Bravo needs to come back to Test cricket

guardian.co.tt
The West Indies cricket team continues to struggle because we are lacking a fifth bowler in the current set up.

Against England, this was clear and although we were able to win the second Test in Barbados with four frontline bowlers, the problem again reared its ugly head at Windsor Park in Dominica during the current Test.

With the Australians tottering on 178 for eight, Denesh Ramdin had to resort to 22 overs of Marlon Samuels because he did not have the luxury of a fifth bowler. The result—Australia added 140 runs for the last two wickets, to effectively take them out of the Test.

Time and time again over the past few years, the West Indies has been able to get through the top and middle order of opposition only for its bowlers to tire and the team’s lower order to prosper.

This could point to two things, either the bowlers are not fit enough or the quality does not allow for four men to topple opposition regularly. Whatever the reason, I see the need for a fifth bowler who can bat and this brings me to the point of Dwayne Bravo, who I think made a very hasty decision to retire from Test cricket.

The selection of Jason Holder to the Test team has actually opened up the gates for Bravo to return. The selectors can now choose two out and out fast bowlers, add Holder and Bravo as allrounders and also play a spinner because Holder and Bravo can give you runs.

Bravo averages 31.42 with the bat and 39.83 with the ball which is enough evidence to tell me that at the age of 31 years, he still has a future in white clothes.

Also I would like to see Lendl Simmons back in the fold. Let me make it clear that I am not being insular with my comments. Simmons has proven that he can take on the best and make runs.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is T20 cricket and nothing to judge Test cricket on but cricket is a “confidence” game and the men he beat up in the IPL, he would have the confidence to deal with in Test cricket.

Simmons is another one of those players who made a hasty decision to quit Test cricket. Why not play all three formats? He is already involved in the limited-overs and T20 formats for the regional team.

Why do men think that they have to choose among the three formats. David Warner has shown that once you are good, you can play all three and prosper. West Indies coach Phil Simmons is making the right decision to go meet with the IPL men and hear from them.

This is a good move and I sincerely hope that Simmons can reason with these guys and get them on board. The T&T Cricket Board (TTCB) must also get involved here and the president Azim Bassarath needs to get both Bravo and Simmons together for consultation.

I recently wrote an article that Bravo is having second thoughts about his retirement from Test cricket and a director from the WICB told me he should stay right where he is now. This is utter foolishness and we will reach no where if men in position continue to be arrogant.

Currently, I think that we are destroying the career of a very promising young man in Shai Hope. He is being used as an opener and he is not cut out for this role. He has shown just how prolific he can be in the middle order for Barbados. This is Test cricket and we need to have specialists in specialist positions.

Another factor that I think is working against us, is the rush to include youth. While this is good with the future in mind, I think that they should be phased in and not rushed in. If you rush them in, soon you will be rushing them out.

Experience to me is everything in Test match cricket, so while you blood a young player, you must have the vintage men around to mould them.

I saw someone wrote that the West Indies can go for youths because they have a very experienced management team. While having an experienced unit working with the guys is great, we have to understand that they don’t take the field with them and this is the key.

The Australians have shown the way in terms of introducing young players to the fold.

They have to work and prove their worth, like what we did with Brian Lara, who carried drinks for two years before getting in.

During the first Test you had a guy Adam Voges making his Test debut after having played 160 First Class matches.

He had to wait a decade probably because the team was so good and hard to break in, or the standard of the Sheffield Shield was excellent.

We in the region need to continue striving to fix our team and when we settle, then and only then the results will come.