By David Jackson
The West Indies will face South Africa in an ODI series, followed by a T20
series, as part of the tour which is in progress in South Africa. The ODIs will
take place on the 16th, 18th, and 21st of March, while the three T20Is will
be on the 25th, 26th, and 28th of March.
In the ODIs, Shai Hope will play his first series as captain, with allrounder Rovman Powell
as the new vice-captain. In the T20Is, Rovman Powell will perform the role of captain
and will be supported by a new vice-captain; allrounder Kyle Mayers. Experienced
fast bowler Shannon Gabriel has earned a recall to the ODI squad on the back of his
performances during the CG United Super50 Cup last year. He was the joint leadingwicket
taker, spearheading the Trinidad & Tobago Red Force bowling attack, taking 15
wickets in seven matches at an average of 14.2. There are still some concerns over his
fitness. Fitness seemed to be an issue plaguing our fast bowlers. Left-arm pacer Obed
McCoy has been named in the T20I squad but is subject to medical clearance while
another fast bowler Anderson Phillip was not considered for selection as he is not yet
match-fit. Fast bowler Jayden Seales was not available for selection following a knee
injury and subsequent surgery.
The full ODI squad for the series is: Shai Hope (Captain), Rovman Powell (Vice
Captain), Shamarh Brooks, Yannic Cariah, Keacy Carty, Roston Chase, Shannon
Gabriel, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Kyle Mayers,
Nicholas Pooran, Romario Shepherd, Odean Smith.
The squad for the T201s is: Rovman Powell (Captain) Kyle Mayers (Vice Captain), Shamarh Brooks,
Yannic Cariah, Johnson Charles, Sheldon Cottrell, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein,
Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Obed McCoy, Nicholas Pooran, Raymon
Reifer, Romario Shepherd, Odean Smith.
A notable omission from the T20 squad is Guyanese middle order batsman, Shimron Hetmyer. Nicholas
Pooran would be playing without the burden of captaincy and would now
be able to focus more on his batting. I think the selectors did a reasonably
good job in the selection of the ODI squad. The squad includes seven
capable batsmen (Jason Holder included), three spinners, including
Roston Chase, and five pace bowlers: Shannon Gabriel, Alzarri Joseph,
Romario Shepherd, Jason Holder and Odean Smith. Shepherd, Smith,
Cariah and Joseph can also contribute significantly as lower-order
batsmen. Brandon King is expected to open the batting with Shai
Hope, and Brooks will probably occupy the no. 3 position. Nicholas
Pooran is expected to serve as the second wicketkeeper in the
squad.
I am not that impressed, however, with the T20 squad. What is
the purpose of Ramon Reifer in the squad? Surely not to perform
the role of a no. 3 batsman. Kyle Mayers will no doubt open the
batting with Johnson Charles. Brandon King is likely to occupy
the no. 3 position. Brooks may come at 4, followed by captain
Powell at 5, Holder at 6 and Roston Chase or Yannic Cariah at
7. Romario Shepherd, Odean Smith, Akeal Hosein and Obed
McCoy or Sheldon Cottrell should complete the batting order.
Where does Reifer fit it? Personally, I would have preferred to
see Sherfane Rutherford or Carlos Brathwaite included in the
squad, rather than Reifer. Both Rutherford and Brathwaite are in
great form. Is it that they did not make themselves available, or
were not considered, due to their involvement in franchise T20
tournaments? And what exactly is the issue regarding Shimron
Hetmeyer?
One disappointment for me is the non-inclusion of Evin Lewis.
His omission, however, does not surprise me. Lewis has not been
in good form lately. I do hope he works out what issues he may
be experiencing and return to great form. Chairman of selectors,
Dr. Desmond Haynes noted in an interview that the selectors, by
selecting the T20 squad, are looking to form a cohesive unit by
selecting the players who they believe can form the nucleus to
build towards “doing very well and challenging” in preparation
for the hosting the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in June 2024.
Evin Lewis has proven in the past to be one of those players who has
proven in the past to be a great asset to the team. He is one of
the few players with two or more centuries in T20s, and at age
31, has over six-plus years’ experience in this format of the game.
He has four centuries in ODIs and ten half-centuries in each white
ball format.
But what are the chances of West Indies in these two series?
How prepared are they to compete against South Africa in South
Africa? It should be noted that West Indies are ranked 10th and
7th respectively, in the ICC ODI and T20 rankings, compared
to South Africa who are ranked 6th in ODIs and 4th in T20Is.
South Africa are at home where they often do quite well, and
with the advantage of crowd support and their familiarity with
pitch conditions, they will therefore prove to be a major challenge
for West Indies. Additionally, West Indies has not been doing well
in either format for some time now. Their humiliating exit from
the ICC T20 tournament in November last year must be fresh in
the minds of the players, and one only hopes they can at least be
competitive against South Africa for both series.
Death bowling continues to be one of the main areas of weakness
for the West Indies, and there MUST be significant improvement in
this area if West Indies are to do well against South Africa. The area
I am mostly concerned about, however, is the batting. The middleorder
batting Especially, is great cause for concern.
Rotation of strike and building partnerships is extremely important.
Attacking batsmen like Kyle Mayers, Johnson Charles, Rovman Powell, and Nicholas
Pooran must put more value on their wickets and avoid reckless strokeplay. While it is important
to keep the scoreboard ticking and thus maintain a healthy run rate, it is equally important to avoid
losing wickets too early, which would undoubtedly give the opposing team the advantage.
Both series should be quite entertaining
and West Indies fans across the region are
expected to eagerly look forward to seeing
the team battle it out in the middle. Let me
end by wishing the West Indies’ success in
both series.
Rallyhard fans of the West Indies.