Where do West Indies stand right now?

[smash84]

A raging turner where spinners took 0 wickets in the 4th innings. Definitely a close match anyway but I don't think you can take matches like that as proof that one team is superior to the other. It just shows how they are pretty evenly matched on any given day.

Had to laugh out at that one

 

[Flem274*]

The Windies have decent bowling options atm, but they need to find some batsmen to equal Chanderpaul fast.

Commentators, at least in New Zealand, often mark 40 as being the mark of a quality test player. Personally, I think that if you want to be in the top four in the modern era you need at least two batsmen averaging 50 or more. Before someone raises England, without checking the stats I think you'll find Cook, Trott and KP have 50+ averages coinciding with their rise into the top ranks.

I haven't seen anyone from the West Indies, New Zealand or Sri Lanka (younger than 35 in their case) who makes me sit up and say "that **** there....that **** will average 50 in test cricket." Two of those bottom three sides have bowlers who will average under 30 and maybe even around the 20 - 25 mark, but you need the batsmen and you especially need solid openers because without the top order at least denting the new ball your middle order won't average 50.

On the Pakistan thing, while Gul is average and Junaid is as raw as the pacers in the bottom three, Pakistan still easily edge the bottom three because they have Younis Khan, Misbah and some quality young bats. But most importantly, they have Ajmal. He wins any comparison by himself. Provided Pakistan don't throw their toys out of the pram and drop all the batsmen who have strike rates below 80, and provided they are playing to win, they will destroy the bottom three because Ajmal.

 

[WindieWeathers]

A raging turner where spinners took 0 wickets in the 4th innings. Definitely a close match anyway but I don't think you can take matches like that as proof that one team is superior to the other. It just shows how they are pretty evenly matched on any given day.

I think this was Bishoo's test debut, so he was still raw and Rampaul destroyed them early in the 4th innings so the pacers just kept on going, the evidence of it being a turner is clear to see from Ajmal and Rehman's returns, if i remember correctly Rehman said "i wish i could take that track all over the world with me" when he was interviewed after!! .

 

[WindieWeathers]

Had to laugh out at that one

Are you disputing that we didn't beat Pakistan on a turner? Ajmal got 11 wickets and i watched every second of that game, it was spinning on day one.

 

[WindieWeathers]

West Indies are better than they were about 2 years ago but they need to beat the better sides first. Last series against a good side they were pummelled in England before a confidence boosting draw in a game ruined by the weather. As people keep saying England are crap that must mean WI are too.

We may have been well beaten in the second test, but i think the first test was hard fought and we were on top in the 3rd test before the rain came.

 

[Mike5181]

No one would like to see the WIndies back towards the top of the rankings more than me, and it is great news that what appeared to be a terminal decline has been halted, but if they're going to make real progress they need to find at least one fast bowler who'd not have looked out of place in the Lloyd/Richards/Richardson sides, and very soon they're going to have to do something to replace the irreplaceable

Jason Holder is one of the more promising young bowlers running around at the moment.

 

[Burgey]

To the South East of the USA.

 

[Agent Nationaux]

I think it's a shame Bishoo isn't playing for them. I think he's better than Narine. Haven't seen the new one.

 

[Manee]

I think West Indies are on the way up. I think they've got a promising batch of quick bowlers and spinners and I think that with the standard of Test batting falling (imo), West Indies' batting is now not as sub-par as it once was.

 

[Cabinet96]

I've liked the progress they've made recently, and think both them and NZ are better than they were 2-3 years ago, which is obviously good for the test game. However, I still don't think they're not quite on a par with the top 5, and probably only Kallis' retirement will hit a team anyway near as hard as Chanderpaul's will.

 

[WindieWeathers]

I've liked the progress they've made recently, and think both them and NZ are better than they were 2-3 years ago, which is obviously good for the test game. However, I still don't think they're on a par with the top 5, and probably only Kallis' retirement will hit a team anyway near as hard as Chanderpaul's will.

We scored 590 in india against Ohja and Ashwin in 2011 without Chanders in the team HERE , so though him leaving will be a big loss, there's at least some evidence that we might not do too badly in his absence.

 

[fredfertang]

I appreciate that it's totally intangible and subjective, but it seemed to me that the West Indians body language up until a couple of years ago suggested they were beaten before they started - it doesn't now, and I know from personal experience that that is a big part of the climb back

 

[Daemon]

We scored 590 in india against Ohja and Ashwin in 2011 without Chanders in the team HERE , so though him leaving will be a big loss, there's at least some evidence that we might not do too badly in his absence.

134 ao in the next though..

 

[WindieWeathers]

134 ao in the next though..

That was on a 5th day pitch, which is why we nearly won in the end as India struggled too!! .

 

[benchmark00]

Yeah take that India, they almost won.

 

[WindieWeathers]

Yeah take that India, they almost won.

It ended in a draw, which meant no whitewash.....

 

[Agent Nationaux]

 

[smash84]

Yeah take that India, they almost won.

It ended in a draw, which meant no whitewash.....

 

[Lillian Thomson]

The West Indies are just a poor Test side at a time when even the top sides are not that great, and some deranged druid jumping around blowing a whale flute isn't going to change that.

 

[Satyanash89]

The West Indies are just a poor Test side at a time when even the top sides are not that great, and some deranged druid jumping around blowing a whale flute isn't going to change that.

Harsh but got a genuine lol