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HEADLINE: WindiesÂ’ current lack of identity the loudest cry coming out of subcontinent Tests

 
CaribbeanCricket.com 2018-12-06 08:09:53 

Although the West Indies slid to an historic innings and 184-run defeat to Bangladesh in the 2nd Test in Mirpur on Sunday morning, what did we honestly learn? Besides the fact that it became crystal clear that Kraigg Brathwaite is not a Test Captain; nothing else can be classified as ‘news’ from a Windies point of view, based on the two-match Test series between Windies and Bangladesh. And while it is becoming increasingly evident that this West Indies team is a different prospect without their leader, Jason Holder, it is still difficult to accept that Windies’ replacement for either of their two bowlers in the top six of Test seam bowlers in 2018 (Holder and Gabriel) is Shermon Lewis.

Sherman Lewis

In an honest assessment of Lewis, he has not offered much to the bowling attack to date; he offers nothing by way of swinging the ball nor is he a fast bowler by definition. It can’t even be recalled a time when he hit line and length on a consistent basis neither in Rajkot nor in Mirpur. Therefore, what is the purpose of Shermon Lewis in the team?

West Indies Cricket is in a rut. However, despite the in-between wickets in the Caribbean and the fact that only Gabriel has genuine pace in our Test attack, our bowling unit has been able to cop *90% of wickets, prior to the Mirpur Test, in 2018 (an improvement on 74% in 2016 and 85% in 2017). With this improving bowling attack, it can be concluded that the batting is what keeps holding this team hostage. Therefore, it would be a backward step to select Lewis, as well as a slap in the face to the time and work Holder and company put into making themselves a threat. Until we can identify what makes him a bowler (except for a bowling action) the selection of Lewis will remain, in the eyes of Caribbean fans, a step backward.

The Matter of Kraigg Brathwaite as Interim Captain

Day 1 of the 2nd Test was an evenly contested one, all things considered. Shakib Al Hasan was even in some discomfort in typical new-to-the-crease fashion. However, instead of encouraging young Lewis to dangle the proverbial carrot outside off stump (or anything remotely along those lines), Brathwaite was off setting the field for Lewis to bowl short with traps deep on the leg side. Then, a string of insipid decisions from the visitors began to sway the innings the way of the hosts; there was no more a decisive factor than when Roston Chase trapped the Bangladeshi captain in front (Hawkeye showed it would have hit leg) and the discussion to review (Windies decided against it) didn’t even seem to include our stand-in captain. With this criticism of Brathwaite’s captaincy, we take nothing away from his batting and his contribution to the finest moments in the Holder era, but KRAIGG BRATHWAITE IS NOT A TEST CAPTAIN.

However heart-breaking it is to see the West Indies being swept 2-0 by Bangladesh, the priority of Cricket West Indies now should be hopping on the home-dominance train. A train which route now includes stops at most top Test cricket nations. This itself will be an operation. One would assume that this automatically means the unveiling of faster wickets in the Caribbean. However, our batsmen themselves are unable to negotiate fast bowling, which translates to West Indies Cricket’s current lack of identity. Therefore, operation ‘home-dominance’ must begin at identifying the strengths of this generation of West Indian players.

*Wickets taken when the opposition was made to bat


Full Story

 
Slipfeeler 2018-12-06 09:37:22 

In reply to CaribbeanCricket.com

A fair analysis of the disastrous test team to Bangladesh.

 
POINT 2018-12-06 09:40:01 

In reply to CaribbeanCricket.com

To be quite frank and precise West Indies Cricket aint in a Rut it is in
a Bottomless Chasm .

Worse yet is the Stark Freaking Fact
that the People in the WICB aka :

THE WORST INTERNATIONAL CRICKET

BOARD IN THE COMMONWEALTH ; & THE

REGIONAL CRICKET BOARDS LACK THE

MENTAL CAPACITY AND NEEDED SKILLS TO

RESTORE WEST INDIES CRICKET TO BE

FULLY COMPETITIVE IN THE

INTERNATIONAL CRICKET ARENA .


There is only solution to this
gigantic Problem which unfortunately
must be very Drastic .

THERE MUST BE A COMPLETE & TOTAL

RESTRUCTURING OF THE WICBC & THE

REGIONAL BOARDS . HALF MEASURES AINT

GOING TO WORK IF WE ARE TO RESTORE

WEST INDIES CRICKET TO BE FULLY

COMPETITIVE IN THE INTERNATIONAL

CRICKET ARENA .

What is required in my opinion is
the Regional Governments intervening
through the Courts to achieve what I
have stated above .

I am fully aware of the fact that
some Governments in the Region are
compromised by their associations with the WICBC .

EVERYONE IN THE REGION ABOVE THE

GROUND AND IS AT LEAST KNOWLEDGEABLE

ABOUT CRICKET KNOWS THAT CRICKET IN

THE REGION HAS BEEN IN A DOWNWARD

SPIRAL FOR QUITE SOME TIME .

APPARENTLY SOME GOVERNMENTS IN THE

REGION SEEM BLITHELY UNAWARE OF THIS

FREAKING FACT .

 
dayne 2018-12-06 11:22:10 

The Author was a little harsh on both Lewis and Kraigg, Lewis is inexperience and was bowling on an unresponsive pitch for fast bowling in the match, he needs more time to figure stuff out, he was successful in England only a few months ago. Kraigg captaincy cannot be blamed for poor batsmanship, apart from Hetmyer and Dowrich no other batsman represented themselves well. The Selectors also keep selecting an unbalance team, they need to have a batting all-rounder instead of an extra batsman in the team. Holder should have been replace with an all-rounder.

 
analyst-kid 2018-12-06 12:07:39 

In reply to dayne

So why was Lewis picked in front Reifer?

Why was Cummins left home after performing well against Bang in the WI?


ANSWER:1. The "arrival" of Holder and Gabriel joining Roach as our first sub 30 ave bowlers in years made WI selections feel they could gamble and unearth another test bowler.
2. The selectors underrated Bangladesh based on the past results but didn't analyse the past at all.

 
stroke 2018-12-06 13:22:16 

Most of the sentiments expressed are a repeat of those from many years. It is mindboggling that the same problems (maybe worse) exist to the point that Bangladesh swept us comprehensively in a 2 test series. to compound things another dumb and dumber decision is the promotion of Rovman Powell to captain of the 50 over team....seriously? what a joke!!! Leon Johnson who has captained the winning regional team for the past five years should be appointed test captain, Jason Holder should be the 50 over and T20 captain and this current group of selectors must be replaced. Time to push the reset button again!!!!

 
dayne 2018-12-06 13:25:29 

In reply to analyst-kid

Your first question is a good one for the Selectors, however these players will not gain experience and get better if they do not go on tours and practice with the best from the Caribbean. Secondly, Lewis very likely is looking better than the others in practice that's why he is selected. I am not a Reifer fan, if Reifer did not have the option of playing for another team in the WI he would not make the Barbados team.

 
dayne 2018-12-06 13:31:55 

In reply to stroke

Johnson is not a Test batsman, the team is already weak, they cannot afford another weak link, if Bravo comes back to the form he had before the incident, this team would be better as the younger batsmen need a mentor.

 
InHindsight 2018-12-06 17:47:36 

In reply to CaribbeanCricket.com
Maybe fair but incomplete in my opinion

 
POINT 2018-12-06 19:25:19 

Perhaps many in this Forum have seen
a Horse being pulled by a Cart . I
certainly have never seen or heard that in my life .

If anyone swear that they have seen
that , was either drunk or had an
Optical Illusion .

So in my opinion , West Indies Cricket
is at Death's Door ; and the solution
to our Problems , seem to be focused
mainly on the Players .

It is this cockeyed perspective that
I find very troubling , because many
seem to focus only on Our Players
deficiencies .

They completely ignore the Total
Incompetence of the WICBC , which is
the acronym for The Worst International Cricket Board in the
Commonwealth .

If WE genuinely want to save West Indies Cricket ; the first thing that must be done is to have a complete Restructuring of West Indies Cricket .

It is obvious , at least to me that
many here are Barking up the Wrong
Tree . Apparently it is fun being
Critical of the Players , while giving a pass to those in the governance of West Indies Cricket .

Many seem oblivious to the fact that
this strategy has been in vogue for
some years now , however Our Players
are still floundering at or near the
Bottom of International Cricket .

But it seems that many people in the
Region have been permanently Brainwashed by those in the governance of West Indies Cricket and the Charlatans in the Media who
are the Lackeys of the WICBC .

IT IS TIME THAT WE PUT THE CART

BEHIND THE HORSE . WE CURRENTLY HAVE

THE CART IN FRONT OF THE HORSE AND

THAT AINT WORKING .

 
rhatid 2018-12-06 20:37:09 

In reply to CaribbeanCricket.com
The current crop of people from the West Indies who play cricket are the greediest, most unpatriotic, and pprideless set of craps I have ever seen. All the other cricketing countries have their best players playing for them. Not the West Indies. These craps from the West Indies do not see the need to represent their country. All they do is go around the world entertaining people from other countries and making big bucks. I have nothing against them making the big bucks, but you mean to tell me that these people who learned their craft in the West Indies can't see it fit to represent the West Indies in test cricket? I can imagine how the other cricketers from other countries who represent their countries with pride are laughing at these greedy, prideless idiots. I would never spend my money to see these bums play.

 
mkcharles 2018-12-06 20:54:25 

In reply to dayne

Come on, you know that even here in BIM we don’t rate Kraigg the captain. He largely captained the youth and senior teams because he was the outstanding run scorer which is no discredit to him but his leadership has never evolved very much in the same vein as his batting.

Kraigg is a very much a creature of habit and he will not change what he is even if it is ultimately to his own detriment.

 
POINT 2018-12-06 21:45:21 

In reply to rhatid

So in your opinion the WICBC has done
all that was required is Good Cricketers . Let me quote a Very well
known Adage :

" FISH NEVER ROTS FROM THE TAIL UP

IT ALWAYS ROTS FROM THE HEAD DOWN ".

I have not yet heard or read that Our Players are the decision makers regarding everything pertaining to
Cricket in the Region .