Straight Drive

  Considering that  Trinbago Knight Riders had three of the greatest T20 players of all time, it is no surprise that they went undefeated even  though cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties. Keiron Pollard, Sunil Narine and Dwayne Bravo have made  most of the greatest T20 11s  that are assembled by reputable cricket analysts. When you add Lendl  Simmons and Darren Bravo into that mix, it is overwhelming formidable compared to the rest of teams that participated in the competition. The advantage of playing at home as well can not be overemphasized as they were far less troubled by wickets that were not conducive to good T20 cricket. In addition, the Trinidadian players are far more competent at playing spin  as Darren Bravo and company showed.  Maybe the least important factor is the fact that  Keiron Pollard is a proactive captain with invaluable experience. As he showed, there were some games that were not straight forward and he led th...

  Roston Chase could be a  top T20 player for the West Indies in the future. T20 cricket is not just for the big hitters but for batsmen who are technical sound. Virat  Kohli, Steve Smith and Kane Williamson are all outstanding players in T20 . Chase, I believe falls into that category, not in terms of productivity or stature but style.  These are batsmen with good technique that lay the foundation at the top of  the innings in T20. Roston Chase is the joint leading run scorer for the St Lucia  Zouks with 171 runs. He has 6 important wickets and he is a very good fielder. His all round qualities are ideal for the T20 game. In addition, he is a good player of both pace and spin. I don't believe that players should be confined in a box . Therefore, Chase should not just be perceived as a Test and ODI player.  Chase is a player that has always shown his skills and adaptability.  Roston Chase is a quality player and should continue to broaden his port...

  A feature of all good batsmen is their ability to pick up the length of the bowler quickly and position themselves to play the desired shot. I was reminded how good  Hetmeyer is and how early he picks up the length of the bowlers, both pace and spin, and positions himself to play attacking shots all around the wicket. His two half century knocks were well executed even though the bowling might not have been the strongest. He always has so much time to play his shots and the way he uses the crease when playing the spinners in particular is a thing of beauty. I saw glimpses of of Lara.  He is a serious talent that should be surrounded with the right people. Too many West Indies batsmen men that shone in their youths have unfulfilled careers. He was certainly missed in England. Maybe Hetmeyer could be that potential world class player that West Indies has lacked since the retirement of another Guyaneese, Chanderpaul.  He has leadership qualities too. Afterall, he was ...

 Seeing Pakistan Mohammad Rizwan kept wicket in England's first innings so immaculately, I pondered the question. Who is the best wicket keeper in the West Indies? Watching Rizwan was a show all by itself, the way he came up to the stumps to the fast medium bowlers and collected the ball with great ease. He caught supremely to the spinners too, Joe root dismissal was a brilliant catch.  Who is the region best gloves-man? A young Ramdin was very impressive. He kept well for years but his batting deteriorated . He did not seem motivated as he should. Although, his batting improved a bit when he was made captain. I am disappointed that he didn't fight back for his place when he was dropped. Is he still our premiere wicket keeper? Shane Dorwich keeping has come under the spotlight recently as he struggled to collect the ball as it wobbled past the wicket. The Shannon Gabriel delivery that hit Dorwich in the face was ugly. It highlighted the challenges that Dorwich faced particular...

Yes, Nicholas Pooran has not played enough first class games. However, his cricketing intelligence and his ability to score runs quickly all around the wicket off pace and spin should be enough for Roger Harper to consider him. His evident skill-set, great technique and his average close to fifty in O.D.I are other attributes. As such, i am hereby opening a petition for  Pooran. Jermaine Blackwood was the leading run-scorer for West Indies on the recent England Tour and that is by no accident. He was looking to score when he got to the wicket. It was attack first and defence second. These are the cricketers that West Indies need. Let it  be absolutely clear, i am not advocating for carelessness and recklessness. I am advocating for a shift in culture of the West Indies test team. It appears that the policy is to defend first and then batsmen get caught up in a defensive hole that they cant play themselves out of.   Then,  a good ball comes along which tend to ha...

Any batsman that is not willing to put his body on the line for the West Indies  should not be playing for the team. The humble surrender of the West Indies side is simply pathetic. To see batmen hopping around like frogs was simply comical, Dorwich simply didn't want to get in line to the England bowlers. He sat back and was LBW again. Braithwaite dismissal in the second innings was ugly, again trapped in-front staying back to Broad. There were soft dismissals right through the innings. Jason holder continue to say that he has confidence in these batsmen. However the West Indies top order needs immediate purging. Hope, Campbell and even Kraigg Braithwaite need to take a rest. Hope has been failing for years in test cricket and the selectors and captain continue to be loyal to him. Campbell simply don't seem to be up to the task and after 60 tests Kraigg Braithwaite is yet to convince me that he is a proper opening batman. Opening batsmen should should be brave and commanding. ...