West Indies legendary wicketkeeper, Jeffrey Dujon, is convinced that out-of-favour Shai Hope remains the team’s best batsman, despite recently running into a rough patch of form.

The 27-years-old Hope was dropped from the team last year ahead of the West Indies tour of New Zealand.  The decision followed several months of off-colour form, which saw the player return scores of 16, 9, 25, 7, 17, and 31 during the team’s three-Test tour of England in July. Overall, in Test cricket, Hope averaged 19.48 since December 2017 and just 14.45 since February 2019.

The decision to drop the player, however, still stirred vigorous debate around the region, with many arguing that he should have been allowed to play his way back into form.  For his part, Dujon has backed the player to figure things out sooner, rather than later.

“There’s no question in my mind that he is the best batsman that we have,” Dujon told the Mason and Guest radio program.

Read more at SportsMax

Full Story

In reply to CaribbeanCricket.com

I concur with Dujon. But batting is not batting on paper. Any batsman with the returns of Shai Hope in test cricket deserved to be dropped. Keeping him on the test team would have sent the wrong signals.

Shai Hope's lack of production in test cricket seems to be the result of his fear of failure. But the guy can bat.

Hope had more than enough chances to come good, if someone digs deeper into his numbers that person would see Hope had only one outstanding Test match out of thirty something Tests, he was lucky to get that much chances because the Selectors liked his batting style and he is well liked by his team mates.

the drop is deserved in test cricket but why ODI?

In reply to googley

he declined to tour bangladesh....he was not dropped from the odi tour

In reply to dayne

wrong...he got so many chances because he was bajan and the bedrock of cameron's support was the BCA. He only lasted a two test tours under new management because the board had changed

In reply to Jumpstart

ok thanks.

In reply to Jumpstart

BCB??
Hope was given chances because he averages over 50 in ODI but he hasn't been able to transfer it to Test as yet.

But you love your anti bajan drivel so carry on.

In reply to Ray123

I doubt that. Bevan was by far the best odi player of the 90s and australia gave him chances at test level, he was found wanting and was picked only for odis. Hope was found wanting after the flash in the pan that was 2017. All the while darren bravo, who before the english visit in here in 2019, was the only batsman averaging over 40 in the caribbean, He wasn't being picked. So as i said, hope got through because the BCA was fanatically cameron supporters and it took a while to remove the roach from our midst, hence hope's extended stay


doh worry he was not the only recipient of the patronage. Carlos brathwaite averaged 16(nurse averaged higher with 19) in odis as a batsman and 41 as a bowler but made the CWC team where he talked about his dance off with rihanna(and chanced his arm to make a hundred) and ashley nurse averaged 43 as a bowler still got picked despite the maulings and the inability to catch even a cold and even made the CWC team

In reply to Jumpstart

Both Carlos and Ashley got cwc t20 medals though

In reply to Ray123

Jumpstart is a rabid insular skunt

In reply to Jumpstart

It is easy to look up a players first class stats or stats per format.
Australia has two youngsters on it test squad, hear are their stats,
Cameron Green
Will Pucovsk
First class performance get players selected into test, BB is for T20

In reply to openning

ok cool.......then explain how on earth Carlos Brathwaite has played 3 test matches for the west indies with a first class average of 27 batting wise? How did shai hope manage to stay on the WI two years after his flash in the pan 2017, averaging 20 in 2018, 19 in 2019, and 17.50 in 2020 before he was mercifully dropped........and it was not like if there was no competition for his space. In the 1996 world cup, athurton made 2 runs from 5 INNINGS......you cant tell me that isn't insularity

high class rubbish. David Warner was first picked for Australia on the back of two t20 centuries versus mumbai indians and CSK in the 2011 champions league. The only team he failed against was TT red force, even though we lost the match in a super over. Hoss, insularity has always been part of our cricket even when we were winning. Case in point, Keith atherton scored hisd first hundred after viv richards retired, an entire year after yet he was a constant feature from 1988, even when it was clear, three old cricketers in viv, greenidge and haynes would have to shoulder the batting and Brian lara, who went on to average 53, was on the sidelines. Athurton made 2 rns from five innings in the 96 world cup while Jimmy adams was on the sidelines

In reply to Jumpstart
Dude dont be a jackass, Warmer was playing all formats for his team, which started in 2009.
I can go around the region and list the names of players with the same average as Carlos, but I blame the players for not growing their game, the selectors for selecting these players, and CWI for mismanaging them.
BTW, I blame the BCA for everything Barbados cricket, including not having a great International since Dessie.
Your responses has been just fluff, has nothing to do with the woes of West Indies cricket.
Why would I select a player for formats, that he is not working at?

In reply to openning

all that because you are too simple minded to come up with a response?

The "prettiest" batsman or the batsman whose strokes are most pleasing on the eyes isn't necessarily the best batsman. Best has to be determined alo by output. For example, Steve Smith isn't necessarily the most pleasing batsman on the eyes but no one can argue that he has been one of the best batsman in the last 5 years. Chanderpaul was not pleasing to watch but he has no doubt been the batsman WI has had since Lara. Personally, I do not believe that Hope is a better batsman that Pooran.

In reply to CaribbeanCricket.com

He is correct. Greenidge, Viv, LLOYD all went through patches.
Hope is still best batsman in 2 out of 3 formats. ODI's and test.

We like mediocre hence we drop good players for shyte.

In reply to rilloHope as all the best in test cricket do,go through bad patches,but he remains the best bastsman in the Caribbean.

In reply to Jumpstart

That's an odd choice to make your point. Carlos had 3 half centuries in those 3 consecutive matches he played... an average of 45. Yet he got dropped after first scoring his 3rd half century in first test of India series. Hardly sounds like a Bajan getting special protection.

Jumpfart also thinks that WI cricket began in 1992.

In reply to Courtesy

Almost for a mo, thought you were Duj. However, knew you is not a Yaadie.

Duj, Carl Hooper ring a bell?

In reply to tc1

what happened in 1992?

In reply to b4u8me2

I don't understand why people can't understand the above
,like I said before the best technique is the one that produces the most runs.

In reply to Jumpstart

that your baseline to cricket.

Duj still talking bull. The scores don't lie or else Hooper would have sent sent many into oblivion.