WINDIES in desperate need of Test Championship points ahead of Kiwi challenge
Wed, Dec 2, '20
When New Zealand hosts the West Indies at the Seddon Park Stadium on Wednesday evening Caribbean time, it will be an opportunity to move up the ICC World Test Championship points table for both teams. A total of 120 points will be up for grabs over the course of the two games, a maximum of which, for either team, could see the host leap-frog England into third or the West Indies move up one place, into sixth position. The challenge of squaring off against the Kiwis in their backyard sees the West Indies welcoming the return of trio Darren Bravo, Shimron Hetmyer and Keemo Paul—who missed the England series after declining to travel due to the corona virus.
Cricket West Indies (CWI) named the following squad for the two-match encounter: Jason Holder (c), Roston Chase, Shane Dowrich (wk), John Campbell, Shimron Hetmyer, Kraigg Brathwaite, Shamarh Brooks, Darren Bravo, Jermaine Blackwood, Keemo Paul, Rahkeem Cornwall, Shannon Gabriel, Alzarri Joseph, Chemar Holder, and Kemar Roach.
Reserves: Nkrumah Bonner, Joshua DaSilva, Preston McSween, Shayne Moseley, Raymon Reifer and Jayden Seales.
Caribbean fans surely, would not have, so soon, forgotten the Jason Holder-led WINDIES surrendering a series lead away to England, where the batting line-up was once again found wanting. Of the six combined innings across the series, the West Indies batsmen failed to score a single century among them, compared to England’s two.
As WINDIES has not had a century-scoring Test number-three since 2016, they will be grateful for the return of Darren Bravo, the last man to accomplish the feat. Bravo, who is expected to walk into the playing XI, should do so in the place of Barbadian, Shai Hope, who was dropped from the squad. And although the absence of Hope uncomplicates Bravo’s potential inclusion, the re-emergence of Jermaine Blackwood does Shimron Hetmyer’s hopes of featuring in the first Test no favours, with the Jamaican expected to get the nod over the left-hander. However, with the series being just two games, there remains a high probability we will see the Guyanese, if the West Indian batsmen put up anything less than a fight in Hamilton.
Still, the confidence of the West Indians batters should be high after racking up 571 in the second warm-up encounter against New Zealand ‘A’, with opener, Kraigg Brathwaite, thankfully hitting form with a mammoth 246 as Bravo followed up his first game century with a 93 that was a far second on the scorecard, given Brathwaite’s exploits.
Now, if you’ve been paying attention, you could probably guess the West Indies’ preferred bowling line-up with high accuracy. If fitness is not an issue, the only real question these days comes from the pitches on which to play spinner, Rahkeem Cornwall, usually at the expense of the least-experienced seamer, Alzarri Joseph. But considering that only 27% of wickets fallen at Seddon Park in the last ten years have been taken by spinners, that question should not come into play just yet.
In the last 13 games hosted by Seddon Park, dating back to 2008, teams batting first have had a slight edge of six wins to the chasing teams’ five. While only two matches have been drawn at the venue in that time frame, both coming within the last three years. With the last three matches seeing the team batting first coming out victorious. With a 77% unbeaten record at Seddon Park in 26 matches, New Zealand has not tasted defeat at the venue in eight years.
Predicted XI: Brathwaite, Campbell, Bravo, Brooks, Chase, Blackwood, Dowrich, Holder, Joseph, Roach, Gabriel.
Series schedule: 1st Test, Wednesday December 2nd. Seddon Park, Hamilton @ 6 pm ECT/ 5 pm Jamaica Time.
2nd Test, Thursday December 10th. Basin Reserve, Willington @ 6 pm ECT/ 5 pm Jamaica Time.
