FORMER West Indies wicketkeeper-batsman Jeffrey Dujon believes the squad selected to participate in an upcoming two-Test series against world number one ranked Australia is similar to sending lambs to the slaughter. The Kraigg Brathwaite-captained team is comprised of seven uncapped players, and Dujon added that this is bit of an embarrassment for the Caribbean team.

“It’s a bit of an embarrassment because Australia doesn’t suffer from the same situation like us. Maybe their players are more patriotic, but this is like sending lambs to the slaughter. It would have been better if we had sent a young team like this to play a weaker nation, but I don’t think there’s a whole lot to be gained sending a team with seven debutants against a team so experienced, established and powerful,” Dujon explained.

The last time a West Indies team defeated Australia in a Test series Down Under was back in the 1992/93 series when the West Indies won 2-1. The announcement of the inexperienced squad caught the attention of former Australia captain Steve Waugh, who shared that he wants cricket’s governing body, the International Cricket Council (ICC), to intervene.

Read more at Jamaica Gleaner

In reply to CaribbeanCricket.com

hopefully aussies doh like carrion

The fans need to do a lot of " hopes and prayers ". For the sake of cricket let's hope some players have a Kyle Mayers and Bonner like series when the WI toured Bangladesh a few years ago.

In reply to dayne

this is aussieland haha
2-0 whitewash
3-0 odi whitewash
in we cutarse

Has he retired from commentary? When he started, I found him a bit boring but now I miss his calm, knowledgeable commentating compared to the blabbering Badree.

Its my wish that one of these players would have performance and pull a note from their pocket that says F#$k u Duj

In reply to Wasp

What has your comment done for you, anyone else in thos forum or indeed anyone in the whole world? Smh. It is asif you don't understand a single word or misunderstood every single one.

In reply to dayne

In reply to Wasp

In reply to Sylobaby

It’s a very weak team and my only hope is that we try not to get whipped by an inning in both tests. If we avoid an inning defeat in at least one test that to me would be a big victory for us

In reply to camos
How I would love that myself....but I wo t count my Boyz out

There are so many things wrong In WI cricket that won't attract youngster to play test cricket n the game on a whole....

To those who choose to play the game I will.support n and wish them.the best

In reply to camos

No! He said what he said , don't buy insurance for he!!!

In reply to Wasp

Exactly I wish them the best. People keep saying we sending rhe weakest team but who other than Bravo could we send that would make the team more competitive? We seen the bunch of players who made themselves unavailable. So can you imagine if they didn't do that the team qould be more competitive. We just got to support the player and stop we whining. It is what it is at this moment the time for the weeping and gnashing of teeth done gone the trim done playing the first warm up game and they still having these comments going around.

I truly wish we guys all the best and if they can juat play competitive cricket I'll be good. They are young and their careers have to start somewhere, everyone starts at zero then builds on it

In reply to Sylobaby

Getting whipped is not a bad thing, may force ICC hand!

The fact of the matter is the tail is wagging the dog!

Lamb shawarma is good shoite!


Seriously, I like JG & KH. When aussies Hope & Nisbet were batting...i was like, are they Windians or what!?

In reply to positiveg

Well said
Totally agreed

In reply to Brerzerk

Keep whinning.....it has done a world good for you

In reply to century

In reply to BeatDball

Bro what Hodge and Greaves have shown is the weakness of WI cricket structure. If those guys were worked with and developed then how they played vs. that XI
is how they should've been at age 22. By now they should be scoring easy big tons vs. that team. Ability is there development not.

In reply to Brerzerk

Is it a weak structure or weak players? The failure of Brathwaite, Brooks, Bonner,Chase, Blackwood,Mayers, King,Holder, Pooran, Bravo,Dowrich, Hope to develop into good test players ( and with the exception of Hope, ODI players) has kept WI cricket consistently down.

These same players all blocked out the Greaves and the Hodges and it is only now they are seeping through .

No territory has suffered more from this than Barbados and Jamaica who their selectors consistently block out emerging batters for these established failures.

Lambs to the slaughter?

Clearly our bowling is much stronger than last time where we couldn't dismiss Australia . Roach, Seales, Joseph, Holder and Chase were all ineffective.

This time around we have two Frontline spinners in Motie and Sinclair in which they better include both as it give WI more strength and variety...even Hodge can be another spin option.
Roach's problem is that he has always been short of cricket but his county stint makes him more improved. Alzarri is the spearhead now and on an upward trajectory whilst Shamar is promising as a strike bowler....our bowling is considerably stronger and varied.....last time we had no leading strike bowler at all.

Then there is Greaves, a micro- mini Sobers capable of batting then delivering in the high eighties pace wise along with medium pace swing....that's why I called him a micro mini Sobers...let's hope him and Sinclair can develop into mini Sobers at test level

In reply to JoeGrine

C'mon I used Greaves and Hodges as examples. King and Pooran's failure or to put it more accurately refusal to play test cricket is a minor contributory reason.

King and Pooran playing FC cricket and blocking out emerging talent is what I am implying. In the past decade ALL FC players wanted to play test cricket.

Greaves got an opportunity playing outside Barbados as he could never get a pick with Brooks Chase Mayers and Reifer around...and now they not around or ignored by the selectors, he gets his selection as is the case with Hodge.

In reply to analyst-kid

I disagree slightly greaves was given chances in tbe barbados side up and down the order he did not take them .now in the last season he finally showed more consistancey with his batting in 50 over cricket .i think he is a better batsman than reifer and chase but they performed better than him in barbados colours that is why he could not break through. Barbados has this obsession with turning young players into allrounders and they end up its and pieces not proficient in any skill for a good part of their fc career like greaves and brooks now springer and most likely nyeem young

When the prey becomes the predator

Keep fighting yutes

In reply to velo

Greaves like Mayers had to get experience outside of Bim because of name brand foolishness. In and out just like young Springer. Now Dowrich selected over young keeper. The WI seaching for young energetic, fearless players yet we select the usual.

Kid is right, no forward thinkers just a bunch of stuck in the mud men that time have forgotten

In reply to seaegg99

You are as bad as Kid.
Living in Florida you can see what it takes to develop a young sportsman, cricket is no different.
Barbados doesn't have a structure to develop international elite players.
I believe Shai Hope has separated himself from what's going on in Bim, every day I turn my laptop on, and Shai is in the gym, working, after the gym, it is road work, then practice.
He will tell you the hours he put in daily.
The club structure is a paying membership fee, the clubs do not pay players, like the NBA, NFL and the different leagues in Europe.

In reply to positiveg

The problem is this team is so inexperienced that they're unlikely to play competitive cricket.

The unavailability of Holder, Mayers, Hope and Bravo weakened the middle order considerably, leaving a serious hole in terms of experience.

McKenzie 1 Test, average 16. 13 FC, average 33
Athanaze 2 Tests, average 37. 32 FC, average 36
Hodge Test debut. 55 FC, average 29
Greaves Test debut. 37 FC, average 27

What were Hodge and Greaves doing batting at five and six? Did the selectors really expect them to hit a decent score? Look how inexperienced this middle order is.

Once Holder, Mayers, Hope and Bravo declared their unavailability, the selectors should at least have gone back to the experience of Blackwood and Bonner.

Blackwood 56 Tests, average 30.
Bonner 15 Tests, average 38.

The Test averages of Blackwood and Bonner are higher than the FC averages of Hodge and Greaves. Yes, the team probably still would have lost, but may just have taken the match into a fourth day, instead of ending in two days and a session.

You select the best available.

here's an example of weak structure, take JCA/CWI. The late Tony Becca has passed on many yrs now. He wrote an article clearly stating why King should be in JA's 4 day team. Had that been done he'd have become a test player some time before becoming a franchisee. Allen early in his FC career made big tons and instead of keeping him in the A team they ignored his early FC bonafides and called him up for white ball cricket. almost every other nation can add two more cases of poor development/lost opportunities.

In reply to mikesiva

We just don't have the quality to match up with the bigger teams. that is a WI reality

wi did well to bowl Australia out for a manageable total