The selection of a trio of West Indies veteran player, Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, and Fidel Edwards to an 18-man squad that recently began preparations for the upcoming World Cup has been met with very strong resistance in some quarters.
For some, the inclusion of these players, to a preliminary squad, mind you, is an indication that the Cricket West Indies selectors have staggered upon the unwise path of stifling abundant youth talent. On closer inspection, however, it's hard to see how anyone looking to substantiate that particular claim could possibly do so.
At ages of 41, 39, and 37, there is no disputing the fact that Gayle, Edwards, and Bravo are no longer in the prime of their careers. What is, however, it seems, in doubt, at this particular moment in time, is whether their contributions can still rise to the level of helping the West Indies attain its ultimate objective, in this case winning a third World Cup.
With that in mind, what CWI has done by calling these players is give them the opportunity to prove the degree that the aforementioned contributions can still rise to, and it's hard to argue against that, reasonably anyway.
As for the case of leaving talented young players out of the mix, and this point was made expertly by the team’s captain Kieron Pollard, many of those players have had ample opportunity to prove their value to the West Indies T20 team.
Between the end of the 2016 ICC World Cup, which was won by the West Indies, and the most recent T20I series against Sri Lanka, the West Indies have played 20 series. In many instances, the squad consisted of a mix of young players with some senior players. During the period, the team lost 11 matches, won 8, and drew 1, which precipitated a massive slide down the T20I rankings table to the team’s current position of 10th.
The losses weren’t all the fault of newer players but given the opportunity to step into the limelight and make the squad their own, they failed to do so. Some did, and we can take note that the likes of Nicholas Pooran, Evin Lewis, and a few others have been called to the current squad.
During that time, Gayle played 6 matches and Bravo played 5. Between them, the duo boasts a number of T20 records and have captured two World Cups, surely, we can’t be arguing that all that experience should be shut out or not be given a chance to prove their value simply based on the date printed on their birth certificates.
Dr. Donovan Bennett defeats Billy Heaven in JCA Presidential election
Dr. Donovan Bennett is the new president of the Jamaica Cricket Association after defeating Wilford ‘Billy’ Heaven at Thursday’s elections at the 20th JCA Annual General Meeting held at the Jamaica Conference Centre in Kingston.
Bennett, who served as JCA vice-president for 11 years, is set for his first term at the helm after a 67-30 victory.
Heaven served as JCA president for the last 10 years and was seeking a fifth term.
New Zealand take unassailable series lead after hard-fought victory over Pakistan
Pakistan slumped to a four-run defeat at the hands of New Zealand despite the efforts of Abbas Afridi and Fakhar Zaman.
The Black Caps took an unassailable 2-1 lead in the five-match T20I series, thanks in the main to Tim Robinson (51) and bowling duo William O'Rourke (3-27) and Ben Sears (2-27) on Thursday.
Set a target of 179 to win, Pakistan looked on their way to victory when Fakhar Zaman got going, but he was eventually dismissed on 61 by Sears.
Abbas took three wickets in New Zealand's innings, yet he could only contribute a single run to Pakistan's cause as the hosts fell just short in Lahore.
Data Debrief
Shadab Khan did not bowl a single delivery for Pakistan, which is the first time that has happened in a completed T20I innings.
He did take an exceptional catch to dismiss Mark Chapman, but it was not enough to inspire Pakistan.
IPL: Kohli and Patidar star to snap RCB's losing streak
Royal Challengers Bengaluru ended a six-match losing streak in the Indian Premier League by claiming a convincing 35-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Bengaluru still sit bottom of the standings, but have reason to cheer after Virat Kohli's 51 and Rajat Patidar's 20-ball 50 got the job done in style on Thursday.
Cameron Green chipped in with a useful 37 as RCB reached 206-7 from their 20 overs, and the Australian then took 2-12 with the ball as the Sunrisers failed to get going.
Shahbaz Ahmed top scored for Sunrisers with 40 not-out, but it was not enough as they only mustered 171-8 in response.
Data Debrief
Thursday's match marked Jaydev Unadkat's 100th in the IPL, and though he finished on the losing side, he did take a memorable three-for to celebrate the occasion.
It was Unadkat who dismissed Kohli, Patidar and Mahipal Lomror, finishing with figures of 3-30.
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