Would the West Indies A side have done better?

With a few of the leading players missing from the current WI test XI due to IPL commitments or through injury or through not being selected to play on this tour, would this alternative West Indies XI below have done any better in the first innings of this Lords Test Match ?

1) Chris Gayle (captain)
2) Devon Smith
3) Brendon Nash
4) Ramnaresh Sarwan
5) Dwayne Smith
6) Kieran Pollard
7) Dwayne Bravo
8) Carlton Baugh (wicketkeeper)
9) Jerome Taylor
10)Ravi Rampaul
11)Sunil Narine

No.

Gayle >> Powell
Devon Smith << Barath
Nash < K Edwards
Sarwan < Darren Bravo
Dwayne Smith << Chanderpaul
Pollard = Samuels
Bravo = Sammy (Controversial, but Sammy is a better bowler and not that much worse a batsman in this form of the game)
Baugh = Ramdin
Taylor ? Gabriel
Rampaul < Roach
Narine ? F Edwards

We don't know what Narine can do in Tests. It may be good, it may not. I actually think Pollard could make it, but he hasn't played. Devon Smith and Dwayne Smith were both truly woeful Test players.

As I have said before I would like Gayle, Sarwan, K Edwards, Darren Bravo, Chanderpaul, Pollard/ Dwayne Bravo, Ramdin/ Baugh, Sammy, Rampaul, Roach, F. Edwards as a first choice XI for this pitch. That is at least 7 players who are on the current tour.

Shelsey93 wrote:No.


Nash < K Edwards
Sarwan < Darren Bravo
Dwayne Smith >> Chanderpaul
Pollard = Samuels
Bravo = Sammy (Controversial, but Sammy is a better bowler and not that much worse a batsman in this form of the game)

I don't agree with you that Brendan Nash is a worse batsman than what Kirk Edwards is in the test match format of the game. Also, Sarwan can be as good as what Darren Bravo is currently whilst your belief that Dwayne Smith is a far better batsman than Chanderpaul is one that is laughable. As for Sammy being a better bowler than Bravo, that is just plain nonsense as Bravo is a more effective bowler than what Sammy will ever be.

Gayle v Brathwaite/Powell/Smith/Barath/anyone else, Gayle wins hands down!.
One other among them can open along side him though, and on strictly current form, it could be Powell, although I have the feeling that Kraigg Brathwaite, ones he adds a few more shots to his game, could be a good partner for Gayle.
Ramnaresh Sarwan has had his days, but I think consistency has never been his strong point, and the kind of form he was in at the time of his dropping was terrible, and Kirk Edwards has done alright in his short test career so far.
Sarwan bats mostly 3 and Nash lower down the order, and in a head to head between Darren Bravo and Nash, I think the younger man would make it only just at this point of time. Nash again, wasn't in the greatest of form when he got the axing.
Chanderpaul, there can be a head to head with players of previous generations, no one, no one from the present set of players can stand anywhere close to him.
Dwayne Bravo vs Samuels/Deonarine/Pollard. Think as a better all-round package, decent batsman, effective bowler, terrific fielder, Bravo wins this one.
Wicket keeper is a dificult choice, both Ramdin and Baugh are not that good, until someone better comes along, now its Ramdin's turn, at least age is in his favor.
Darren Sammy vs Andre Russell. For me its Russell. He is a better bat, pretty decent fielder, and is a propper FAST bowler. In fact he's good enough already to bat 7, any day better bat than Baugh, Ramdin and Sammy. Jerome Taylor would have been a choice, but yet again he's been injured almost for a year and out of the game.
Ravi Rampaul would make it, has improved a lot as an opening bowler, regularly getting movement both ways, and bowls at a lively pace. Can expect some stickability and some strong lower order hitting as a batsman.
Kemar Roach. The best upcoming fast bowler from the WI, seems to have recovered from his dip in form in 2011.
Devendra Bishoo/Shane Shillingford/Sunil Narine. Shillingford had a fine series against Australia, Narine seems to have a lot of tricks and Bishoo is real quality. The WI can even field 2 of them together in certain conditions.

The 2 Smiths are good for nothing in test cricket, and WI can very well forget them both.

gboycottnut wrote:

Shelsey93 wrote:No.


Nash < K Edwards
Sarwan < Darren Bravo
Dwayne Smith >> Chanderpaul
Pollard = Samuels
Bravo = Sammy (Controversial, but Sammy is a better bowler and not that much worse a batsman in this form of the game)

I don't agree with you that Brendan Nash is a worse batsman than what Kirk Edwards is in the test match format of the game. Also, Sarwan can be as good as what Darren Bravo is currently whilst your belief that Dwayne Smith is a far better batsman than Chanderpaul is one that is laughable. As for Sammy being a better bowler than Bravo, that is just plain nonsense as Bravo is a more effective bowler than what Sammy will ever be.

Dwayne Smith verdict was an error now corrected, sorry. Nash was just about proven out of his depth at Test level whilst Edwards averages 50. Sarwan was dropped for good cricketing reasons initially, and Bravo's performances in the sub-continents suggest he is a better player than even an in-form Sarwan. It is strange how players suddenly get better when they're not in the team.

Yet more hype over Chris Gayle.

The man is a decent Test cricketer, nothing more. He averages mid 30's in England yet many would have you believe that the Windies would be all conquering if he were in the team. It really wouldn't make that much different, he is as susceptible to the swinging ball as the next man.

Fists, that is exactly the point, the man is a decent test cricketer, most of the WI team are not. His replacements are half as good as Gayle is. He was ousted for political reasons, and it has nothing much to do with attitude and all that nonsense.

Fists of Fury wrote:Yet more hype over Chris Gayle.

The man is a decent Test cricketer, nothing more. He averages mid 30's in England yet many would have you believe that the Windies would be all conquering if he were in the team. It really wouldn't make that much different, he is as susceptible to the swinging ball as the next man.

Gayle may be a decent cricketer, but he can bring something to the west indies batting that none of the current top 3 can bring to the team and that is adventurous batting calypso cricket style.