West Indies Cricket Fans

Googley wrote:There is no experience in this team to guide the youngsters/new comers. The veteran Shiv Chanderpaul is a master at that! Plus, the man is in top form, so why hasn't he been brought back?

Exactly. Misbah and Younis playing for Pakistan and the idiots in the wicb sent Chanderpaul running to Lancashire where he is better appreciated. Shiv is much better than most of these youngsters.

Powell out for 33. Five down.

Unfortunately I have a sinking feeling that the 2 debutants have been goat mouthed by the great one, AfCrow! Lets hope that curse wear off quickly!

Tea 143-5

Chase 47
Dowrich 27

Hey AFRO, Powell made 33, his average, and so is good for selection for the next next couple of series.

Chase gets his half century. Well played young man.

Applause for that dowrich half century too.

Yasir with a double strike. Chase out for 63. Dowrich out for 56.

mikesiva wrote:One down already. Kraigg out for one.

Poor Hetmyer. It was too early for him to face an attack of this calibre. Two down. He has only played 18 first class matches.

Shai Hope out for two. His test average of 17 declines further.

Singh out for nine. Afro now do you see why I was comparing their first class averages to Samuels?

Lunch 71-4.

I asked you what Samuel's scores have been in the last two or three test series?!!!..needless to say SILENCE is his only response!!..i wonder why?

And judging debutants on the evidence of one innings is plain stupid and vindictive. Barath scored a ton on his debut in Australia...what happened to him?

These new guys aren't Don Bradman!!..we know that. But they deserve much more than one f#cking innings to prove themselves. The one who could be in danger is Hope. He's a very talented yute but having played quite a few tests already he's got to start showing that he can cope at this level otherwise he will be next on the chopping board.

All in all it was a very good fightback, in the end, it's just a matter of getting as much runs as we can tomorrow and then our attack needs to step up as this pitch appears to have something for the bowlers.

From where WI were, 244-7 at the close of play on the first day of what could turn out to be a series of tussle between the sides represents a reasonable recovery given the loss of early wickets. For all his form this season, Singh should not bat ahead of Chase ... at this early stage of his career. To my mind he should drop down one place in the order for the next game if selected ... and beyond any doubt he should be selected.

I would set the remaining batters a stretch target of amassing 350 from here, beyond that would be a bonus given the way the innings has gone. By close of play tomorrow we will know whether this first day 'platform' will have enabled West Indies to start day 3 on an even keel in the match.

I note also the relative discipline with which the Pakistan bowlers operated!; the only extras conceded were leg-byes. From a Windies perspective, a mindset for Bishoo would be to stay at the wicket in support of Holder who must reset himself and get settled in to bat as long as possible. Minimum requirement MUST be for these two to be together when the new ball is taken. If Bishoo manages to stick around for Holder to get to get to 50 by playing sensible Test match cricket; then Holder should endeavour to do the same for Bishoo.

There is NO NEED to hurry, and any late order rally in this first game will give the Pakistanis reasons to ponder on things for the remainder of the series.

As far as the selection of batters goes (barring injury to anyone) Darren Bravo for Hetmyer (for now) is one selection change I would make. Yes, it would mean that he (Bravo) will be playing under lots of pressure but hey a focussed Bravo is needed as an attacking threat to the opposition bowling lineup.

AfCrow, there needs to be some criteria to selecting batsmen, and the criteria has to be that they're better than the batsmen they're replacing. Too often, you fools in the WICB select players on a wish and a guess!

Dropping Shiv was sheer stupidity....

And when you replace Samuels, who's averaged 36 in his FC career, with batsmen who are averaging 32-35 in their FC careers, then these scores are hardly a surprise. Especially when all three of these batsmen under-performed in the just-concluding PCL. Instead, the fool-fool selectors pick this trio, whose only runs were against a rusty Pakistan side trying to get used to conditions, on some ridiculous theory that they will reproduced those runs when the Pakistanis are more serious and better prepared.

Well, Powell, Singh and Hetmyer all scored runs in the President's XI, but none could manage a half-century between them in the first innings. And picking Shai Hope, who averages 17.15 in Test cricket....

The fightback is being done by bowling allrounders, who are batting better than the top order batsmen!

Bishoo out for 28...eight down.

Holder gets his half-century...well played, young man.

Alzarri out for a duck. Nine down....