By Reds (Perreira) and Tony (McWatt)
The 2021 edition of the Hero CPL, which started August 26, with all matches being played at the Skitts & Nevis Warner Park due to the continuing effects of the ongoing COVID Pandemic, is now well underway. The added significance of this year’s tournament, now in its eight edition since its inaugural 2013 season, is that it was supposed to have presented the West Indies selectors, Chairman Roger Harper and his panel, with a final opportunity to look at the performances of players in consideration for their inclusion to the West Indies 15 member squad for the October 17 – November 14, 2021 ICC World Cup in the UAE.
As opposed to providing Harper and his panel with clear-cut confirmations of their apparent preordained choices, with a few new additional options for consideration, however, the CPL matches played to date may now have created “more questions than answers!”
Prior to the start of this year’s CPL, the West Indies had completed 12 of an initially scheduled 15 T20 matches that was subsequently reduced to 14, again as a result of COVID-related issues. Based on the team selections and actual performances in those completed matches, the following appeared to have emerged as the West Indies’ most likely preferred World Cup starting XI:
1.Evan Lewis. 2. Lendl Simmons 3. Shimron Hetmeyer/Chris Gayle. 4. Nicholas Pooran (Wktp.). 5. Kieron Pollard (Captain) 6. Jason Holder. 7. Andre Russell 8. Fabian Allen. 9. Dwayne Bravo 10. Haydn Walsh 11. Obed McCoy.
The ICC’s specification that each of the 16 participating teams would only be allowed to select 15 member tournament squads from which their final playing XI’s would have to be chosen, would have left the West Indies selectors with only three remaining places to decide upon. The established tournament guidelines do, however, also allow for the participating teams to determine how many player reserves they would like to have included within their total squad allocations of players and support staff.
Again based on the evidence provided by the preceding T20 matches the considerations for the three remaining positions appeared to be revolving around 1. The backup/wicketkeeper; 2. A third spinner and 3. An extra all-out, shock attack, genuinely quick pace bowler. For which the apparent incumbents and/or leading contenders would have been Andre Fletcher/Shai Hope; Akeal Hosein/Sunil Narine and Sheldon Cottrell/Oshane Thomas respectively.
In terms of newly emerging contenders for any of the 15 available spots, after the first 13 matches had been played and at the time of the tournament’s September 2nd break, St Kitts Patriots’ Sherfayne Rutherford, Jamaica Tallawah’s’ Kennar Lewis and arguably, possibly, the St Lucia Kings’ Royston Chase, were the only three players who by their performances seemed to be sticking their hands up for the selectors’ consideration. Rutherford scored three half-centuries in his first three innings and after six matches had amassed an aggregate of 176 runs at a 58.66 average.
The burly Lewis’ statistics after his first four innings were equally impressive. 160 runs at an average of 40 with one half-century. Chase for his part had amassed 190 runs at a 63.33 average with one half-century in his first five innings.
While the performances of Rutherford, Lewis and Chase would have registered on the radar screens of Harper and Co., their presence would have drawn far less attention than those of some of the aforementioned, pre-ordained, “sure picks.” Of these, the greatest source of concern would be Lendl Simmons’ glaringly obvious and horrendous loss of form. Simmons’ tally after five innings, as an opening batter for the Trinbago Knight Riders, was an appalling 46 runs at a most miserly average of 9.20!
Chris Gayle’s abysmal returns to date, only 68 runs from three innings batted at an average of 22.66, would also have certainly reignited the intense debate over the merits of his inclusion to the squad. His having appeared in only three of the Patriots’ six matches played to date, would also have raised further questions about his fitness.
As the supposedly pre-ordained number 6 in the anticipated West Indies World Cup Final XI, Jason Holder’s 2021 CPL batting stats to date are, unbelievably, even worse than Simmons ‘or Gayle’s. Forty four runs from five innings, at an 8.80 average.
Holder’s performances with the ball haven’t been that great either. Only three wickets, captured at a whopping average of 54.33 from 18 overs bowled, and at an alarming 9.05 economy rate.
Holder’s worrying bowling statistics should not now be the only source of concern for Harper & Co., Haydn Walsh Jr., who, along with Obed McCoy had been an indisputable star performer in the previous played T20 matches, was wicketless after having bowled only four overs in as many matches in this year’s CPL.
Overall, perhaps as a direct result of the relatively small-sized Warner Park as the tournament’s venue, the majority of the aforementioned, anticipated, West Indies T20 World Cup bowlers have been recording relatively high economy rates. To date in addition to the previously mentioned bowling stats of Holder and Walsh Jr., Dwayne Bravo has captured eight wickets at a 9.49 economy rate; McCoy six at 10.14; Andre Russell four at 9.07 and Fabian Allen four at 7.88
Of the bowlers who also would appear to be in contention for spots on the squad, the statistics for Hosein and Narine were the most impressive to date. Six wickets apiece at economy rates of 4.50 and 4.95 respectively.
Among the pacers, Sheldon Cottrell’s stats were five wickets at an 8.18 economy rate. Thomas, bowling as quickly as ever before, had for his part taken four wickets at a comparatively impressive 6.58 economy rate.
The bowling surprise of the 2021 CPL to date has been that of Ravi Rampaul. Making his return to the CPL after several years of absence, Rampaul has so far led the defending champions Trinbago Knight Riders’ bowling with 13 wickets captured at a paltry 10.84 average, and at a 7.29 economy rate.
With the likes of Gayle (41), Bravo (37). Simmons (36),Kieron Pollard (34), Narine (33), Russell (33) and Cottrell (33) all now being considered, if not already selected, despite their respective advancing ages, the 36-year-old Rampaul by virtue of his performances to date must surely have added his name to the list of those in contention for World Cup T20 2021 selection. That being as it is, perhaps this year’s West Indies 15 member World Cup Squad should simply be viewed as predominantly a Final Farewell excursion.
The West Indies T20 World Cup squad is expected to be announced on or before September 9, by which time eight more matches would have been played after the September 3rd, second break. Plenty of opportunities for players to still state their respective claims for seats on the flight to the UAE!
About The Writers:
Guyana-born Reds (Perreira) has served as a world-recognized West Indies Cricket Commentator for well over fifty-years now, having made his debut broadcast during the 1971 West Indies-India Test Series.
Guyana-born, Toronto- based, Tony McWatt now serves as Canadian Cricket’s Media Relations Manager and as Publisher of Wickets: Canada’s Monthly Online Cricket Magazine. He is also the only son of the former Guyana and West Indies wicket-keeper batsman the late Clifford “Baby Boy” McWatt.
