Time for Ian Bradshaw

Withink the next 24 hours, the West Indies selectors will decide on the make-up of the Test team that will face England in the crucial third test in Barbados starting on Thursday.

Given the dismal performances of the team in the first two test matches, there have been many calls for a complete overhaul of personnel. However this is both unlikely and unnecessary.

The selectors will no doubt stick to the core of players, since they make up the best of what?s available right now.

The truth is that the West Indies team has been outplayed by England thus far because the players have terribly under-performed, especially the three best batsmen, Brian Lara, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who are all without a significant score after four innings each.

While no wholesale changes are expected, some tinkering will however be in order.

One middle order place will be up for at least intense discussion. The choices will have to be on whether to retain Dwayne Smith or re-introduce Ryan Hinds, who ostensibly missed out in Trinidad because he was not well or the resumption of Ricardo Powell?s forgotten Test career.

The balance of the team has to be looked at again.

Serious consideration must be given to the idea of a frontline spinner, as well as a genuine all-rounder.

For one the tail is much too long, and the West Indies should look for a fourth bowler who is good enough for at least a Test half century coming in at number eight.

And there are a few options available to the selectors only if they will take it.

The Barbadian Ian Bradshaw and Trinidadian Dwayne Bravo are indeed realistic options, and maybe to a lesser extent the Windward Islander Darren Sammy and the Jamaican Dave Bernard could be considered for that role.

Then there is Omari Banks who is just coming back from injury. Banks provides a different option since he is a spinner that can add variety to an otherwise all-seam pace attack.

Banks can solve the twin problem of having a frontline spinner and an all-rounder in the team. The one concern with Banks is that being laid off for so long, he might be a little short of match practice.

The other realistic spinning option is Dave Mohammed, but his inclusion still leaves the all-rounder headache.

This can tip the scales to having Hinds play as a sixth batsman, who can also provide useful leg spin.

Of the four other all-rounders mentioned, Bernard is good enough to hold down the number eight position as a batsman, but has lost some of it as a bowler, and at this stage might not be good enough for that fourth bowling spot.

Sammy is a player with immense all-round potential, and is certainly one for the future, but perhaps not quite there yet.

This leaves us with Bravo and Bradshaw.

Bravo is another of those genuinely talented players, whose bowling frankly is a little too underrated. He has had a good all-round season this year, but in matches against the tourists seemed to have fallen out of form with the bat. His bowling has not been exposed enough.

Bradshaw might be the best bowling all-round option available now to the selectors, to play the role Vasbert Drakes was called upon to play in recent series. And at this stage he is both a better bowler and batsman that Drakes has been.

Additionally Bradshaw will replace Adam Sanford, who has confirmed in the last two matches that he is hardly Test material. The Barbadian is a much better bowling option right now, and obviously the batting of the two is hardly comparable.

A man with a useful first class average with both bat and ball, Bradshaw brings additional assets to the team ? a shrewd cricketing brain, good work ethic and high class discipline. And those, as much as sheer cricketing ability, are needed in this current set up.

If we are to take Gordon Greenidge, one of the selectors at his word, that not only cricketing ability alone is taken into selecting a player, then Bradshaw should be high on his list.

And with the team urgently looking for the right balance, now should be Bradshaw?s turn ? belatedly.

Suggested starting eleven (in possible batting order): Chris Gayle, Devon Smith, Ryan Hinds, Brian Lara, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ridley Jacobs, Ian Bradshaw, Tino Best, Pedro Collins and Corey Collymore. Fidel Edwards for Collymore if fit.

* Hamlet Mark runs the popular CaribUpdate.com Web site.