West Indies can be top 4/5 in TEST right NOW

If we can get the right players to play in 3 series back to back by the time we get to the 4th series we will be beating some of the Top 4 teams in test cricket.
Here’s the squad I imagine.

Mikhyle Louis
Shai Hope
Alick Athanaze
Kyle Mayers
Nicholas Pooran (W/K, Capt)
Kavem Hodge
Kevin Sinclair
Shamar Joseph
Alzari Joseph
Gudakesh Motie
Jaydon Seales



We have shown over the last few series that the bowling is holding up pretty well. We’ve been getting good teams out for under 400. I know the batting in this line up can get over 300 consistently. With 3 wicket taking quicks plus Mayers and 2 spinners can we be more consistent? I think so. The batting I mentioned has way way way more class than what’s being selected these days. I know that franchise cricket and all of the above gets in the way but I think this squad can compete with anyone.

And by the way I’m serious about batting Shamar at #8. He will make a test century one day. Mark my words.

Shamar at 8? Absolutely, he is much better than Seales & Roach, better also than Alzarri & Motie.

Not sure about having Mayers at 4. That is a very important position that needs a better batsman (Carty?) Most of your XI though, looks good...if only they could manage to get them on the field, consistently, for test cricket.

A year or two down the line, maybe players such as Andrew, Layne & Thorne will also be involved.

In reply to 4REALQUICKS

I totally agree about the younger ones coming through. This is why it’s important to get back a WINNING culture NOW. Start beating some teams badly, and start beating some good teams by 8 wickets in the day that you get your cricket right. We will still be beaten up by some top teams at times but we can be dangerous. Nicky P can destroy bowlers in ANY form of cricket. He doesn’t slog. That’s your number 5 batsman. What happens on the day that he walks in with the score on 220/3? This will happen because HOPE and Louis are quality batsmen and young Athanze will also have his days. Pooran at 5 and keeping wicket is the slight advantage that we must press home. Almost feels like that give us an extra player. By the way I chose Mayers over Carty for a couple reasons. He bowls that nippy back of a length medium pace that gets wickets in short spells. I also know he’s a better Batsman than Carty. The motivation of playing in a team like this will get him going. Didn’t he score a double in test cricket before? Away from home I think too.

In reply to 4REALQUICKS

I am very convinced that a bowing line up of

Shamar Joseph
Jaydon Seales
Alzarri Joseph
Gudakesh Motie
Kevin Sinclair
Kyle Mayers

Will demand respect from most batting line ups and will embarrass some on a given day. We are Very Lucky to have 2 bowlers off the quality of Shamar and Jaydon at the same time. Those 2 will be top class pacers once they acquire a bit of experience, Shamar is an all time quality cricketer if his career plays out the way I see it. He is a QUALITY batsman, do not limit him as a fast bowler only.

ALL of this requires that the core of the team are, for the most part, kept away from the kiddie-cricket-in-pyjamas format. The $$$ rules though, so that is likely a pipe dream.

I like Mayers, more for his bowling than his batting which at this stage, is better suited to white ball cricket. Carty has a decent technique and appears to have something between the ears that some of the other, less experienced players, are patently lacking.

Shamar Joseph and Jayden Seales are both very good and should only get better. Add a fast, tall bowler and the pace attack will be formidable.

Always was always is

In reply to 4REALQUICKS

as I posted a couple days ago, I am looking to Super50 as trial for the Bangla series. Our batting needs to get a little more dominant at test level and force opposition bowlers to become a little more defensive.

In reply to PalsofMine

Pooran will put these bowlers in their places in ANY level of cricket right now. If he can hold his concentration, he will scare bowlers in test. Every slightly bad ball is going to the boundary. Before you know it he’ll be on 50. Pooran is what you call a boundary hitter. He doesn’t miss out on bad balls. Slightly short=boundary. Over pitched, well that’s 6 every time.

Shamar bat's at 10 and swings his bat riding his luck.

In reply to chantilly

I can agree with Mayers in home conditions. Mayers is a superior second change bowler to Holder and Roach and even Alzarri in red ball cricket.

In reply to natty_forever

Can we have a conversation right here about his batting in 18 months? If you ever PLAYED cricket at any respectable level you would never fail to recognize the natural batting talent in this kid. I played at a reasonably high level and im telling you that those pull shots off the front foot to genuine fast bowlers are not shots that sloggers play. You don’t pull a fast bowler over the top of deep midwicket OFF THE FRONT FOOT if you can’t bat. I watched him play that shot off HAZELWOOD twice in his debut test inning. He got off the mark in test cricket by on driving a fast bowler all along the ground to that said deep midwicket boundary. Those are 2 of the hardest shots to play Sir.

I want to see Pooran & Hetty in Tests/ODIs...along with Shai, it will be very interesting.

Unnuh men smart. Holder batted better than most last series but cyan find a place. Batting requires skill, attitude, character (temperament) and more. Not many WI top order bats picks length as well as Shamar. That does not make him a potential centurion. He does not now nor very likely in the future has the mental fitness to not voop at one and get out between 0-100. Be satisfied with his 30-40. By sheer dint of mental toughness Ambi can be called a better #8 than Shamar now and inn 18mths
Potential yes but...

In reply to Brerzerk

Which Ambi are you talking about? Hopefully not Curtley Ambrose, he was never in Shamar’s class as a bat.