CRICKET, LOVELY CRICKET.
I love Test cricket. As in absolutely LOVE it. Don’t get me wrong; I have come to accept that the shorter formats have their place and benefits. In my humble opinion, those benefits are not primarily geared towards the actual game itself, but that’s another conversation entirely. For now, I am focused on the return to our Caribbean shores of cricket’s oldest, purest, and most hallowed format of the game. WI have 1 win and 2 draws in their last 5 games; Bangladesh counts just a solitary victory. On that statistic alone form seems to favour the hosts, especially since it was achieved hosting England. Add to the mix the fact that injuries and personal commitments have combined to weaken the opposing line-up. Surely, the hosts must now start as clear favourites, right? Never forget, my friends, that cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties.
TO PLAY, OR, NOT TO PLAY: THAT IS THE QUESTION.
The WICB selectors have offered up their chosen 13-man squad for the first test, Kemar Roach included after a fitness assessment. I confess to having a hearty dislike for drama and controversy in my life – I avoid such like the plague. Hence, I will not delve into whether or not these are the best possible players to represent our proud cricketing heritage. My purpose here is to simply proffer my starting 11 if the choice lay at my feet. Bear in mind that I lay no claim to expertise in this field; this is indeed my very first attempt. Contrary views and alternative opinions are welcomed with open arms. To guide my process, I will assign the 13 squad members into different categories:
GUARANTEED STARTERS – Brathwaite, Blackwood, Campbell, Bonner, Mayers, Da Silva, Joseph, Roach, Seales.
ON THE BUBBLE – Thomas, Reifer, Motie, Phillip.
Now, we move on to the method behind my musings.
LOGICAL DECISIONS.
Brathwaite, Blackwood, and Bonner are the 3 top run scorers in Tests for the WI over the past 12 months. The home skipper has also been in stellar form during the Regional 4-day Championships. Roach and Seales are the host’s 2 leading Test wicket-takers in the same 12-month period, with Mayers sitting in third. Mayers also scored 210 against Bangladesh in 2021, while Da Silva’s last test knock was an unbeaten maiden hundred. This pretty much locks in these 7 gentlemen. Joseph must play as the most natural replacement in the squad for the absent Jason Holder. Campbell is the only other specialist opening batsman in the squad and will partner his skipper once more. He might be on borrowed time, however, as Chanderpaul and Solozano both staked their claims in the tour match. Their good form cannot go unrewarded much longer.
PERSONAL CHOICES.
In their last match at this venue, Bangladesh were bundled out for their lowest ever Test score. Roach was key to that performance, but his hamstring may not survive a heavy workload. I would opt for Reifer to present a left-handed option together with Seales’ pace, Joseph’s bounce, and Roach’s experience. With Mayers’ uncanny knack for picking up wickets, these 5 to me give the WI a well-rounded seam attack. The need to limit Roach’s overs means that the others will have to shoulder more. As such, my preference would be the spin of Motie to give the quicker men enough rest. The Guyanese wizard has been in fine form in the regional tournament and has earned a test debut. This leaves Thomas and Phillip on the side lines – for now. Thomas keeps on getting runs domestically and Phillips has already become part of the white ball WI squads. It is not too far fetched to expect either or both to receive a test debut sooner rather than later.
Zaheer, was this selection a lucky guess?