WIvBAN Preview: Battle between two misfiring batting units and stellar fast bowling attacks
Thu, Nov 21, '24
Bangladesh will get their usual Caribbean welcome. They will play the first Test at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua, where they have opened the two previous tours with scores of 103 and 43 all out. This time, the visitors are also without two of their best batters, Mushfiqur Rahim and Najmul Hossain Shanto, so the job to tackle West Indies' pace and bounce will become that much harder for an under-par batting line-up.
Jayden Seales and Shamar Joseph have the returning Alzarri Joseph to form a lethal attack. Kemar Roach is also in the squad, and given his superb record against Bangladesh, a four-man attack could be the way West Indies go. Add Anderson Phillip in the mix, and Bangladesh's problems are likely to amplify.
West Indies, on the other hand, would like their batting unit to fire. The likes of Alick Athanaze, Kavem Hodge, Mikyle Louis, Keacy Carty and Justin Greaves are relatively new to the scene but it has been a year of promise for this batting line-up. They hold the key for the future, but their top seven have the lowest batting average among all teams this year. West Indies have won just one out of the seven Tests in 2024 so the batting, despite its lack of experience, must now step up.
Their opponents are also undergoing a batting nightmare. South Africa brushed aside Bangladesh at home in a 2-0 defeat that will rankle for a long time. Bangladesh's overall batting has been ordinary, and now without Mushfiqur and Shanto, these West Indies Tests will feel like an uphill climb.
Two misfiring batting line-ups and impressive fast bowling attacks could produce a tight contest. It will be up to the likes of Kraigg Brathwaite and Mominul Haque to get their respective batting line-ups in order. The fast bowlers meanwhile will want to ensure that the runs come at a premium.
‘A fantastic opportunity!’ Hetmyer pumped ahead of Global Super League
Wed, Nov 20, '24
Cricket fever is about to ignite in Guyana as local cricketing sensation Shimron Hetmyer gears up to represent the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the inaugural ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League (GSLT20).
This marquee tournament will take place from November 26 to December 7, at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, featuring five elite teams from around the globe vying for a US$1 million prize pool.
Expressing his excitement, Hetmyer shared, “I’m thrilled to represent the Guyana Amazon Warriors on home soil in this historic tournament. The GSLT20 is a fantastic opportunity to showcase our talent against world-class teams, and I can’t wait to see the stands filled with our passionate fans cheering us on. Let’s make this a tournament to remember!”
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Chase to bolster Pride squad for semifinal clash
Tue, Nov 19, '24
THE BARBADOS Pride will have the services of West Indies all-rounder Roston Chase when they face defending champions Trinidad & Tobago Red Force in the first semifinal of the Regional Super50 tomorrow.
Chase was previously unavailable, as he was part of the West Indies squad that played England in the just-concluded One-Day International and T20I series which ended on Sunday.
While Chase’s addition will be welcomed, Barbados will be without their captain Kyle Mayers as well as Kadeem Clarke, who have been granted leave to take part in the upcoming Abu Dhabi T10 tournament.
“The national selection panel has confirmed that Roston Chase and Shian Brathwaite will join the Barbados Pride squad as replacement players for Kadeem Alleyne and Kyle Mayers respectively,” the Barbados Cricket Association stated in a press release yesterday.
West Indies Select XI batters falter against Bangladesh
Tue, Nov 19, '24
LEFT-ARM SPINNER Hasan Murad bagged a hat trick as Bangladesh completely dominated the second and final day of their warmup match against a West Indies Select XI, which predictably ended in a draw yesterday.
Resuming the day on five for one, only 25 overs were possible due to persistent showers at the Coolidge Cricket Ground.
Only three Select XI batsmen made it into double figures as they ended the day on 87 for nine from 27 overs in reply to Bangladesh’s opening-day score of 253 for seven declared.
With the match meandering to a draw, Murad sparked wild celebrations when he dismissed Daniel Beckford, Navin Bidaisee and Chaim Holder with the final three deliveries of the match.
Lesson from the Caribbean: Don't mess with timings
Tue, Nov 19, '24
Well, here we go again. It's time to learn.
I hate learning. In the wider educational sense, I understand it has its benefits. The pen being mightier than the sword and all that. But in a cricket context, it is code for low-stakes cricket.
This was true for the ODI series, where a sub-strength England took on a West Indies side who hadn't qualified for the Champions Trophy and duly took their beating. But it shouldn't have been the case for the T20 series, where the West Indies are a cohesive, exciting cricket team taking on an England side boosted by the return of a white-ball genius in Jos Buttler and sporting young talents like Jacob Bethell. This was set to be a lot of fun.
But forget Phil Salt and Akeal Hosein for a second. Because the fundamental takeaway from this series is an administrative one. Don't mess with timings. The 4pm starts, designed to better suit a UK TV audience, were a disaster, creating a double disadvantage for the team batting first, with the wickets being at their worst under the afternoon sun, before dew settles in the evening making the pitch good for batting and the ball slippery for bowling. No team won a match on this tour after losing the toss.
After the deciding ODI, Liam Livingstone said he'd never played a match where conditions had altered so much from one innings to the next. "It's no excuse," he said to remain professional. "But even if we'd got 350 I don't think it'd have been enough," he added to say what he really meant.
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