Philip Hackett

Powell has been on the sidelines since the tour of New Zealand that ended early this year and it was somewhat surprising when he was named in a squad of 15. Banks last played for the West Indies over a year ago when the team, weakened by the impasse between the WICB and the WIPA, toured Sri Lanka. Banks, touted as an all-rounder, took five wickets in two matches and averaged 14 with the bat.
 
In the 2005-06 Carib Beer Series Banks took 18 wickets at 33 each, the most by a Leeward Islands player and averaged 30 with the bat in the four matches he played.  That was apparently enough to earn him a recall. In the same tournament off spinner Ryan Austin took 26 wickets at 24, leg spinner Rawl Lewis 30 at 18 each, another leg spinner Mahendra Nagamootoo took 25 at 29 per wicket. One Test wonder, off spinning all rounder Gareth Breese took 20 at 24 each.  Left arm spinner Dave Mohammad, who has also been selected for Pakistan, was the chief wicket taker with 45 scalps at 14 runs a piece.

So what makes Banks the best pick alongside Mohammad?  The selectors have obviously not lost faith in the potential they spotted when he was originally selected to play against the touring Australians a little over three years ago.  His ten Tests so far have yielded 318 runs at 26.50 and 28 expensive wickets at 49.82 each.

Mohammad, presumably the first choice spinner since he was selected to play against India in the home series this year, has played three Tests spread over three series and has taken seven wickets at 61 each.

Banks is 24 and Mohammad 26. Both are young enough to provide hope that there is time for improvement. However the performance of the English spin pair of Shaun Udal and Ashley Giles does not provide much encouragement for Banks and Mohammad.  When England toured Pakistan a year ago Udal, a right arm off break bowler took three wickets in three Tests at 92 runs each.  Giles, the left arm spinner who was England’s first choice slow bowler before being hit but injury several months ago, took a similar number in two Tests at 82 each.

Maybe the West Indies selectors are seeking their inspiration from the success of the South African left arm spinner Paul Adams who picked up ten wickets in two Tests in Pakistan three years ago or the Sri Lankan left armer Rangana Herath who captured eleven in a similar number of matches two years ago.
 
Another West Indies spinner Rawl Lewis, whose consistency with bat and ball has been superior to any other spinner in the Caribbean over a prolonged period, could consider himself unfortunate to be omitted from this latest bout of recycling. Having worked himself; back into favour with the selectors for the tour of New Zealand it took just 29 overs for them to decide he is no longer worth the effort. Lewis has now played four Tests, one in Pakistan, two in South Africa and one in New Zealand spanning a period of nine years. Somehow our selectors find this an appropriate means of measuring his value.

So what will be different this time? Given the negative attitude to spinners it is unlikely either will play in the Tests and if one or the other does sneak in through injury to one of the fast bowlers, it would be a challenge for him to hold his place.
 
The return of Powell was surprising to me as the medium fast bowler has displayed no special skills in the 17 matches he has played. During this time Powell has managed one four wicket haul and a five wicket haul. He has not been a particularly penetrative bowler and there are others in the region capable of equal performance with the ball and boasting better batting and fielding skills.  Furthermore I am not sure Powell is suited to the lengthy spells of bowling that will most likely be required on the unresponsive pitches in Pakistan.
 
The absence of both of our left arm pacers denies Lara the option of the ‘each way swing bowling’ of which Pedro Collins is capable and the sustained accuracy of Ian Bradshaw.  If the selectors have lost faith in Collins because of his frequent injuries, the same can hardly be said of Bradshaw, who even at 32, appears to be the fittest of the bowlers.
 
It is good to see Lendl Simmons given the opportunity at the highest level but will he receive the required help to develop into an outstanding Test batsmen or will he become the next, Ryan Hinds, Wavell Hinds, Narsingh Deonarine, Marlon Samuels,  Xavier Marshall et al?

The guessing game continues in West Indies cricket.

Philip Hackett is a freelance sports journalist who has covered international cricket matches for the Nation Newspaper in Barbados as well as the CMC (formerly CANA). Hackett is also a well-respected cricket radio commentator who has covered Test matches for the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation as well as numerous regional first class matches. He has also provided print media and electronic media coverage of table tennis throughout the region. Hackett is a physical education teacher and has worked in Bermuda, Barbados and now the Cayman Islands. He is a qualified international table tennis coach, having received his training in Hungary and a Level one cricket coach. Hackett holds a Masters degree in education from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio.