interview by MICHELLE McDONALD

In the ODI arena, the only D Smith the West Indies selectors seemed to be interested in was Dwayne Smith. Devon Sheldon Smith appeared a distant memory after his last One Day outing against New Zealand in the triangular series in England in the summer of 2004. A modest average of 25.8 after seven matches did nothing to help his cause.

After the recall of Daren Ganga -- himself with an average of 26.58 at the time -- to play against New Zealand in the one day series in February 2006, Smith felt that he was no longer under consideration for limited overs cricket. Full Story

In reply to CaribbeanCricket.com

Where is the full squad?

In reply to gvenkat

http://caribbeancricket.com/news/2007/01/08/2287

_ryan

Best of luck Devon you are just as worthy of a chance as all your peers.

Please keep in mind, though, that you can't expect to average 18 runs for a series( and aggregating a little over a hundred runs), after scoring close to a century in the first game, then have some of your paranoid compatriots blame your place of birth for your losing your place.

You strike me as a level headed player, and I know you will allow your bat your talking. You are a decent player with seriious technical problems which I hope you have worked on to correct.


All the best on your recall!!!

It will be interesting to see how they will use him. Devon was highly vulnerable to the moving ball-POINTS denials to the contrary-and he needs to show that he has somehow changed his approach or he will simply fail again at the top level.(videos of his Australian debacle are easily available to international coaches).
Maybe an idea would be to try him at no3 and have Simmons continue at opener. IMO, Simmons is our long term solution for Gayle's opening partner anyway.
Moving him to NO3 at least gets him away from the new ball, to which he is most vulnerable. He played at No 3 in the WIA tour in 20002 and scored 181 in one innings-his highest FC score, I think.

In reply to jacksprat

You are a decent player with seriious technical problems

Who has more technical problems Devon Smith or Chris Gayle and what are they IYO?

In reply to JamMack

Chris Gayle, Devon Smith and Wavell Hinds are really three players cut from the same fabric and plagued by identical technical flaws.

The difference is that the height and reach of Gayle and Hinds sometime allow them to mask their vulnerabilty to the moving ball unlike Devon whose flaws are exacerbated by his relative lack of height.

Of the three, I think Hinds is the best in terms of technique, but that is like saying who is least harsh on the eyes among three brutally ugly women!!!

I seemed to have missed the fact that the team had been named officially..

In reply to crapaud
I agree that it seems a little presumptious to interview and be interviewed prior to the formal naming of the team - I appreciate the concept of an open secret but thought that some etiquette would be observed

I like this guy, he is very modest and realistic. I am happy he was given a chance and do not think he should have ever been dropped. He has ability and I hope he continues to remain modest and not get swell headed like some others.

Congrats Devon, you go out there and let teh bat speak for you

In reply to Admin That says unofficial. Please explain whether this has been confirmed yet.

So its unofficial. Once the various contract terms with the sponsor and WIPa have been sorted out, it will be official. Lighten up. :)

In reply to jacksprat

hi JS. Do you think moving Devon down the order, away from the new ball, will help?
Another advantage for Devon is that the Indian seanm attack< the Aussie & English seam attacks.

In reply to carib All players are vulnerable to the moving ball, almost all in the current team. In my opinion he handles it better than Ganga, Hinds and Gayle. He however needs to take this opportunity with both hands and justify his recall, and in the process damning the selectors for leaving him out all this time

In reply to carib

Maybe that would be a worthwhile option to try, but then he would have to contend with the spinners!!

I am not convinced that either Gayle or Smith has the technique to consistently cope with top flight spin bowling but if I had to choose between them then it would be Devon.

In reply to jala

What evidence do you have that Devon handles the moving ball better than Ganga, Gayle and Hinds?

Please research how many times Devon has been out, caught in the area between the wicket keeper and gully-just like Hinds and Gayle. Ganga seems least vulnerable to the moving ball because of his superior technique.

Go dey Devon!!!! You have to stamp you class, and make this one count.

The Revolution will not be thwarted!!!

In reply to JamMack

To call twinkle toes' name in the same breath as Chris Gayle is sacrilege! This is ODI cricket and Chris rules the roost!

In reply to anandgb

Why?

In reply to zimzimma

Has Twinkle Toes had the same amount of opportunites as the Leadfoot one???

Oh boy, here we go again!!!!

Was Chris Gayle not dropped after two test against Zimbawe/Pakistan then ignored for all the test against England that summer?


Was he not also left out of the squad to Australia ostensibly, according to Mike Findlay, the Chairman of Selctors, because he was "not among the best batsmen in the Caribbean" ?


Did Chris Gayle not score almost a thousand runs in the following FC season, to make a fool of Findlay, and reclaim his place?


Has Chris Gayle, or any other opener, been allowed to play an entire series, averaging 18 runs, like Devon was allowed to do after being exposed in Australia?


Does Devon have a divine right to be held to a different standard than others, why he should not be dropped after consistently failing?

In reply to jacksprat

DUH! Of course! People on here seh he should never have been dropped so obviously he alone must be allowed to play the following series after averaging 18! His name ent Chanderpaul or Lara, he is a fringe player and he has to earn his spot before he can be allowed to recover from a hiccup!

In reply to zimzimma

Zimmer, that was not addressed to you but to voice-of-irrationality who had asked if Devon had received the same amount of chances as Chris.


I really don't know what these people expect because, on debut, Devon was given a full series against Australia to stake his claim, a chance that was not afforded any other youngster; not Garrick, not Ganga, not Gayle not Hinds, et al!!!!!

Devon de dottie Shit again?

Lawd :roll: :roll:

In reply to jacksprat

I know it wasnt. I was just being a bitsarcastic in the first sentence or two. 8) 8)

I actually forgot that he got an entire 4-match series on debut and he didn't exactly light it up! It would be interesting to note what his highest average is for a series so far! Maybe VOR can help us with that! :lol:

I must have missed the announcement of the squad because I am travelling..Anyone care to give a link to the news item which lists the selected players?
Thanks

Edit : Never mind..got it from Admin's link

Good luck devon, one of the better openers in the region, just hasnt had much luck. Wish him all the best


would never forget that 108 he lash on england, first test in jamaica. Holding was only bawlin shooooooot bwoy!!! Harmisoon got his ass creamed. But came back and made us pay with 47 all out

In reply to jacksprat and dimdimma

We dealing with Odis here... Dotish Sprat and Dimdimma!! Stick to the Subject, if you capable of such. Devon Smith has 7 Odis!!! STewppss!

In reply to zimzimma

Maybe I can help:



2003 vs Aus---23. 63


2003-2204 vs Eng---43.00


2004 vs Eng ---16.50


2004-2005 vs SA--11.00


2004-2005 vs PAK---25.75


2005-2006 vs Aus---18.33


Career Avg------25.34



I really can't imagine why this player is not a permanent fixture in the West Indies team!!!!

In reply to voiceofreason

Are you so blinkered by your parochialism that you would compare Chris Gayle and Devon Smith as ODI players? :roll: :roll:

You are joking, right?

In reply to zimzimma Cuz he is a dottie.

In reply to voiceofreason

I was actually throwing allyu a line, because surely it couldn't be ODI cricket that he is being compared to Chris!

In reply to anandgb

Of course!

In reply to zimzimma The boy was poorly treated after he played well against England in the West Indies in tests. He broke his finger and then became history. All I am alluding to is that he was never given much of a chance after that.

I am not comparing him to Gayle in any case. For me Gayle is a cut above teh others.

In reply to anandgb

So when he played the entire 3-test series against OZ, how many more matches should he have gotten to fail?

Good luck Devon my fellow Dottie and Grenadian. You are saying the correct things as most players do but the proof will bo on the score card. On the last Australian tour I had set a 35+ tour test average as a minimum requirement to hold your place. So I will stick with that number even in this form of the game (ODI) because your are batting at the top of the order.

Again good luck to you and the team continue to make us proud.

Wesley

In reply to zimzimma

Right on!!!
I watched Devon on his first A-tour to England 5 or 6 yrs ago and he did extremely well in the 4 day games; but was all at sea in the 1 dayers .......I am afraid he is still some way away from shore.

In reply to zimzimma Arite then, which one of teh other regional openers did better than him? Gayle not included here.

Besides the official team has not been announced as yet.

In reply to jacksprat Ganga doesn't have proper technique, he looks good, there is a difference. Anyone who has technique does not average 27 after playing 8 years of international cricket. This clearly shows that Ganga, more than anyone else cannot handle a straight nor swinging ball

In reply to jala
Clearly your opinion is a large almighty booooooooo

... well I see Gayle and Shiv continuing to open, where does that leave Devon, wha' Shiv not going to India?

In reply to jala
What is your obsession with Ganga-why does he have to continuously prove himself to you or to the editor of this message board- How does Ganga's technique equate to the Caribbean tradition of "STAND STILL AND SWOOSH YUH BAT AND YOU WILL SEE THE SALVATION OF GOD"?

I am glad that Devon got a chance, but that does not negate that Ganga has done as well as Lara this year. You don't have to like a person, their country, or their ethnicity, to appreciate effort. :roll:

In reply to jaydee this year of 8 years. 1 of 8 is 12.5%. Is that anything to speak of. U should be ashamed to be aligned with such a failure. Has Smith gotten these chances. Ganga is a dead duck

In reply to jaydee What does ethnicity have to do with anything?

the problem I see here is that the Devon Smith fans are in denial. They obviously feel that if Devon Smith is just given ANOTHER chance ( No4 now), that he will succeed, somehow Test class bowlers will forget how to bowl to him or that he can just keep doing what he is doing and it will work this time.

NONSENSE!!

Unless he changes his approach, the result will be the same.Test class bowlers & coaches aren't dumb!they know how to order up videos and what tactics to use.
What Devon's dottie supporters need to understand is that it is TEST CLASS bowling that is "discriminating" against Devon, not the WICB which has given him three chances now.

In reply to carib who or what didn't decriminate against Ganga?

In reply to jala

STEUUUUUUPS!!
How Ganga get into this time?
Does the fact that Ganga got a lot of chances help fix Devon's technique problem?
Man, lets try to be logical here for once.

In reply to jacksprat

Where have I compared the two???? Hellooooo! All I said is that Devon has only played 7 Matches to Gayles 155... There can be no Comparison!!!

Allyuh Yardies daft oui..... Gosh! So quick to defend, you own... Sad set a People. 8)

In reply to carib

waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

In reply to voiceofreason

Are you going to add dishonesty to smallmindedness as well?


Isn't the quoted sentence above an implicit comparison of Gayle and Smith?


What does number of matches have to do with an evaluation of the flawed technique of both players?

Another D Smith; another recycled failure. In fact, this team to India looks unlikely to win one match. Hope I'm wrong.

Devon , Good Luck , If you constantly repeat to yourself " REMEMBER FOOTWORK " , and Never hit across the line until you are well set , you would do well .

Dont get impatient , runs will come . Obviously you have to know how the pitch is playing , the bounce of the ball etc . before you can launch into an attacking mode .

I know that you know these things already but you need to constantly have them in mind .

These sentiments also apply to Darren Sammy . WE in the Windwards are proud of both of you .

As I have said on frequent occasions , neither of you have a Godfather who is a Selector , you therefore have to be twice as good as the other players , mainly due to the fact that you are on a short leash , something that doesnt apply to other players .

Never mind the detractors and blowhards on this MB . In their opinion players from the Windward Islands should never be on the Team .

Work on your weaknesses , and prepare yourselves mentally for the task ahead .

Again GOOD LUCK AND WE EXPECT YOU TO DO YOUR BEST .

Regards .... . POINT .

In reply to zimzimma

Sobers ... cured Devon.

In reply to Yadi

He must have suffered a relapse because the last time I saw him, he was still getting out in the same manner as before.

I guess all those test bowlers who routinely expose his deficiency, do not want any Windward Island players on the West Indies team, so they insist on bowling him outswingers pitched on or about outside the off stump!!!

Devon , Good Luck , If you constantly repeat to yourself " REMEMBER FOOTWORK "
:D


Thats not how it works. You don't " Remember footwork". You practise the proper technique over & over again till you can't get it wrong. If Devon Smith did that and fixed his technique, then he is OK.If he didn't, then "Remember Footwork" aint gonna cut it.
I wish him luck too, but he has to have fixed his technique or good wishes will be useless.

In reply to jacksprat

Both have technical deficiencies. Devon still has better footwork than Gayle.. We can only compare their Techniques, but comparing performances is futile... Phew!

In reply to POINT
History is the myth, the true myth, of man's fall made manifest in time. Henry Miller in Plexus, 1949

This godfather thing is becoming so pointless, like the silly refrains of Miller as he lusts after Mona. Maybe godfather is a like literay device, stream-of-consciousness writing of past hurt and pain-maybe we should just shut up with it now then, Devon is picked, again, which is good,and means that some godperson was there, looking out for him - He needs to look out for himself and the ball - move his feet -

In reply to voiceofreason

Of course, and it's just horrible luck why poor Devon has not produced anything close to Chris despite his far superior footwork!