DHAKA, Bangladesh, CMC – Hendy Springer has given Darren Bravo and Shane Shillingford the passing grade for their performances on the West Indies A-Team tour of Bangladesh, which ended on Wednesday.
Bravo, a left-handed batsman, is the younger brother of West Indies all-rounder and vice-captain Dwayne Bravo.
The 20-year-old Bravo enjoyed a rich vein in both the three-nation One-day competition that also involved South Africa-A and the hosts, as well as the unofficial “Test” series against Bangladesh-A.
Bravo was the leading batsman on the A-Team trip, and plundered 314 runs all told, including an unbeaten century during the limited-overs tournament, and 102 and 37 in the first “Test”.
This earned him a recall to Chris Gayle’s side for the next two matches in the senior team’s ODI home series against the senior South Africa side, which continues on Friday and Sunday at Windsor Park in Dominica.
“He has played well,” said Springer in a telephone link-up with the CMC Sports Wire. “He looks like a guy who has matured over a short period of time.
“But my assessment of him is that he still has a lot of work to do as far as his game is concerned.”
Springer said: “It is good that at such a young age, he could be so prolific on an A-Team tour. He is obviously in the process of serving his apprenticeship, and has played for the West Indies at various levels. I hope he goes from strength to strength.”
Shillingford, an off-spinner, who hails from Dominica, and was one of the trump cards for A-Team captain Travis Dowlin.
The 27-year-old Shillingford was the second-highest wicket-taker in the three-nation series (behind teammate Nelon Pascal), with 11 wickets at 17.00 runs apiece, and an economy rate of 3.90 in the five matches he played.
He also collected nine scalps at 19.88 in the two “Tests” to be the visitors’ leading bowler, and appears to have placed him on the verge of a maiden call to the senior side for the three-Test series against the Proteas next month.
“Shillingford bowled well,” said Springer. “He started off well in the One-day games, where he was both economical and good enough to get some wickets, and put some pressure on the opposition.
“He has played for a number of years in regional cricket, and if you look back at his record, he’s been among the main wicket-takers for a number of seasons, so this was just the next step.”
Springer also recognised the hard work of the fast bowlers in the sides. He noted that conditions were not favourable, yet they persevered.
“They put the work in, and they got the rewards for their effort,” said Springer. “It is good that with the conditions more conducive to spin bowling, we had a few fast bowlers who put the effort in, and were successful.”
The A-Team travels to England next for matches against country opposition, as well as the England Lions and India-A, against whom Springer expects the players to show similar or higher levels of improvement.
“There was some improvement for us on this trip,” he said.
“Remember, some of the guys that played against Zimbabwe did not come on this trip. Some had to return to school, and some are part of the initial intake of the High Performance Centre.
“There was a major improvement in the mental approach of the players. It was totally different, and they entered matches believing that they could do well.”
He concluded: “In England, we want to win, but also improve. This could all come into being with the quick acclimatisation of the players, since the guys against whom we will be playing have already been playing in conditions, which are quite unfamiliar for us.”
In Bangladesh, West Indies A played unbeaten to reach the final of the Tri-Nation Limited Overs series before losing in the final to South Africa A. They beat Bangladesh A in the opening four-day “Test” to clinch the two-match series 1-0.
