The Golden Isles - A Third Time Lucky West Indies Story

[Imager36]

We batted well! After a bit.



We won the toss and bowled first. We started badly, with the quicks being hit around a bit early on, and Pollard then going for 41 runs from his early 5 overs. Gayle was brought in to make these up, and went for runs, but removed Guptill. Narine was economical in the middle overs, as usual, and Pascal took a couple of wickets alongside him to give us hope. Russell and Alford returned at the death, and did well to limit them to under 250.

It was a total we felt we had a chance at chasing, but the early wickets of Gayle (0), Edwards (5) and Darren (3) left us faltering at 49/3. A 120 partnership sorted that doubt out, however, and Burton's 68 from 62 balls put us nicely above the required run rate. When he was out, Simmons finished off his 3rd ODI century, 102 from 105 balls. We needed 61 when he was out, but luckily Paul (38*) and Pollard (26*) guided us to an easy victory.

Series State - West Indies lead the series 2-1 with 2 matches to play.
Batting Award - Lendl Simmons - An ODI hundred is always a good occasion, and he played well for it.
Bowling Award - Mike Alford - 2/22 from 10 overs, with 2 maidens... he's played like he's been doing it for years.

Team News - None.

[Imager36]

Series won - Another good chase by the middle order.



Lost the toss, but got to bowl anyhow. Russell removed McC, but both Guptill and Williamson impressed, before Guptill fell. Ryder went soon after, but Taylor put on 92 with Williamson to give New Zealand a good total. 4 quick wickets left them 216/7, but Franklin and Banks frustrated Russell and Alford to leave them 7 down at the end.

Gayle and Simmons both went early, but Edwards and Darren put us in a position where chasing was definitely possible. Unfortunately, both of them and Burton fell in quick succession, leaving us needing 111 to win with 5 wickets remaining and just under 20 overs. Luckily, both Pollard and Paul were in sublime form, and ended with 54* from 55 and 70* from 71 respectively.

Series State - West Indies win the series 3-1, with one to play.
Batting Award - Mike Paul - 70 from 71, not out, with no proper chances, and 10 boundaries. Good knock.
Bowling Award - Andre Russell - His 3 wickets really limited the NZ total.

Team News - For the dead rubber, Hinds, Holder, Roach and Bishoo get a run out in place of Darren, Pollard, Narine and Pascal. Alford bats at 6.

[Imager36]

No-one shone, we lost.



Having lost the toss, we batted first. Simmons fell for 3, but Gayle made his highest score of the season so far, 42 runs, in his 11th innings in all forms. Edwards continued scoring, albeit at limited pace, but Burton was out cheaply. Paul came in, and stroked the ball around elegantly. Edwards was out 1 short of his 50, and after Alford went for 17 from 14, and Hinds was run out without facing, all seemed bleak. Russell, Holder and Roach went quickly too, to leave us 173/9. Paul played exceptionally to rescue us from that, with Bishoo staying in alongside him. Paul was out LBW with 1 ball left. He did well to get us over 200.

The problem was, that total was never really going to look like enough. Despite a good spell when Alford and Holder reduced them from 63/0 to 103/4, we never looked on top, and a good partnership from Taylor and de Boorder took them home.

Series State - West Indies win the series 3-2.
Batting Award - Mike Paul - Batted well, and at a good pace.
Bowling Award - Mike Alford - 3 of the 4 wickets taken went to him. He now has 14 wickets in 5 ODIs. I'm hoping he'll continue in this vein.

Okay, so now 2 T20Is against the black caps. Sammy and Dwayne Bravo come into the squad for Roach and Pascal. For the first of the matches, Paul, Hinds, Holder and Sammy miss out, meaning Alford plays his first ever T20 match. That's how you can tell the newgens.

[Chasjs]

Alford looks like an exciting find!

[Imager36]

Alford looks like an exciting find!

Hopefully so... I haven't mentioned his domestic bowling figures yet, 'cause they're poor, so I think if I ignore them he'll be fine. Interesting for the game to generate a good 'typical West Indian' player though - Aggressive lower-middle order batsman, quickish bowler. Thing is, in real life, he'd be taken by the IPL aged 21 and rarely play for us after that, but as it is he could be in the team for 15 years. I love getting a good regen.

[Imager36]

Some tame batting leaves us 1-0 down.



Guptill started the New Zealand innings with a bang, getting 34 from 14 balls, but a flurry of wickets still left them 50/5 after 5 overs. Franklin played very well for his 49 from 47, and singlehandedly gave us a total to chase. Except Russell and Pollard, our bowlers went for at most 5.5 runs an over.

Gayle and Edwards both went early to leave us 31/2, and whilst a good partnership between Simmons and Darren developed, they could not get the ball off the square, and left us with a tall order to win. Pollard played well for his 36 from 20 not out, but at the end we couldn't get our noses over the line.

Series State - New Zealand lead 1-0 with 1 to play.
Batting Award - Kieron Pollard - The only man to get double figures and score at over a run a ball.
Bowling Award - Sunil Narine, 4 overs, 2-17, very nice work from the 26 year old spinner.

Team News - Holder in for Russell.

[Chasjs]

Hopefully so... I haven't mentioned his domestic bowling figures yet, 'cause they're poor, so I think if I ignore them he'll be fine. Interesting for the game to generate a good 'typical West Indian' player though - Aggressive lower-middle order batsman, quickish bowler. Thing is, in real life, he'd be taken by the IPL aged 21 and rarely play for us after that, but as it is he could be in the team for 15 years. I love getting a good regen.

Me to but I usually find that unless you put them in your national team straight away regens appear too old. You'll very rarely find an 18/19 year old regen who has played a couple of years FC cricket like Finn/Broad/Cook had before they made their international debuts. Most only appear aged 20-24 when I think it should be more like 17-21.

[Imager36]

Another demoralising loss.



Gayle fell early again, but whilst Simmons and Darren were able to score at enough over a run a ball to make a competitive total, neither Edwards or Burton were keeping up with that pace, and between them, they ended up dragging it down to a score that, on a good pitch, should be easily chaseable.

Unfortunately, so it proved. We took wickets fairly regularly, but not regularly enough, and they took an unfortunately easy victory.

Series State - New Zealand win the series 2-0
Batting Award - Darren Bravo - 48* from 39. A good innings.
Bowling Award - Sunil Narine - 1/16 from 4 overs. Top notch T20 bowler.

And so ends a disappointing tour for us. Next up, we're visited by the Bangladeshis. 2 tests first, so here is my XI for the first test. Chris Gayle, who has been dreadful this year, is dropped.

L. Simmons (OK)
S. Burton (O)
K. Edwards (BAT) (C)
Darren Bravo (BAT)
R. Sarwan (BAT)
B. Nash (BAT)
M. Alford (ALL)
C. Brathwaite (SEAM)
D. Sammy (SEAM)
K. McClean (SEAM)
D. Bishoo (SPIN)

If we can't be these guys, we can't beat anyone. 'Cept maybe Zimba.

[GrahamB]

If we can't be these guys, we can't beat anyone. 'Cept maybe Zimba.

Never underestimate Bangladesh, especially over there. Their spinners could well make life tough for you.

[Imager36]

Never underestimate Bangladesh, especially over there. Their spinners could well make life tough for you.

Yeah, but it's in the West Indies so we should be fine. You should get control over your pitches in international mode, I think. They do in real life.

[Imager36]

"Never underestimate Bangladesh." - GrahamB.



Lost the toss, which was probably the reason we lost the match, in the end. They then piled on the pressure, after a good start for us when we reduced them to 43/3, as Tamim and Mahmudullah put on 137 together. We were still on top with them at 301/8 though, but a mammoth 116 between Sunny and Sharif stopped that dead. Disappointingly left off the hook.

Our first innings was steady, unremarkable, and solid. Unfortunately, it needed to be more than that. As well as Edwards and Darren, Simmons, Burton and Nash all got starts but failed to convert them into big runs in the top order. In a disappointing end to the innings, we finished just under 150 behind.

Then Sammy got going. At one stage, they were 62/7, due to 4 from Sammy, 2 from McClean and a run out - by Sammy. Sunny proved a thorn in the side again, but Sammy took the last three in a 4 ball burst, and we felt we had a good chance to win, needing 253 for that.

After average starts for Simmons and Burton, we rather collapsed to 62/4, effectively ending our chances. Nash and Darren put on 46, and whilst they were out one after another, Alford counterattacked, and Brathwaite and Sammy made the score respectable. In their partnership of 52, taking us up to 198, I dared to dream. Of course, subsequently, that was smashed, shattered, pulverised, and basically broken in to many pieces.

Series State - Bangladesh lead 1-0 with 1 match to play. Darn 2 match series.
Batting Award - Darren Bravo - The man who threatened to score in both innings.
Bowling Award - Darren Sammy - 11/172 in the match and a run out, a very good time out there for the returning former captain.

Team News - Andre Russell comes in after good form for Leicstershire, and spinning all rounder Imran Khan does the same after spending time in Durham. They replace Mike Alford and Brathwaite in the line up. Bishoo is once again subbed out for Narine.

[Imager36]

Much better.



We won the toss this time, and batted first in the baking sun. The departures of Simmons and Edwards left us 8/2, but when opener Burton departed for only 15, Bravo had catapulted us to 83. Sarwan also provided good resistance, and Russell (32) made sure we got almost to 250. Not as many as we'd have liked though.

Nafees and Hom both went early to McClean, but resistance from Tamim and Shakib left them at 152/4, challenging us. Imran Khan then came on, taking, from his first 2 overs, 3 wickets for no runs. He had no further success, but he'd done the damage, and Narine finished the innings off sharpishly.

With a lead of 71, we simply wanted to bat the Banglas out of the game. Simmons was out early again, but Burton (29), Darren (55) and Sarwan (59*) ably assisted the main man, captain Kirk Edwards. His 127 came from 288 balls, and included 12 fours. Then we went from 248/4 to 297 all out, due to a severe lack of batting in the lower order for once, but the job was probably already done.

At 198/2, I was starting to doubt that. Luckily Khan took the wicket of Shakib, and after that the middle and lower orders crumbled to Narine and the new ball.

Series State - Series tied 1-1.
Batting Award - Kirk Edwards - Captain's knock. A much needed hundred for the team.
Bowling Award - Sunil Narine - Polished off the tail in the first innings, and the middle order in the second.

Now, we play 3 ODIs against the Bangladeshis, fervently hoping for 2 ranking points. Here is the 15 man squad for that. Mike Paul is out for 4 weeks with a back problem, so doesn't make the squad. Barath makes the squad as Gayle drops out, but Burton may still deputise as opener.

A. Barath (O)
L. Simmons (OK)
S. Burton (O)
K. Edwards (BAT) (C)
Darren Bravo (BAT)
J. Blackwood (BAT)
K. Pollard (ALL)
M. Alford (ALL)
R. Hinds (ASP)
A. Russell (ALL)
D. Sammy (SEAM)
J. Holder (SEAM)
D. Bishoo (SPIN)
N. Pascal (SEAM)
S. Narine (SPIN)

Another interesting inclusion there is Jermaine Blackwood, who played 11 ODIs without much success in the 2012/13 season, but with good results in island cricket has made his way into the squad in place of Gayle.

Team News - Blackwood, Russell, Bishoo and Holder miss out of the first match.

[Imager36]

Frankly lemon.



Won the toss! Bowled first! We took regular wickets, and the spinners were economical, but because of that we were never totally in control of their innings. Pascal was a menace, and took 3 wickets to prove it. Alford deserved more than the one he got. 203 was a sub-par score.

Simmons and Edwards both failed, but Barath (slow) and Darren (fast) put on a good partnership to pretty much take us to victory. Burton came in at the end and smashed a six.

Series State - West Indies lead 1-0 with 2 to play.
Batting Award - Darren Bravo - 77* at jut over a run a ball. Brilliant innings.
Bowling Award - Sunil Narine - 10 overs, 2/24. Lovely.

Team News - After an innings that could easily have lost us most matches, Barath is replaced by Blackwood, and Jermaine and Shane switch batting order places.

[Imager36]

Really good ODI match. We lost though.



Having lost the toss, we were still allowed to bowl first. Nafees went early on, but Hom put on 146 with Tamim, and then 101 with Shakib. That was pretty much their entire innings. We failed to take enough wickets early on, and in the middle overs, which meant the batsmen could really cane along in the last 10 to set us a very tough target.

We didn't look up to it at the start. 3 quick wickets around the 17 over mark left us 78/4, and really struggling to keep up with the run rate too. Darren and Pollard batted brilliantly though, really keeping up with the run rate, and going at almost a run a ball. After Darren fell, Alford and Hinds followed, but Sammy really put up resistance with Pollard, who eventually went for 93 from 111 balls. Pascal joined in with an edged 4 to take us close, but needing for from the last ball, Sammy was bowled for 34 from 35 balls.

Series State - Series level at 1-1, 1 to play.
Batting Award - Kieron Pollard - Kept us dreaming for a long time.
Bowling Award - Ryan Hinds - The only man to go for less than 5 an over.

Team News - None.

[Imager36]

And the series is taken.



We bowled first, and did so well. Tamim and Nafees started well, but Narine and Hinds tied the batsmen down though, and with 10 overs to go, they were 163/7. Alford and Sammy bowled well at the death, and they'd made a less than satisfactory 200.

We made a bad start, with Burton and Simmons falling early, but Kirk and Darren put on 70 to take us to 110/4 and in a good position to strike out. Blackwood fell very early again, but Pollard joined Edwards to within 28 of the win. Alford scored an unbeaten 18 from 14 to take us to a victory with 6 balls to spare.

Series State - West Indies win the series 2-1.
Batting Award - Kirk Edwards - The captain hit 76 from 126 balls, and secured our victory sensibly.
Bowling Award - Narine/Hinds/Sammy - All went for between 2.6 and 3.3 an over, and took 1 or 2 wickets each.

Now, 2 T20Is. Dwayne Bravo comes into the squad for Pascal. Blackwood, Barath, Russell and Holder miss out on the XI.