EDITOR’S CHOICE

‘I’m heading to the IPL’: Brian Lara says cannot blame WI players for preferring IPL to national duty

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Legendary batter Brian Lara feels that West Indies cricketers cannot be faulted for preferring lucrative T20 franchise leagues around the world, like IPL, to national duty, saying playing the game these days is also about “making a living”.

One of the reasons of West Indies’ decline, especially in Test cricket, has been the advent of T20 franchise cricket, with a handful of the Caribbean stars choosing to chase lucrative deals around the world instead of representing their nation in red-ball cricket.

“For an 18-or-19-year-old to say, ‘I’m heading to the IPL’, or, ‘I don’t care about West Indies cricket’… It’s not just his fault,” Lara told Sen Sportsday.

“(About) 40 or 50 years ago, you may have been driven or motivated by playing for your country. But the sport today is about playing and making a living, so we have to make sure that that is part of the whole deal that we are selling,” said the former captain who is here as team mentor for the two-match Test series against Australia starting on Wednesday.

Lara admitted the difficulty on the part of the West Indies Cricket Board (CWI) to compete with lucrative franchise leagues around the world.

“We’ve got to face the facts. The franchise cricket that is being played around the world, it is very difficult for the West Cricket Board to compete with such lucrative opportunities that our cricketers have.”

He said it would be difficult to change the mindset of the current crop of players, and so the West Indies Cricket Board must try to instil the next generation the importance of representing their part of the world on the global stage. He said that push must be made in underage cricket and at schools.

“It’s impossible to do it with a present crop. I think we’ve got to go and get that into the schools and into the age group cricket before we bring them out on the international stage,” he said.

“I think we’ve got to, first of all, try to hold on to the young ones, the teenagers. We need to get them to understand what West Indies cricket means and how we can protect it,” he added.

The batting legend said it was crucial for West Indies cricketers to develop a sense of loyalty to the Caribbean team.

“I just think that we have not sold what West Indies cricket means to us as Caribbean people and why you should be playing for the West Indies – that’s the first thing we need to do.

“That’s what Australia has done. Australia don’t just pay their cricketers more or England pays their cricketers more … they develop that sort of loyalty to the sport in their country and that’s what we have not done,” he said.

‘Gambhir Pivotal in Retention of Andre Russell and Sunil Narine’: Tom Moody Reacts to Retention of Star West Indies Duo

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Former Australia all-rounder Tom Moody has stated that Gautam Gambhir was pivotal in Kolkata Knight Riders retaining Andre Russell and Sunil Narine for the 2024 season of the Indian Premier League.

There have been several rumours regarding which players the 10 franchises will release. Rumours were rife that Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will release their iconic all- rounder Andre Russell ahead of the auction.

However, KKR on Sunday retained West Indies Russell and Narine along with Anukul Roy, Harshit Rana, Jason Roy, Nitish Rana, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rinku Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Sunil Narine, Suyash Sharma, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy, and Venkatesh Iyer.

Russell joined KKR in 2014, while Narine joined in 2012 and both of them have been mainstays in the team since then.

“They both have been phenomenal cricketers for KKR and are really a part of their. I feel that Gambhir has been quite pivotal in the retention of Russell and Narine. Gambhir understands them, he’s played with them, he’s captained them and he’ll be able to get the best out of them,” said Moody to ESPNcricinfo.

However, Moody also revealed their hesitation regarding Russell’s physical condition instead of his performance. Russell scored 227 runs in 14 matches while picking seven wickets for KKR in IPL 2023.

“I think we’ll see a different outcome in 2024 with regards to what Russell brings to the table. The only hesitation I have is not skill. It’s whether he can hold together physically because we’ve seen him break down on a couple of occasions over recent years and it’s been quite alarming. His bowling has been pretty limited as well, and they haven’t had the access to his full quota of overs,” Moody added.

The IPL 2024 mini-auction is scheduled for December 19.

‘It’s about playing as a team and getting success’ – Rovman Powell dedicates series win against India to Caribbean people

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Brandon King rose to the occasion in the series decider between India and West Indies at Lauderhill, Florida. King scored a match-winning 85*(55), helping West Indies crush India by eight wickets and win the series 3-2.

Chasing 166, West Indies were rocked early by Arshdeep Singh. However, Nicholas Pooran and King then took the game away from India, stitching 107 runs for the second wicket.

Pooran was dismissed for 47(35) by Tilak Varma, which was also his maiden international wicket.

West Indies T20 captain Rovman Powell dedicated Sunday’s 3-2 T20 International series win over India to the fans, lifting spirits after many lows in West Indies cricket over the past year.

Chasing 166, West Indies were rocked early by Arshdeep Singh. However, Nicholas Pooran and King then took the game away from India, stitching 107 runs for the second wicket.

Pooran was dismissed for 47(35) by Tilak Varma, which was also his maiden international wicket.

Earlier, the West Indies, led by the impressive Romario Shepherd, put in a strong bowling performance to restrict India to 165 or nine.

The T20 series gave the hosts the last laugh after India won the two-match Test series 1-0 and the three-match One Day International series 2-1.

Powell said, “It is difficult to put words to it. Adjectives are inadequate in describing how we feel. The guys are elated, it is a big series. You mentioned all the stuff that is going on in West Indies cricket so it is a very big series for us to beat India at home.

“Last night after we got defeated badly by the Indians we sat down and had a meeting as a team. We not just playing for ourselves; we are not just playing to put smiles on our faces as players, but we are playing for the people of the Caribbean and they are longing for something nice.”

Kyle Mayers finally breaks Silence On Animated Spat With Virat Kohli Spat during LSG vs RCB match

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While the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) match between the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) caught the eyes of the world, another moment that did not go unnoticed was the RCB legend’s animated chat with Kyle Mayers. 

Even after the match, the members from both parties took to social media to take an indirect dig at each other. It was too obvious that they did not accept each other’s aggressive behaviors even after the match.

West Indies’ Kyle Mayers, with whom Kohli had an animated chat, talked about the former India captain’s aggressive behavior. He praised the former RCB skipper for showing aggressiveness during a recent interview with Fan Code.

In a recent interview with Fan Code Kyle Mayers talked about Virat Kohli and the most precious wicket between to Indian great batsmen Kohli and Rohit.

“Question – Among Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, which one would be your most precious wicket?”

“Virat Kohli. Any bowler would like to get out Kohli, he’s one of the best players across formats” said Kyle Mayers on Fancode.

While talking about his banter with RCB star batter Virat Kohli in IPL 2023 season he replied:

“Question- You had a little bit of banter with Virat Kohli in the IPL, what do you think of his aggression in the game?

“I think it’s great sometimes you know you need to get out the opposition, you know if you need to create any chance anything you could and possibly get out of the game. You know but yaa being aggressive is also good you know it shows courage and willingness to get the team cross the line,” Mayers said.

Something happened during LSG’s innings between Virat Kohli and Naveen-ul-Haq; as both exchanged heated words between them. After the match, Kohli and Mayers fought over something and they were interrupted by Gautam Gambhir.

Gambhir took Mayers away from Kohli and both started going in opposite directions. But they must have said something while going which led to that infamous Kohli-Gambhir fight.

Kohli seemed to have repeatedly mouthed: “Did I tell you anything.” While Gambhir reportedly said: “Now you will teach me?“

The incident sparked major controversy as both Kohli and Gambhir were fined 100% of their match fees. Naveen was also given a 50% penalty. Mayers and Kohli are said to have had a war of words with each other after the LSG star’s dismissal.

“We are looking at various plans as we try to find the right combinations” Desmond Haynes said on the inclusion of Thomas and Hope

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Shai Hope, wicketkeeper-batsman and captain of the ODI team and Shimron Hetmyer, as well as Oshane Thomas was recalled as the Cricket West Indies (CWI) Senior Men’s Selection Panel announced a provisional squad for the five-game T20I series against India, which begins on Thursday (March 3 August) begins.

From West Indies’ last T20I squad, which won 2-1 in South Africa in March, the selectors have left out Shamarh Brooks, Raymon Reifer, Yannic Cariah and Sheldon Cottrell.

Lead selector Desmond Haynes said in a press conference that Cariah and Cottrell were in the selectors’ conversations, but they chose the “express pace” of Thomas and were content with just two spinners in the squad: Roston Chase and Akeal Hosein.

Haynes also request the ground staff in the Caribbean to prepare pitches with more purchase for the fast bowlers going forward in T20Is, so that West Indies will have an advantage over certain teams at the T20 World Cup.

Hetmyer last played a T20I in August last year and returned to the ODI fold only recently, after being left out of the ODI World Cup qualifier in June.

He had earlier been left out of the white-ball set-up because of form and fitness issues. Hetmyer recently played two T20s for runners-up Seattle Orcas in the inaugural Major League Cricket MLC in the USA.

Hope, the West Indies ODI captain and star batter in the format, also returned after over a year, having last played a T20I in February 2022 in India.

He has played only 19 T20Is, striking at 121.11 with a poor average of 17.88. His last T20 was in the previous PSL for winners Lahore Qalandars.

Among the returnees, Thomas’ absence was the longest. He had been out of the T20I set-up since December 2021.

On picking just two spin options in the squad, Haynes said, “We didn’t go for a legbreak-googly bowler for these games. We’re still trying to find the right combination because we would like to know that we have got a T20 team that can be very competitive. Playing at home in the T20 World Cup, we’d like to be very, very competitive. Akeal Hosein has been very good for us in the T20 games and Roston Chase has also done well, and we thought we’d go for the offspin option this time and also with Akeal.

“In that way, we are quite happy, but in these T20s, we decided to look for a combination where we would like to get a little bit of pace. Apart from Alzarri [Joseph], we don’t really have express pace, so we thought let Oshane have a look-in as well. We’ve got Obed [McCoy] who can swing the new ball and bowl a lot of varieties.”

These five T20Is against India will be played across the Caribbean and the USA. After the series starts in Tarouba on August 3, Providence will host two games on August 6 and 8 before the teams fly to Lauderhill in Florida for the last two games on August 12 and 13.

West Indies squad for T20I series against India: Rovman Powell (capt), Kyle Mayers (vice-capt), Johnson Charles, Roston Chase, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Shai Hope, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Obed McCoy, Nicholas Pooran, Romario Shepherd, Odean Smith, Oshane Thomas

‘It’s just more intent’ – Romario Shepherd makes a striking impression

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Shai Hope led from the front as West Indies beat India by six wickets in the second ODI at Barbados to get back on level terms in the three-match series.

The Windies skipper scored an unbeaten 63 off 80 balls, while Keacy Carty chipped in with a crucial 48* off 65 balls to help West Indies complete the 182 chase in 36.4 overs.

Earlier, Shardul Thakur scalped three, while Kuldeep Yadav picked one wicket to raise India’s hope in the low scoring encounter. West Indies were equally impressive with the ball as they folded India for 181 in 40.5 overs after opting to field.

Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan placed India in a strong position by adding 90 runs for the opening wicket.

However, the innings completely collapsed after the partnership broke. Gill was the first man to depart for 34(49).

Alick Athanaze then grabbed a stunner to get rid of Ishan Kishan for run a ball 55.

Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, and Sanju Samson fell for single-digit scores.

Romario Shepherd was named after the Brazilian footballer, one the greatest strikers in that sport. Shepherd was born in Linden. Tall, strong and muscular, Shepherd towered over other boys during age-group and regional cricket.

He has a big presence in the middle and there are no half-measures with him. He was always meant to be a cricket allrounder.

On Saturday, Shepherd towered over India’s IPL stars, taking career-best ODI figures of 3 for 37. He took out Ishan Kishan, India’s new No. 4 Axar Patel, and Ravindra Jadeja to help dismiss India for 181 and fashion West Indies’ first ODI win against India in almost four years.

His List A economy rate of 5.49 is more acceptable, and though Jason Holder is also prone to leaking runs at the death, he offers West Indies greater control in the powerplay and middle overs.

“It was just more intent,” Shepherd said after the innings. “I just tried to run in hard and hit the pitch because when you hit the wicket, you get something out of it. So, that was in my bowling plan and especially to some of the Indian batsmen, I don’t want to get too full to them. When I came in, I got a wicket and set the tone. Basically, the guys started to push a bit and then we get another wicket that put pressure back on them.”

Shepherd toasted West Indies’ fightback and his own spell in the second ODI.

“It’s a big job from me,” Shepherd said after West Indies won by six wickets. “Basically, against a big team like India… it doesn’t matter whatever team they put out on paper, India always have some great batsmen in their line-up. So, to get my best figures against India was a great feeling for me.”

“I think our bowling is the side we need to work on a bit more, especially because it’s going to be a batting wicket there in Trinidad, so whoever bowls well is going to get the victory,” Shepherd said. “In Trinidad, the wicket is flat and there is nothing in it for the bowlers and we’re expecting a great game.”

In such conditions, West Indies will need Shepherd, the six-hitter, to turn up as well, if they are to surprise India once again.

AB de Villiers opened up on West Indies’ decline in the cricket world – Read More here

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West Indies’ downfall in the game has taken the cricket world by shock and disappointment. West Indies have been performing poorly in international cricket for quite some time now and they reached a new low last month when they failed to qualify for the upcoming World Cup.

Several former cricketers including the likes of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir openly expressed their disappointment over West Indies cricket’s present situation.

In the wake of the disastrous failure to qualify for the World Cup, the cricketing world has been busy discussing the possible reasons behind it. Many believe that there is a lack of passion and pride among the current West Indian players while representing the team.

In recent years, several big names from the Caribbean have decided against playing for the West Indies in order to play franchise cricket.

However, former South Africa star AB de Villiers does not disagree with the reason.

Speaking about West Indies’ situation in cricket, the South African AB de Villiers stated that even the mighty Australian side of the late 90s and early 2000s faced plenty of turmoil, but it did not affect their performance on the field.

He also suggested that the West Indies team should be abolished, and individual islands should be given associate member status by the ICC.

“I don’t agree with that tweet at all. I don’t think the issue for the West Indies has anything to do with passion or pride. Look at the 90s, the early 2000s – the mighty Australian team. I know for a fact that they never really got along well. There was a lot of turmoil in that environment, in the change room. Not a lot of players liked each other,” AB de Villiers said on his YouTube channel.

“I know it because I have spoken to some of the players that were there at that time. But look how they performed on the field. It had nothing to do with pride or passion or whether they were best friends or not. The minute they stepped across the boundary rope, they made it happen. The fire just got turned on,” AB de Villiers added.

Speaking further, AB de Villiers opened up on West Indies’ decline in the game. The former cricketer urged West Indies to put behind their differences and play as a team.

“In my opinion, the West Indies need to pull together as a team. I don’t know if the issues are from the top or from the grassroots level or whether there’s maybe just not enough talent at the moment there,” he said.

“Pride of playing for West Indies has to be brought back” – West Indies legends Gordon Greenidge and Joel Garner

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The legendary Gordon Greenidge and Joel Garner know the feeling of winning a World Cup. They were part of Clive Lloyd’s invincible outfit that lifted the trophy in 1979, beating England at Lord’s.

For those who have seen the glory days of West Indies cricket, the sight of them missing the bus to ICC World Cup 2023 was deeply painful.

When PTI News reached out to the legendary duo, the feeling of disappointment was very evident after the West Indies failed to qualify for the 50-over World Cup in India.

“See! I don’t watch too much cricket these days, especially the white ball ones. Earlier a West Indies defeat used to hurt a lot but now it doesn’t that much as our standards have fallen over the years.

“But yes, a World Cup without the West Indies is quite unimaginable. We have no more depth to hit,” Greenidge told PTI  News.

The view of the 72-year-old former West Indies opener Garner’s words.

“We are not what we were, right! Earlier, there used to be a lot of pride in playing for the West Indies. It was our motivation. Now, the young players are getting more attracted to T20 leagues. No blame on them as everyone looks around for security,” said Garner.

“Our generation also did not get too much money; it came mainly from County cricket. But now this generation of cricketers has many avenues to earn, and they cannot be blamed for using them. The pride of playing for the West Indies has to be brought back,” added the 70-year-old Garner.

When the West Indies failed to enter the Super 12 of ICC T20 World Cup 2022, then Cricket West Indies president Ricky Skerritt had promised a thorough investigation and revamp.

But going by the recent occurrences, nothing much has evolved since. Understandably, Skerritt is disappointed.

“It is deeply disappointing to see West Indies missing a World Cup berth. It is utterly frustrating considering the lofty legacy our cricket has,” he said.

So, what is the way forward for the West Indies to regain their pomp?

“I have always said that we need to pick the right teams, ensure availability of the best players for big tournaments and practice games ahead of them. It assures cohesion.

“It assures that we remain competitive and if you are not competitive enough then the big teams might not be interested in playing against the West Indies. Crowd will stay away from the stadiums. We will go down the pecking order. It should not happen,” he notes.

His words hold a lot of truth in them as West Indies’ preparation for the World Cup qualifiers was bordering on the doltish.

It has been often said that former players are not actively involved in the development of cricket in the Caribbean, leaving the young cricketers with no one to look up to.

“We are around. We are willing to help. But there has to be a proper definition of roles as clarity in communication is very important. I don’t think there is any scarcity of talent in the West Indies.

“But we need a proper system to keep the young players motivated and focused. It is an effort to be made by all the stakeholders, not just by one section or one person,” said Garner.

“It has to be kept in mind that West Indies cricket is bigger than individuals – look into you; make an honest effort,” added the legendary pacer.

‘There are lot of issues’: Ian Bishop and Carlos Brathwaite reflect on the elimination of West Indies from CWC Qualifier campaign

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The elimination of the West Indies from the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 on Sunday (July 1) left the cricketing world in shock.

It is worth mentioning that this will be the first time when the ODI World Cup will be played without the mighty West Indies.

The pain of the defeat and missing out on the ICC event was clearly visible on the faces of the Caribbean players.

Former West Indies cricketer and currently a part of the ICC commentary panel, Ian Bishop’s “This is gut-wrenching” on air remark after the loss against Scotland further echoed the anguish.

Following the heart-breaking defeat against the Scottish side, Bishop discussed and reflected on the issues that led to the downfall of West Indies in international cricket alongside Carlos Brathwaite.

“It’s been written and signed. It’s been a dramatic fall from grace for the former two times winner of the Cricket World Cup, two time World T20 champions. Nothing has worked for them be it change of captain, change of coach, change who you want, the results have still gone against what was expected,” Bishop told Carlos Brathwaite in a post-match conversation posted by the ICC.

“West Indies are a full member nation. They must have come with a high hope but the group stages were disappointment in the level of performance certainly in the field and with the bat, it begs the question is it an acceptable level by the West Indies’ display,” he added.

Brathwaite responded to Bishop by saying that the West Indies were not convincing from the very first match of the tournament against the USA and that they somehow managed to pull it over in their Favour.

The veteran Caribbean all-rounder Brathwaite further highlighted how West Indies have been continuously failing to perform and qualify in the major events for the past few years.

“It has been a long time coming. We missed out on T20 World Cup last year. There has been troubles in the past but this is the lowest you can go. They got over against USA but they didn’t managed to roll them over or even bowl them out. It wasn’t clinical enough. As a result the same attitude then transpired and it became worse as they went on,” Brathwaite told Bishop.

“They got found out against Netherlands and Zimbabwe, who were more professional opponents. Raza and Ryan Burl made them pay and then against Netherlands they were paid for their low standard. Against Scotland they bolted, and this is the end result,” he added.

On being asked about the reason behind the average performance by the Men in Maroon from Bishop, Brathwaite stated that not backing players and looking for new faces to represent the nation is one of the major issue that is causing trouble in the team.

“There are lot of issues. Sherfane Rutherford, Oshaine Thomas and Fabien Allen were in the 2019 World Cup team and four years later you are looking for a new crop. You can’t continuously do that.” Brathwaite replied Bishop.

“It worked really nicely” – Alick Athanaze reveals his conversation with Brian Lara

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Alick Athanaze made a memorable debut for West Indies in the final ODI against UAE at Sharjah. After bowling out UAE for 184, West Indies chased down the score in the 36th over with the debutant scoring 65 off 45 balls.

After the experienced Johnson Charles was dismissed early, Alick Atanze took his time and played some delightful shots. His 65 was down to the application he showed with the bat.

After the game, the debutant spoke about his interaction with West Indian batting legend Brian Lara. He said that the conversation influenced him to perform with the bat.

“For me, it has been really good. Basically, what we spoke about was judging lengths and trying to get ahead of the bowler. It worked really nicely, and I got myself into some good positions and it was really good to bat out there tonight” Athanaze said after the game.

He further spoke about feeling nervous when he walked out to bat but getting the initial runs eased him up.

“It was a really good experience [on debut]. [I] haven’t batted much in the night, so it was a first for me actually. But normally that’s how I play in the powerplay – I always look to get the team off to a good start” said Alick as he played his part in West Indies winning the series 3-0.

Athanze played in the U-19 World Cup in 2018 and was the highest run-getter with 418 runs in six matches. India’s Shubman Gill was the second-highest run-getter with 372 runs in six matches.

The youngster is not a part of the ICC World Cup qualifiers for West Indies but is expected to play the home series against India. He further spoke about team management, especially coach Darren Sammy.

“The team did really, really well. One thing the captain stresses about is always improving and as you saw right throughout the series, we improved – not just on the batting but fielding as well and bowling. As a young player, it’s always good to be in a winning team and it gives you the confidence to go out and express yourself” Athanaze concluded saying.