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Bravo blow for West Indies’ tour NZ

By Neil-Monticelli Harley-Rüdd

Dwayne Bravo
BNeil-Monticelli Harley-Rüdd
BNeil-Monticelli Harley-Rüdd

Romario Shepherd will replace former West Indies skipper Dwayne Bravo in the T20 International (T20I) squad due to tour New Zealand next month.

Shepherd, 25, who made his international debut last year against Afghanistan, has played five One Day Internationals (ODI) and just two T20 Internationals.

Trinidadian all-rounder Bravo was ruled out of the touring party, scheduled to depart the Caribbean on October 27, because of a groin injury.

The 37-year-old two-time T20 World Cup winner, sustained the injury on October 17 during the Indian Premier League (IPL) match, playing for the Chennai Super Kings. He has returned to his native Trinidad and Tobago for rehabilitation.

The Windies, defending ICC T20 International World Cup champions, are to tour New Zealand from November 27 until December 15.

They are pencilled in to kick off with a trio of T20Is, followed by a pair of Test matches as part of the ICC World Test Championship.

Shepherd explained: “This is a great opportunity for me, and I want to take it with both hands.

“I was in the team last year and earlier this year, so I’ve a good feel of the game at this level. I’ve been training hard and working on all areas of my game so I’m ready.”

With Trinidad & Tobago batsmen Evin Lewis and Lendl Simmons and Jamaican all-rounder Andre Russell, opting out of the West Indies tour of New Zealand, Cricket West Indies (CWI) named two squads, with the notable omission of Barbados batsman/wicketkeeper Shai Hope from the Test squad.

Hope, who has hit just one half-century in his past 13 Test matches, is talented as he can bat, bowl and keep wicket. 

The stylish 26-year-old screamed of desperation to be recognised as part of the Windies’ future when he toured England recently.

He thwarted the England attack with a steady knock of 31 in his final innings of the tour, which seems to have impressed compatriot and Test captain Jason Holder.  
 
The Test squad welcomes back left-handed batsmen Darren Bravo, Shimron Hetmyer, and all-rounder Keemo Paul.

Bravo, 31, who hit his highest Test score of 218 seven years ago, has played some 50 Tests and more than 100 One Day International matches (ODI). 

Hetmyer, 23, made his Test and T20I debuts in 2017 while 22-year-old Guyanese Paul was one of 10 reserve players for the 2019 World Cup.


Russell misses the chance to reach his half-century of T20 International (T20I) appearances next month. The Kingston-born ace has only ever played a single Test, against Sri Lanka in 2010, but from his 49 matches in the T20I competition, has hit more than  1,000 runs and taken 70 wickets.

His compatriots have been named in the Test squad, Jermaine Blackwood and John Campbell have been names in the Test squad and five Jamaicans are in the T20I squad – namely, Fabian Allen, Sheldon Cottrell, Brandon King, Rovman Powell and Oshane Thomas.

Blackwood, 28, was a stand-out at the crease during the seven-week summer tour of England. He opened his account with a swashbuckling knock of 95 that helped secure success in the opening Test. However, the imposing 6’5” right-hander produced a more subdued performance in Manchester with 55, and finished off his adventure with two gritty innings in the forgettable final Test.

Left-hander Campbell, 26, looked dangerous at the wicket with promising knocks in the warm-up matches, but when it came to the crunch he failed to pile on the runs. Yet, he is a valuable asset with his nifty right-arm off-spin.

Allen, 25, is an all-rounder who despite being a right-handed batsman is a slow left-handed bowler. He made his T20I debut against India in 2018.

Cottrell, 31, is a left-arm fast-medium bowler who was the Windies’ leading wicket-taker at the 2019 World Cup, with a dozen dismissals in nine matches.

Batsman King, 25, made his T20I debut for the Windies against Afghanistan in November 2019.

All-rounder Powell, 27, was the captain of the Windies’ ODI against Bangladesh in 2018 and in the same year was named among 10 players to watch by the International Cricket Council.


Thomas, 23, was voted Cricket West Indies (CWI) 2019 Emerging Player of the Year and was in the Windies’ Test reserve squad for the June and July tour to England.

Experienced wicketkeeper-batsman Andre Fletcher, 32, has been recalled to the T20I squad following a two-year hiatus. He is the younger brother of former Grenadian sprinter, Sherry Fletcher.

Barbados all-rounder Kyle Mayers has earned a maiden call-up for the T20I squad, his performances for the Barbados’ Tridents in last month’s Caribbean Premier League caught the eye of the CWI Selection Panel.

Holder, the world’s no.1 all-rounder, has been retained as Test captain for the New Zealand tour. The Windies who have won just seven of the last 20 Tests and languish at world no.8 in the ICC Test ranking, are set to play two Test matches and a trio of T20I against the Kiwis.

Roger Harper, CWI selector and a former all- rounder explained that an expanded squad of reserves would be included in keeping with the new safety protocols regarding the coronavirus pandemic.

Guyana-born Harper said: “The structure of the tour with the COVID-19 quarantine period doesn’t give the team any real opportunity for match practice, but there are a number of experienced players in the team so, hopefully they can adapt quickly.

“In the build-up to the ICC T20 World Cup, every T20I series is an important opportunity to fine-tune the team, to get our personnel, our compositions and combinations right. “For our players to become more attuned to their roles and the team to have a greater understanding of what works best in each situation. So, this is a very important series for us from that perspective and also in an effort to improve our ranking.”

Windies Test squad
Jason Holder (captain), Jermaine Blackwood, Kraigg Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Shamarh Brooks, John Campbell, Roston Chase, Rahkeem Cornwall, Shane Dowrich, Shannon Gabriel, Shimron Hetmyer, Chemar Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Keemo Paul, Kemar Roach.

Windies T20I squad
Kieron Pollard (captain), Fabian Allen, Sheldon Cottrell, Andre Fletcher, Shimron Hetmyer, Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Rovman Powell, Keemo Paul, Nicholas Pooran, Romario Shepherd, Oshane Thomas, Hayden Walsh Jr, Kesrick Williams.

New Zealand v West Indies provisional tour
Schedule
November 27
1st T20I

Eden Park, Auckland
November 29
2nd T20I
Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui
November 30
3rd T20I
Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui
December 3-7
1st Test
Seddon Park, Hamilton
December 11-15
2nd Test
Basin Reserve, Wellington
By Neil-Monticelli Harley-Rüdd