Since his recall in Dec 2013, Paint's been averaging 57.
And remember, Paint is 22 years old. Blackwood is 23 years old. Given how well these youngsters are doing, why not throw Shai Hope into the next game instead of Smith? We know Devon Smith is the biggest waste of time since Dwayne Smith (why did we select him in the first place?), so why not play Hope instead of Smith? Even if Hope fails, that's okay. When he first made the West Indies team as a teenager, Brathwaite made six ducks. That bombshell made him toughen up. Why not let Hope face some fire the same way?
What's most impressive about Paint is that he seems to tighten up his technique and fix whatever problems resulted in his dismissal in the previous innings. He shows the ability to learn and learn fast.
Darren Bravo, in contrast, KEEPS GETTING OUT THE SAME WAY. Bravo's problem is too much technique, too much rigid style, and an unwillingness to be shifty, scratchy, look ugly and move about. He plays like a robot, with stuff arms and hands. He needs to move about more, be looser, be more instinctive, and get deeper into or move across his crease every now and then. He's overthinking everything and is almost neurotic.
Right now, West Indies' biggest problem are home pitches that are flatter than a Guyanese woman's buttocks. Our batsmen can only function on low, slow pitches, and in this series have been feasting on 4th and 5th day tracks that have no bounce. Right now, we have a team that can only cope in Asian and West Indian conditions. Most of them will struggle in English, African, NZ and Aussie conditions.
And of course these pitches breed bad pace bowlers at home and so a crappy pool of bowlers for international selection. Aside from Bishoo and Taylor, all our bowlers have been unimpressive. Holder, though he's criticised on this forum, consistenly maintains an economy rate of about 2.5, so he's pretty tight even if he doesnt take wickets.
