Best of luck to Simmons, Hinds

Feb 10, 2009 Sports

By Rawle Welch
I’ve always felt that one of the major problems in West Indies cricket stems with the ‘Think Tank’ the group of selectors who sits to choose the team to represent us.

After defeating England convincingly by an innings and 23 runs with a day and a little over a session to spare, the West Indies selectors met and decided that the time was right to make three changes to the winning squad.

Though the exclusion of Dale Richards was understandable due to a foot injury he sustained whilst playing against the Leewards which will keep him out of action for at least three weeks, the axing of right-handed Jamaican batsman Xavier Marshall and Trinidadian spinner Amit Jaggernauth for Barbadian Ryan Hinds and Trinidadian Lendl Simmons should not have been done so soon.

Especially, Marshall, who was in the original eleven, but who unfortunately failed to trouble the scorers, he should have been given at least one more chance, before placing the axe on him if he had failed again.

His replacement Simmons even after hitting a career best 282 against the tourists is still relatively inexperienced at this level and patience could have been the watchword in his case.

As we’ve seen on so many occasions, not many of our young players have been able to transform their outstanding regional performances to the highest level.

To my mind, the selectors should have waited a little longer and ensured that by the time Simmons gained selection, he would have been hungrier for success which very often is the recipe for a player to keep his place in the team.

Comparing the two, they both are extremely talented cricketers with expected bright futures and while Simmons has had far more first class appearances 52 to Marshall’s 24, the latter holds the edge at the Test level, having played in 7, while the former is yet to gain his cap.

Marshall, a temperamental player, but someone with an abundance of talent both with the bat and in the field needed at least another chance to prove his worth and I’m sure that with the win and team spirit high and the English downtrodden after their humiliating loss, it would have been the right atmosphere for him to feel less pressured and perhaps go out there and entertain the fans.

Instead, he will have to wait on another opportunity and there is no doubt there will be more, to make his mark.

Simmons on the other hand must do well and justify the selectors’ faith in picking him at the expense of Marshall.

On the selection of Hinds, his inclusion had to come at some stage, judging from his terrific performances during the regional competition, but again, he too could have entered after the second test had concluded.

Having made his debut in 2002 against Pakistan in Sharjah, the Barbados middle-order batsman, who also bowls left-arm spin, is a very experienced player with 96 first class matches under his belt and 10 tests to go with it.

He has been in and out of the West Indies team, playing his last test match against Sri Lanka in 2006 in Guyana, but has consistently performed well for his native Barbados.

He has accumulated 410 Test runs along with 5 wickets and a top score of 84 at an average of 24.11.
Jaggernauth conversely has played only a single test against Australia last year at Sabina Park where he took just one wicket. However, the Trinidadian off-spinner is usually a consistent performer and was the second highest wicket taker in the 2007-08 Carib Beer Series and has featured in many Trinidad and Tobago victories since then.

He too should have remained in the squad for at least the second test.
I wish the best of luck to both Simmons and Hinds.

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