DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (CMC) – Not a single West Indies player has made it onto the International Cricket Council’s Test or One-Day International team-of-the-year for 2015.
Players from five nations comprise the Test side while those from seven nations make up the one-day side but no players from the Caribbean have found favour with the selection panel headed by legendary former India spinner Anil Kumble.
West Indies languish at number eight in the ICC Test rankings and number nine in the ODI tables. Significantly also, there are no West Indies players in the top 10 of either the Test or ODI player batting rankings.
Discarded veteran left-hander Shiv Chanderpaul is the highest ranked West Indies Test batsman at 14th while fast bowler Kemar Roach lies 15th in the bowling rankings.
In ODIs, West Indies batsmen do not feature inside the top 30 with stroke-maker Marlon Samuels the highest ranked at 33rd.
Ironically, off-spinner Sunil Narine tops the ODI bowling rankings but was on Sunday banned from bowling by the ICC because of an illegal action.
ST. JOHN’S, Antigua – With the increased demand for information regarding the value of cricket events to the Caribbean economy, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) commissioned an economic impact evaluation on the 2015 England tour of the Caribbean. The information garnered focused on the three islands where the Test Matches were hosted Antigua, Barbados and Grenada.
Following a comprehensive report done by REPUCOM, the figures show the positive impact the tour had on the host islands. The overall direct economic impact for the region was estimated at US$59.8 million at an average of US$5.1 million a day spent.
Former national and West Indies fast bowler Sir Andy Roberts believes that spinner Sunil Narine should consider taking a hiatus from international cricket. Sir Andy, also a former West Indies selector, suggests that the Trinidadian should think about taking at least two years off to correct his illegal bowling action. “If you are going to overcome pelting, you can’t do it in 15 days, you can’t do it in two months, you can’t do it in six months because you have been playing cricket for the greater part of your life. Narine is about 29 or 30, so he must have been playing from since he was about 18 or 19 and using the same action,” he said. “I would say if Narine wants to come back then he has to forget about First Class cricket for at least two or three years, because you have to repeat all of those deliveries so he can get accustomed to doing it.”
Play was stopped for the day after only 30 minutes of action in the final session with the Windies 6-154 after winning the toss against a second-string Cricket Australia XI in Brisbane.
Showers forced an early lunch break on Wednesday, with rain falling intermittently at Allan Border Field.
Darren Bravo is not out on 46 but should have been caught on one trying to slog legspinner Cameron Boyce.
The pick of the CA XI attack has been rookie James Bazley (2-27) who only received a nod for the clash when he replaced Victoria’s Ryan Sidebottom (foot).
The Brisbane Heat have signed star West Indies T20 batsman Lendl Simmons for the KFC Big Bash League season in place of New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum. McCullum signed a three-year contract with the BBL|02 champions, but international commitments will prevent the dashing stroke-maker from fulfilling his duties this summer.
While the Heat lose one swashbuckling batsman they gain another in Simmons, who was a key member of Ricky Ponting's champion Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League. Simmons, who is the nephew of West Indies coach Phil Simmons, was the second leading run-scorer for the competition, posting 540 runs to tie with Rajasthan's Ajinkya Rahane in second spot and fall 22 runs short of Australia's David Warner in first place. Simmons, 30, will be available for the entire BBL|05 season, joining compatriot Samuel Badree was the Heat's two overseas signings.
