. Not encouraging signs for West Indian cricket.
The Windwards-T&T game saw 18 wickets fall on the first day and 16 on the second. I assure you that there may have been a shocking stroke or 10 played on the days, but not enough for 34 wickets to fall without the pitch helping a fair deal. The Windwards was 23/8 after day 1!garage flower said:But what about the T&T/Windwards game?! From the brief reports I've read, it doesn't sound like the conditions were poor enough to justify the - on the face of it - unacceptably poor batting.
India faced some pretty terrible pitches in New Zealand and struggled mightily, yet they are largely still considered a very capable unit. I wouldn't underestimate the importance of a good cricket wicket in terms of runscoring. Keep in mind that most of these games aren't played at international venues and thus the pitches tend to be especially substandard at times.garage flower said:Sounds like the batting standard so far, even allowing for poor weather/pitch conditions, has been pretty awful. Not encouraging signs for West Indian cricket.
How so was the VB Series a deflating failure? Yes, disappointing, but I can see many positives coming out of it. Reon King bowled with good pace and was largely impressive IMO, Pedro Collins was superb. Courtney Browne's 'keeping was outstanding. The batting of Chanderpaul and Sarwan was heartening. Brian Lara looks to still have "it". Dwayne Bravo was quite impressive. Overall I don't think the West Indies played that poorly.garage flower said:A couple of months ahead of the South Africa tour, does anyone think a test team is emerging from the apparent mediocrity of the Carib Beer Series and the deflating failure in Australia?
I'm very sure Wavell Hinds will start the series. He looks very useful down the order in ODIs, though I think they'll open with him in Tests. Bravo will play.garage flower said:At the moment, I'd say there are only 5 certain starters: Gayle, Sars, Shiv, Lara and Collins. Bravo is a probable, but his abject form with the bat and a reluctance to pick him as one of 4 specialist bowlers, make him far from a certain pick in my view.
And this is a new situation?garage flower said:Although this is an interesting situation, I think it's a real worry that we're starting a crucial home season with - effectively - only 5 proven test players.
Dave Mohammed is far from in form! He took one haul of 7/49 (just to make Halsey look silly) and has been quite poor otherwise. I also think Baugh will get the nod ahead of Browne and I don't think Morton has done enough. I'd wait to see if he steps it up a bit in the next few games.garage flower said:Based partly on current domestic form, I'd suggest this as a starting XI for Guyana:
Gayle
W Hinds
Sarwan
Lara
Chanderpaul
Morton
Browne
Mohammed
D Powell
Bennett
Collins
I don't think they'd pick Jacobs. IMO he's still the best of the three, but he has said he'll retire after this season, so I doubt they'd invest in him at this stage.roseboy64 said:Browne's not a certainty.Baugh and Jacobs have been doing well with the bat so far.
I just looked at the card - I doubt a side has ever won from 28-9 before!Mr Mxyzptlk said:The Windwards was 23/8 after day 1!
Mr Mxyzptlk said:To go from winning the Champions Trophy to finishing 3rd - with 1 win - in a triangular tournament feels pretty deflating to me. It's certainly not a success, despite the positives you list above with which I broadly agree (though Shiv and Sars lost a lot of credit for not finishing the job in the last game).How so was the VB Series a deflating failure? Yes, disappointing, but I can see many positives coming out of it. Reon King bowled with good pace and was largely impressive IMO, Pedro Collins was superb. Courtney Browne's 'keeping was outstanding. The batting of Chanderpaul and Sarwan was heartening. Brian Lara looks to still have "it". Dwayne Bravo was quite impressive. Overall I don't think the West Indies played that poorly.
I agree that Wavell will probably start, but it will almost be a case of being there by default because there's no realistic competition (unless Marshall makes a lot of runs for Jamaica).I'm very sure Wavell Hinds will start the series. He looks very useful down the order in ODIs, though I think they'll open with him in Tests. Bravo will play.
Presumably, you'd play Bravo as one of four bowlers (batting at 7 or 8) and ask Gayle/Sars to bowl a fair number of overs?
Fair point, but it's about time this core group began to swell.And this is a new situation?
Do you think there are any specialist spinners worth picking at this stage?Dave Mohammed is far from in form! He took one haul of 7/49 (just to make Halsey look silly) and has been quite poor otherwise. I also think Baugh will get the nod ahead of Browne and I don't think Morton has done enough. I'd wait to see if he steps it up a bit in the next few games.
I'm also leaning towards Baugh (though he looked awful in South Africa), but good to see Ramdin getting a score against Jamaica.
My feelings are exactly the same about Morton. He seems to have made a solid start to the season, following a great one-day campaign, and now needs a couple of big scores to make the final push. Again, there isn't much competition for the 6th batsman slot.
Tell me you're not serious about Dwayne Smith! I'd rather have Daren Ganga back.roseboy64 said:Brenton Parchment and Dwayne Smith may be possibilities too.That's how substandard the batting's been.Also, Sylvester Joseph and Tamar Lambert, both young captains.
Thanks for that Chris. You seem to have excellent debating skills. I assume you're studying for a career in Law or perhaps you're already a practising litigator?chris.hinton said:Windies cricket is poor