West Indies last played a One-Day International (ODI) almost a year ago – February, 2020 to be precise – against Sri Lanka. They are set to battle against Bangladesh in the early part of January 2021 on a bilateral tour there to resume their ODI pursuits.
The squad, which toured Sri Lanka, saw the recall of Darren Bravo, who was subject to exile up until that point; it also saw the reappearance of fit-again players, Rovman Powell and Fabian Allen. However, the exclusions of Shimron Hetmyer and Evin Lewis, who were deemed unfit for that tour, were major talking points.
They eventually lost that series 3-0, however, as time elapsed, Hetmyer proved his fitness; Bravo and Powell, on their return to international cricket, looked a shadow of their old selves, while Lewis has hardly played any top-flight cricket outside of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) which was played during August/September.
Chris Gayle and Andrew Russell were also absentees from the tour and it remains to be seen whether they are part of West Indies’ future plans.
It, therefore, makes for an interesting job to select an ODI side ahead of the Bangladesh tour in the absence of any practical instrument – the 50-over regional tournament – to assist in identifying the form players. The regional 50- over tournament will be contested after the players return from Bangladesh in February. To make matters worse, the tour, according to Cricket West Indies Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Johnny Grave, will comprise of 25 players for the two Tests and three One-Day Internationals, which may suggest that a few players may be overlooked because of the logistics.
Nevertheless, a squad has to be named and the selectors have to, in my mind, select a squad that is reflective of the ICC 2023 50-over World Cup in mind.
The certainties are clear. Kieron Pollard is expected to lead while the core of the batting; Lewis, Hope, Hetmyer, and Pooran, are the obvious options. There are no question marks there. But with Lewis’ return imminent, the Chief Selector will have to ponder on Brandon King’s presence in the squad. King, thus far in his international career, hasn’t done enough to inspire a lot of confidence. He’s only played four one-day internationals with a highest of 39.
However, in T-20s, where he got more opportunities, one can reasonably say that he has a lot of work to do in order to perform at the international level. Chandrapaul Hemraj may be a better option at this point as the backup opener and he also gives Pollard the option of having a handy left-arm spinner around the squad.
The rest of the squad seems pretty settled. Incumbent, Roston Chase, by virtue of an automatic pick in the test side, could easily retain his spot in the 25-man squad for the test and one dayers.
Meanwhile, all-rounders Jason Holder, Keemo Paul, Romario Shepherd, and Powell, should be retained along with pace spearhead Sheldon Cottrell. However, spinner Hayden Walsh Jr, because of the configuration of the tour, may be overlooked for someone like Veerasammy Permaul, who should be the first-choice spinner for both formats for the tour. Russell, if he’s committed to West Indies cricket, should be one of the first on the team sheet of Chief Selector, Roger Harper.
Possible test side: Kraigg Braithwaite, John Campbell/Shayne Moseley, Darren Bravo, Shamarh Brooks, Roston Chase, Rahkeem Cornwall, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Jermaine Blackwood, Nicholas Pooran, Romario Shepherd, Veerasammy Permaul, Kemar Roach, Shannon Gabriel, Chemar Holder/Alzarri Joseph.
One day inclusions: Evin Lewis, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Shai Hope, Kieron Pollard, Keemo Paul, Rovman Powell, Sheldon Cottrell, Fabian Allen, Alzarri Joseph, Andrew Russell
