...always looking to survive at the crease instead of demonstrating their batting skills.

Only Blackwood has showed that he is not intimidated even in the face of a glaring weakness against the short ball.

This timid attitude while batting has never been and will never be successful. When did this nonsense that is passing for batting start?

I am not saying our batsmen should play with recklessness and gay abandon, but my word, poking and patting back half volleys is not batting and will get our batsmen no where.

Fellas come on man...allyuh batted and played this test match like this is kiddy cricket.

Enuff of this timidity... allyuh get to the pitch of the ball and drive or stay on back foot to cut or pull.

Shai enough of this surviving nonsense...be positive...You are way better than this.

Why shai Hope con't to get selected with such a poor avg after so many games if those opportunities was given to a young Ganga his name would of been down in history for good reasons

In reply to Courtesy

Blackwood gets cussed all the time for his positive intent. Especially when he out because of it

Good on him that he continues to play the way he knows best while still trying to improve.

Shai Hope will come good as an international class batsman at some point.

Can't say the same for the rest of them including Roston Chase

In reply to imusic

Shai will continue to flop at test cricket with this mindset.

Chase should be batting at six or seven and with better front line bowlers he can be an asset.

In reply to timeless99

Ganga played 48 tests

Most of them in the twilight of his career and batting out of his normal position

In reply to Courtesy

Just watched the higlights.

Just basic batting really....moving the feet to get bat and body behind the ball***so many bowled and edged to slip..

In reply to timeless99
Dat excuse about batting out of position is a pile a crap.

Ganga averages in the 4 positions he batted at were not markedly different.

at 1 26.06
at 2 24.37
at 3 28.85
at 6 28.17

He also frequently opened for T&T

Ganga was 29 when he played his last match. What twikight you torking bout

In reply to imusic

How many opportunities should be given? 20 tests? 30? What would you consider an acceptable test average given his prodigious talent?

In reply to SirGarny

If he wasn't performing in ODI's I would have less patience

Sometimes you just need to be patient with certain players.

I think he's one of those

In reply to imusic

As of now we should not be talking about potential for Shai Hope in test cricket. Twelve test matches is sufficient time for a reasonably technical batsman/woman to begin to stamp their authority. Shai tries to survive at the crease and this will get him no where. His is simply too timid.

It's either he delivers now or be banished forever.

We cannot afford the luxury of over 20 test matches and barely averaging 30.

So because one has talent he should command a place even if he continued to fail. I always said I will judge Chase after the English tour so far he looks all at sea.

There are many issues for the failure of WI cricket. What you saw in the last test is nothing new. This has been the same for over two decades.
1) The pitches in the first class division and regional level MUST improve. Our batsmen have grown into playing on low slow wickets, hence the reason for very poor technique on faster bouncy wickets.
2) Due to the above our batsmen have a tendency to play across the line instead of playing straight. Hence most of them get bowled or LBW.
3) Again due to the above as well as poor diet and training, our batsmen tend to play flat footed or very heavy on their feet.

These are real issues affecting our batsmen hence the reason we depend on the power game t20 in which we excel.

The other aspect that is contributing to the poor performances is the bowling and this is partly due to the above mentioned. Our bowlers tend to be too short because on our slow low pitches they have to pound the ball very short to get the height that allows the batsmen to see the ball very early so they duck under the ball. We NEED better pitches to help our players to perform better in their divisional and regional cricket.

The interest in test cricket depends on performance which depends on all of the above mentioned and more. The question is do we have the right personnel at the top to address these issues?

In reply to imusic

agree with you that based on his ODI stats he has it to be good at test, the problem is that his runs are always needed because the team batting is poor.

In reply to azadtnt

Posters looking for blood not reasoning.

well reasoned post nonetheless

In reply to azadtntAgain due to the above as well as poor diet and training, our batsmen tend to play flat footed or very heavy on their feet.

Why would someone in the Caribbean making US$24000/year have a poor diet?

If the points above are valid, then India and other sub continent cricket nations should have the same problems of batsmanship as well, because of their slow and low pitches.

It all boils down to coaching at the lower level, motivation, discipline and how much the individual wants to contribute to his own professional cricketing development.

Actually, the technological age should be an asset to our cricketers.

Slow pitches should definitively improve your foot work. Those guys played Moen Ali like he is Abdul Qadir.

Sadly professionalizing the cricket has had no improvement to the game in the Caribbean and this says a lot.

In reply to Courtesy

we lack self belief, real batsmen and bowlers but mostly self belief

In reply to sudden

True...but the basics are also sadly lacking.

In reply to Courtesy

Spot on the money.We now have a team full of pokers.I am rooting for all of the lads, but i was especially looking forward to seing young Hetty and Blackwood since they are the two who are not afraid to use the willow with aggressive intent. This passive approach to batting makes me want to puke.

In reply to NYCGURU

It's a bowler's dream when he knows that he will not be attacked. And I was seen weaknesses when Anderson and Broad's bowling have been put put under pressure.

In reply to azadtnt

Been saying this for a while now.

Fix the forking pitches

In reply to Courtesy

I know Hetty has areas to work on, what fascinates me about him is how quickly he picks up the length of a delivery and goes into attack mode. I just dont see the talent in this team that he should be sitting.

In reply to NYCGURU

I wouldn't mind seeing him opening the batting. I know he has had a terrible start but I like his attacking style and he can play the short ball reasonably well...one of the few on this team who can actually play it.

In reply to Maispwi

His fan club always try to re-write history to make him look good or give him an excuse. By the time they were each selected to WI senior team, I believe Ganga opened more than Gayle did. Gayle was in JAM's middle order for quite some time, as well as WI A's.

Still he put his head down and opened. Same with Hinds. Like you illustrated, Ganga failed in whichever position you sent him to bat.

In reply to timeless99

We have had that discussion here at least 4 times. We have examined his average batting at different positions. My recollection is his average is no better batting at 3 or 4 than it is opening. Unless he was really a number 5 or 6 batsman?

In reply to Courtesy

Viv playing in a match after his retirement called the batsman, a bunch of survivors.

Shai played like a tail ender in the second innings. Wafting outside the off stump until he eventually got out. He needs a break to think about his shot selection.

survival