Much has been made of the return of Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels to West Indies’ one-day side but, while they give the batting line-up a stronger appearance, there is one aspect in which they don’t improve the team: running between the wickets. Neither of them is keen to put his body on the line to scurry up and down the 22 yards to put pressure on opposition fielders. At Old Trafford, Gayle reached the point of barely walking singles. Initially there appeared to be an injury – he was heard on the stump microphone complaining about a hamstring strain – although he fielded during England’s chase and the West Indies camp said there was no fitness issue.
Marlon Samuels brought West Indies’ momentum down to a crawl in the first ODI at Old Trafford.Samuels struggled for his timing, as did most of West Indies’ batsmen barring Gayle and his early boundary collection, but rather than trying to drop and run a little more, it was either attempt to hit the ball the hard or defend it. Samuels eventually fell for 17 off 46 deliveries, 31 of which were dot balls. In T20, the block-or-bash method has not hindered West Indies, the immense power in the batting order – over a short duration – means they can overcome dot balls by clearing the boundary. But in the 50-over game, an innings such as Gayle’s 37 off 27 balls from a top-order batsman has less chance of defining a game. Overall, there were 142 dot balls in West Indies’ 42 overs at Old Trafford – 56.34 per cent of the innings – something pinpointed by captain Jason Holder and Toby Radford, the batting coach, after the match. That, in fact, is a slightly better mark than their figure since the 2015 World Cup, a period in which they have averaged 59.84 per cent of dot balls in an ODI innings. Only Hong Kong, Afghanistan, Papua New Guinea and UAE are below them in one-day internationals during the period.
WI's direct WC qualification hopes crushed by Bairstow ton
Tue, Sep 19, '17
A maiden ODI hundred from Jonny Bairstow eased England to a comfortable seven wicket win over Windies in the first match of the series at Old Trafford on Tuesday (September 19). Bairstow, opening the batting for England for just the second time in ODI cricket, scored eleven boundaries in his 100 not out off 97 balls and saw his side home with eleven overs to spare. Windies are ranked the ninth best ODI team in the world and played like it. Aside from the first five overs of their innings when Chris Gayle set about England's bowlers, the tourists hardly threw any punches. Their score of 204 for 9 from 42 overs was perhaps fifty below par and their bowling was insipid. The defeat means Windies cannot automatically qualify for the 2019 World Cup and will have to go through a qualifying tournament next year. England will be happy with an efficient performance with both bat and ball. Bairstow, who kept his place at the top of the order in place of Jason Roy, played fluently and unfussily. He has now scored a hundred and three half-centuries in his last six ODI innings and after a frustrating run of being in and out of the side since his debut in 2011, will now surely be in England's ODI team for a while.
BROOKS TO LEAD WINDIES “A” IN HOME SERIES AGAINST SRI LANKA “A”
Tue, Sep 19, '17
Only two members of the squad – vice-captain Vishal Singh and left-arm fast bowler Sheldon Cottrell – have featured for the senior men’s team in full international Tests, and Sunil Ambris is a current member of the senior One-day International squad playing against England.
A number of the other players – including captain Shamarh Brooks – have featured in previous series either for Windies “A” or in tour matches against visiting international teams in the last two seasons.
Commenting on the squad, Chairman of the CWI Selection Panel, Courtney Browne said: “Our A-Team is the feeding ground for our senior men’s team and so we are looking to continue the development of our second-tier players. With a strong focus on consistency in selection, this series is another opportunity for them to continue to press their claims for a place in the senior side, thus placing selection pressure on incumbents, ensuring there is healthy competition for spots and growing our talent pool.”
SCHEDULE OF MATCHES
October Wed 11 to Sat 14 1st “Test” – Trelawny Multiplex, Jamaica Thu 19 to Sun 22 2nd “Test” – Trelawny Multiplex Thu 26 to Sun 29 3rd “Test” – Sabina Park, Jamaica
November Wed 1 1st One-day Match – Sabina Park Fri 3 2nd One-day Match – Sabina Park Sun 5 3rd One-day Match – Trelawny
MANCHESTER—Captain Jason Holder has no plans on keeping combative Marlon Samuels on a leash during the five-match One-Day International series starting here Tuesday, but has urged the experienced stroke-maker not to get carried away in his rivalry with all-rounder Ben Stokes.
While the West Indies chase an improbable series clean sweep to achieve direct qualification for the 2019 Cricket World Cup, the spotlight will likely also fall on the long-running duel between Samuels and England’s Stokes.
The pair clashed during their last meeting at the Twenty20 World Cup in India last year and many expect a continuation during the upcoming series.
“We’re just looking to play the game as a normal cricket game. Hopefully those two can stay out of trouble and we can have a smooth sailing series,” Holder told reporters here Monday.
“If it helps Marlon, I do enjoy it. If it doesn’t [help him], then I don’t. It’s a whole team we have here and we’re not focussing on those two going after one another. We’re focussing primarily on winning this series and what we need to do to win this series.”
The feud between Samuels and Stokes burst to life during the third day of the second Test of England’s tour of the Caribbean two years ago, when the Jamaican sent his nemesis on his way with a sarcastic salute after the Englishman was dismissed.
Convincing players to tour Pakistan will be challenging says Cameron
Sun, Sep 17, '17
LAHORE, Pakistan, (CMC) — Cricket West Indies (CWI) president Dave Cameron said West Indies players will get to decide whether they tour Pakistan for a series of three Twenty20 Internationals in November.
Cameron was speaking at the conclusion of the Independence Series between the Pakistanis and a World XI over the last week in Lahore. The series has raised expectations in the country that Pakistan can resume the staging of international matches following an international suspension, due to an armed attack by militants on the Sri Lankan team bus eight years in this city.
The Pakistanis hosted Zimbabwe for a historic limited-overs series two years ago, but other internationals have been reluctant to play bilateral series in the country, forcing Pakistan to play their home games in the United Arab Emirates in the past few years. “We want to ensure that when the players come over, everyone actually wants to come and enjoy the experience, and we don’t want to be seen to be forcing anyone,”¯ said Cameron.
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