Who can solve the mystery of Shai Hope??

Looked like being our next great a few years ago with a 100 in each inns against England but has deteriorated badly,seems to get bowled a lot (3 times in 6 inns in this series)...yet has a stunning 50 ave with 17 100's in ODI's only UB has more(25) so he could well end up having the record for the most 100's by the end of his career so dnt tell me this dude can't bat....I'm sure if the will is there to work on his faults for test cricket with the right coach an at 31 he could still fulfil his early potential...but i suspect as he is so successful in ODI's he might not be inclined to do so!

In reply to CCW

Me. Here in the carribbean I would set ODI type pitches.

In reply to CCW

Only Hope can solve his deficiencies, it has been years that Hope has been dismissed the same way in red-ball cricket, bowled down through bat and pad or LBW

In reply to dayne

Not on his own....better than him has had to resort to a batting coach....obviously not mooks Windies have ...somebody he looks up to!

In reply to natty_forever

Got nothing to do with the type of pitches.

If he played with a white ball on those same pitches I am sure he will score runs. Mainly due to the white ball not doing anything, fielding restrictions etc.

In test cricket the red ball does a whole lot more and for way longer periods. Captains could also set whatever field they want.

Carty looks like the new Hope too... test cricket is not for them and the numbers show that.

In reply to natty_forever

yuh reckon the groundsmen nowadays in the region capable of that??.....for eg no matter what format Providence does not tend to produce a great surface!

In reply to CCW

ODI is geared towards entertainment and favors batsmen more than bowlers. In addition the rules have been modified quite a bit to accommodate that premise over the decades.

In reply to anthonyp

You have hit it out of the park. Go to the head of the class. I had the same conversation with a former national player and USA captain and that was his take also and am in agreement even though it's possible that there are other factors at work.

In reply to anthonyp

Once you have the ability you can adjust.it just takes work ...David Warner came thru the t20 route to become an all format great!!

In reply to CCW

And to date did he show this ability?

Don't know why you guys keep bringing up Warner... did Warner average less that 25 after 78 test innings? Isn't that enough to tell you he does not have what it takes to be a successful test player?

Why some of yall so delusional?

Any ball which comes into Shai Hope from off stump and moving to leg sharply will give Hope trouble. Fundamentally, he is afraid of the lifting ball aimed at his armpits therefore he finds himself fending off these balls with one hand on the bat. This looks so ugly.

It means that any ball in this general direction will open him up. In test cricket, a captain can set a field to back this sort of bowling (leg gully included). So instead of getting behind the ball, because of his inate fear of getting hit, he plays away from his pads with a predomiinantly offside bias. He is happy remaining legside of these and does not get behind the ball.

Any good bowler and captain will quickly spot this weakness. In short, any ball which moves inwardly sharply that starts on off stump (in particular a lifter) will trouble Shai. He treats these balls as missiles fired at him.

I have always been an admirer of Shai (recommended that he be fast tracked to the West Indies side) but he has remained awful in test cricket. This is a basic flaw which by now, any serious coach could have rectified.

Sha Hope needs to pick up these balls early and develop a good pull short for the short ball aimed at his armpits...wrist work there is important.

In reply to anthonyp

well i haven't given up HOPE lol!!!!

Here's a question for all.

How did Hope look in the Barbados test before being teefed out?

In reply to TanteMerle

Very good, like I said, he played 2 shots and I had my money worth. This is coming from a person that had not seen a test in Donkey years.

Anytime Shai Hope gets a rising ball to his armpit/ribs he looks very ordinary and awkward.

Who is it that played the test match, West Indies or Shai Hope?

In reply to tc1

We can continue to blame Tom, Dick and Harry, but it is up to the players to work on their game.

You cannot have the same flaws for your entire career without working on them.
Jason Holder can spend 4-5 hours playing golf; some of that time should be spent straightening his left leg.

Kraigg returns every year with the same crab approach to batting.

Seymour Nurse prepared for Australia by working from Sunrise to Sunset for weeks in preparation.
Bobby Simpson wrote in his book, I felt sorry for the youngster as he walked to the crease, as his innings progressed, I felt sorrier for my bowlers.
In Seymour's short career, he scored a double against Australia and a double against New Zealand in NZ.

You can only get better from good practice, perfecting your game.

In reply to TanteMerle

Hope looked pretty piss poor against Seales, Phillips and James in the Bim/TT match at said Kensington during the FC season where the plan to have a seaming pitch backfired on Barbados badly. I said before that Hope would probably reconsider his test career after this series. We have exchanged batsmen averaging 20 something for batsmen averaging in their teens. Sammy tried a thing and it failed. It means that the entire top order is once more vacant

In reply to PalsofMine

Not quite...i think King deserves a run!

In reply to PalsofMine



No way Sammy is going to switch up on the players so easy. Chopping and changing after one series is not a sustainable plan. We have to give these guys one more series at least.

In reply to openning

You are right, he has the physical ability to be a great but this is a mental thing. You have to work on your weakness until you cry and more

In reply to CCW

Starc, Cummins & Boland already did ..

In reply to voiceofreason


So why drop Carty for the 1st test and off the t20 team altogether?

In reply to methodic


Even in an era of the game where short pitched bowling is severely restricted, compared to days gone by, he still struggles mightily to deal with it.

Not sure where you get the “great” thing from.