"No captain can suddenly turn the water of a weak team into the wine of champions"
As was inevitable, Jason Holder has had the West Indies Test captaincy added to the ODI responsibility unexpectedly placed on him in January for the series in South Africa and the subsequent World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Holder's record as the youngest of all West Indies captains, at 23, has now been extended to the longer, traditional version. His first assignments in his new role - two Tests in Sri Lanka next month, three in the contrasting conditions of Australia over the new year - loom as demandingly as the South Africa and World Cup campaigns did. West Indies have not won a Test, let alone a series, in either country this century. The apparent mitigating factors, that each is in a state of rebuilding after the retirement of key, experienced players, that Sri Lanka are coming off successive defeats at home, against Pakistan and India, and that Australia are under a new captain, are negated by West Indies' identical situation.
The full reign of West Indies head coach Philip Verant Simmons starts in real earnest next month with the West Indies tour to Sri Lanka, followed later by another to still wounded Australia which had been so dumfounded and discombobulated by England recently. Recently, Sri Lanka has held its own well against India, another of the “Big Three”. Australia, with retirements and refurbishments after embarrassments in England, will want to show that its last English tour was just a sour blip.
WI’s team to Sri Lanka has been named, the most obvious change and massive surprise being that recent captain Denesh Ramdin has been demoted to being just player, wicket-keeper and tourist, while Jason Holder, justly, with visages of WI’s future, has been elevated to Test captain.
Kraigg Brathwaite, Bishop rule averages in BCA Elite division Championship at halfway stage.
Bridgetown, Barbados, September 4 - (www.bcacricket.org) - A wide gap has been opened by the top batsman and bowler over their closest rivals in the 2015 BCA Elite division Championship averages after the halfway stage.
In five matches, Kraigg Brathwaite, the CounterPoint Wanderers captain and opener has amassed 647 runs including three centuries at the very impressive average of 161.75.
Guyana
BCB expresses disappointment with Permaul’s omission
The Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) vented their frustration with the omission of Albion, Berbice, Guyana and West Indies left arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul from the West Indies touring team to Sri Lanka.
THE 2015 Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) All-Island Limited-Overs competition is scheduled to commence this morning at 9:30, with title-holders St Catherine CC taking centre stage against neighbours GC Foster College in Zone B at Chedwin Park.
Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) president Azim Bassarath says he is “very disappointed” with the decision of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Selection Committee to remove compatriot Denesh Ramdin as captain of the regional Test team. Noting further that another Trinidadian Merissa Aguilleira was also demoted from skipper of the Windies women’s team, Bassarath speculated on the rationale involved.
Bassarath, also a Director of the WICB, did not waiver from acknowledging the current friction between the TT CB and the WICB who recently squabbled over the non-hosting of WICB town-hall meetings here. Patrick Rampersad, an Executive Member of the TT CB, went so far as to question whether it was a sign of disrespect shown by the WICB to the local territorial body. Speaking to Newsday yesterday, Bassarath made it clear that he was not part of the WICB teleconference where the decision by the selectors was ratified as he was busy conducting duties as a Returning Officer for the General Elections scheduled for Monday.
