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is being reconstructed mainly with young, inexperienced players

Jason Holder - 24
Kraigg Brathwaite - 23
Rajendra Chandrika - 26
Leon Johnson - 28
Shai Hope - 22
Jermaine Blackwood - 24
Roston Chase - 24
Shane Dowrich - 24
Carlos Brathwaite - 28
Shannon Gabriel - 28
Miguel Cummins - 25


5 of their starting XI, including their captain, are under 25 years old

10 of the squad have a total of 90 test matches between them combined

marlon samuels, 35 years old, has played 65 test matches
darren bravo, 27 years old, has played 43 test matches

4 of their starting XI have a grand total of 11 test matches combined
One made his debut in the last test match. One reserve has yet to play a test match and the other has played 4.


So the WI test team comprises mainly young players. Yet, most young players are attracted to the shorter format of the game. It's more exciting, there are more crowds, more interest, and one doesn't have to spend 5 continuous days playing a game.

One of these young players.....kraigg brathwaite....clearly relishes this form of the game. But he is the exception....not the rule.

And to top it off, these young players have to endure comments from fans, former players, and commentators calling them talentless, undisciplined, not dedicated.

They see West Indies having success in the shorter form of the game....most particularly.....T20...YET..most only get to play for West Indies in the format in which the West Indies team does the worst. And hasn't done well for nearly 2 decades.

Are young players really motivated to play before sparse crowds and be the butt of derisive comments? No sportsperson likes to play to an empty gallery. Otherwise....what's the point?

This is a new age...a new generation....and dangerous times for those that cling on mightily to the good old days, "real" cricket, and label T20 as shoite cricket.

Wondering how many of those names will be around come next year.

In reply to imusic

I agree with much of your assessment about the age of the team.

The rest I think is not fact.

Athletes get that in any format. The T20 squad got that when they lost to AFG and they worked out quite fine.



Dunno if that is true. Asafa Powell may perform better when no one is watching.



Maybe I have you all wrong. I know you think T20 cricket is the future but aren't you also an aficionado of Test cricket? Do you want to see Test cricket die?

Allyuh stop looking for excuses and look de problem straight in de eyes...West Indies need their SENIOR players to step up!!!

In reply to imusic

preach it

In reply to WestDem

This has been true now for along time!

In reply to nick2020

Sure they do. It's just incessant in the worst format of the game for the West Indies. Hardly motivating stuff for young players just coming into the arena


Ok. Be pedantic. I'll revise to THE VAST MAJORITY OF SPORTSPEOPLE do not like playing to an empty gallery.

Ask those soccer players when they have to play to empty stadiums because of bad fan behavior

Better?


I grew up with test cricket when it was the only form of international cricket around. I appreciate the nuances, the ebb and flow of the game.

But as I said...these are different times and a different generation. People back a winner....TRUE. The fact remains a losing team aligned with the increasing decline in regional spectator interest is a dagger blow to test cricket in the region. And neither is getting better any time soon. You got to be the most myopic person not to see that.

How that translates into wanting to see Test cricket die is beyond me.

In reply to WestDem

For the most part...whenever any "stepping up" is done by the West Indies......it's the senior players who do so.

And as you conveniently forget.....many senior players have been blacklisted from the team. Ent allyuh bawlin fuh youngsters? "They couldn't do any worse" was the cry. Now listen to allyuh bawlin fuh seniors to step up.

Besides...whatever happened to "it's a team sport" and all that? Convenient lyrics?

In reply to imusic

By seniors I don't mean going back to Gayle, Sarwan, Shiv, etc. I mean in this game for example Marlon and Darren B are the seniors...and KB to some extent. Unfortunately no seniors in the bowling department...and that's where the main beatdown occurred

In reply to FuzzyWuzzy

It's still a team game. Yes seniors are supposed to step up and lead by example. Neither of the 2 senior batsmen did. But that happens as everyone knows.

When WI went to OZ in 75/76 how many senior batsmen stepped up there? And I know...different pitches...different attack. The seniors should have stepped up...but is not like either of them threw their wickets away.

It's a young team and this kind of result will happen. The Antigua pitch wasn't a bowler friendly pitch but India played 5 specialist bowlers...all experienced. When they dismiss those 2 senior bats....what is the likely result? And even if one makes runs....still a very difficult proposition.

You already addressed the bowling. Little or no experience there. Gabriel leading the attack. Bishoo is your workhorse. Pressha

In reply to imusic


75/76 Lloyd, Fredericks made hundreds as did Rowe Kalllharran and Viv.

and like now bowling was in the hand of green pacers, and Holder and Braffit lookalikes in Boyce and Julien.

And I accepted earlier it isn't a n phenomenon

Test cricket is only dead in the West Indies. It is alive and well, with full stadiums around the world, thank you very much. T20 has found it's niche quite comfortably in these countries also. West Indians can continue to make excuses for their woeful returns in tests.

In reply to imusic

The point is it is their job for which they sign a contract and receive a salary. It is a choice they made knowing fully well that 3 people turn up to watch test cricket in the WI....

In reply to Kay

So it is good to assume that anyone who agrees to and is paid would do the job sportsmen do... How unlucky that WICB did not have a great strategist like that who can throw money and get performers in the field of play

In reply to imusic

To reiterate I agree with some of what you said so you can put your sword down.

Maybe you are right but I have not see this angle used before. People tend to talk about the lure of money in 20/20. Being a cricketer and especially a West Indian one has never come with playing in front of big crowds during their initial development. In other words, when our best are starting out in club and regional cricket to empty stands I would figure they would be accustomed to such.



I never offered my opinion imusic.

In reply to WestDem

But that's the point, there is no core of senior players left.

Samuels is the only one who would fall in that category and he's more concerned with stepping down/off than with stepping up.

In reply to imusic

FFS dude, anyone playing test cricket 2012 and earlier should be Seniors, right? Don't Fcuking come with this red and black crap to me... Be man enough to call out Bravo, he is fuckin up big time and need to be dropped:

In reply to Kurt

Why you think Darren Bravo not in that category?

In reply to WestDem

Interesting.

The player that averaged 51.40 just in the last test series before this one...against Australia in Australia

And you want to drop him because he failed in both innings here in the 1st test against India

Fuckin up big time eh? Allyuh too easy

Tell cheesy, johnson, deo, and whoever else yuh pinin for to do better...

Tell sarwannopart too. Ah know dat is what bunnin yuh skunt!

The experience test team has been losing for some time; therefore, it’s time to try the inexperience to see if something sticks.

In reply to TheTrail

every team that named WI FAILED to win a test match 90 % of the time they played , 85 % of the times they played 1DI

In reply to Runs

well said mate.

In reply to imusic

Inevitably, modern life will leave behind Test cricket, and first class cricket. Why watch these, when one can easily watch action-packed T20 cricket from many parts of the world?

The West Indies lack the resources to support financially unsuccessful formats, such as Test and first class cricket. These are currently being subsidized by the ICC, but they can't keep it up forever.

Only resounding success in Test cricket can revive interest in the format among West Indians. That, however, requires participation in regional first class cricket and Test cricket by the region's best players. It also requires a working relationship between administrators and players.

Neither will happen, with administrators with a misplaced sense of self importance, and players who neither need, nor value, pride in representing West Indies.

In reply to Norm

Ask the players.....they used to love playing for west indies and only do so now just for the fans. But increasingly, they equate representing the west indies as representing the board.

And can you really blame them?

In reply to Runs

Test cricket is dead in Sri Lanka too, judging by the three men and a dog who've turned up in Pallekelle to watch Australia....