Dwight Washington in, Dillon out

[Craig]

Yep true to form, Sir Viv Richards has called up Dwight Washington into the 16 man squad v England.

Squad: Brian Lara, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Chris Gayle, Devon Smith, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ridley Jacobs, Dwayne Smith, Fidel Edwards, Corey Collymore, Dave Mohammed, Ricardo Powell, Carlton Baugh, Tino Best, Ryan Hinds, Adam Sanford and Dwight Washington

Washington is so unknown, his dob isnt on Cricinfo!

I believe he is Jamaican Liam?

http://aus.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/CRICKET_NEWS/2004/MAR/081840_WI_01MAR2004.html

Good old WI selection panel, pick an unknown and axe the West Indies best fast bowler.

Bit surprised Ryan Hinds and Adam Sanford are in there.

 

[Richard]

Dillon certainly wasn't the best in the South Africa Tests, was he?
Washington seems to have had a decent season - just a shame he's been picked on the evidence of just one.
I struggle to believe the belief in Sanford's ability has still been retained. And you could add that for Hinds, too. He's played a bit, if not as much as Sanford.

 

[Craig]

Actually he was the best WI bowler over there. He needed more luck which he didnt get.

 

[Richard]

If someone needs luck to take wickets IMO it says something about them...

 

[garage flower]

Don't think the panel have done a bad job. At least this policy of plucking players from relative obscurity keeps things interesting and has already unearthed Fidel Edwards and Dwayne Smith as players of some potential.

I would have retained Dillon ahead of Sanford. Because he inherited the mantle of leader of the attack following Curtly and Courtney's retirements, he seems to be held to a higher standard than other West Indian bowlers. Still a very frustrating character though and can't really complain about being dropped.

As far as Hinds goes, I can't think of any - fit - player who should've made the 16 ahead of him.

 

[Arjun]

Dillon's one-paced and predictable. No wonder the attack's still weak, even with him. You can't win Test matches with such bowlers, can you?

 

[Richard]

More signficantly than being one-paced and predictable, Dillon doesn't move the ball sideways except on a green wicket (which aren't seen very often ATM).
Still, I do agree that he's better than Sanford!

 

[Langeveldt]

Sheesh I think both the sides bowling attacks look very weak...

Combine that with typical dead featherbed carribean wickets that have evolved, and we could be in for a run feast...

IMHO its Lara and Chanders v England....

 

[Richard]

Gayle, Sarwan and Jacobs will certainly be licking their lips.
Hinds would have had a chance if he was playing too. The Smiths, God alone knows.
No-one, of course, will say both attacks look "weak" - full credit, Rich. Keep away from the "inexperienced" excuses!

 

[Langeveldt]

No-one, of course, will say both attacks look "weak" - full credit, Rich. Keep away from the "inexperienced" excuses!

Yeah I love it...

Well of course Gilo is still very very inexperienced, therefore we will gloss over the fact that English spin is totally dead...

 

[Richard]

You see, I'm not totally sure about that.
It's more that fingerspin is totally dead - there are very few grounds outside the subcontinent and certain places in West Indies that still produce fingerspin-friendly wickets with regularity.
When Giles has had spin-friendly wickets he's performed very well - just that there's no use for fingerspin most of the time in international cricket nowadays.

 

[Langeveldt]

You see, I'm not totally sure about that.
It's more that fingerspin is totally dead - there are very few grounds outside the subcontinent and certain places in West Indies that still produce fingerspin-friendly wickets with regularity.
When Giles has had spin-friendly wickets he's performed very well - just that there's no use for fingerspin most of the time in international cricket nowadays.

Hmm point taken, I guess Saqlain has proved that wrong? he seems to take wickets everywhere...

Anyway, there arent any wrist spinners anywhere either, so my point still stands

 

[Tom Halsey]

Hmm point taken, I guess Saqlain has proved that wrong? he seems to take wickets everywhere...

No.

Hasn't taken any wickets for years.

So your point still doesn't stand. :P

 

[Richard]

Hmm point taken, I guess Saqlain has proved that wrong? he seems to take wickets everywhere...

Anyway, there arent any wrist spinners anywhere either, so my point still stands

I just don't understand where this perception that Saqlain and Harbhajan have taken Test-wickets everywhere comes from.
Quite simply, they haven't. Good batsmen have never had trouble with them on wickets that haven't helped fingerspin.
There may not be any wristspinners in England, but there are plenty elsewhere; Warne, Murali, Mushtaq, Kaneria, even Kumble is one believe it or not, just much more like a fingerspinner in style.
On this evidence, I'd say it's only a matter of time before one of these quality wristspinners pops-up in England. Just hope it's sooner rather than later. Schofield has yet to demonstrate that he may be the answer.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

If someone needs luck to take wickets IMO it says something about them...

Luck meaning to have a ball carry to slip instead of dropping short. To have an LBW shout upheld. To have a batsman not barely edge out an inslanting delivery. To hit the edge after beating a batsman 5 straight balls.

That's what is meant by luck. Not that someone just sends down long hops and, if he's lucky, he'll get a wicket or two. He bowled well enough for the wickets and they just didn't come. That said, there's no denying his inconsistency, but the point is that he's not bowling poorly currently.

 

[Richard]

No, he's not bowling poorly, and if he gets a plumb lbw turned-down, then perfectly fair - trouble is, bowling from so wide of the crease, he is going to have very few plumb lbws. And it goes without saying that he doesn't deserve an lbw given when the correct decision would be N\O.
Anything concerning missing the edge by a fraction, regardless of how good the delivery, is simply going to happen. The best bowlers will always hit the edge eventually. That's just cricket - you can't expect every edge to carry or every moving ball to hit the edge. Indeed, you can't even expect it to happen a 10th of the time. The fact is, there's no plausible reason why it should happen more to one bowler than another. Quite simply, the best bowlers will always bowl the wicket-taking ball in the end.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Fair enough, but consider that no one is claiming Dillon to be one of the best bowlers in the world. The fact is that by bowling those deliveries that beat the bat, you always have a better chance of taking wickets than bowling short and wide. In that respect, Dillon is more potent at the moment than any of the other bowlers in the West Indies team, bar a fit Collymore.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

I just don't understand where this perception that Saqlain and Harbhajan have taken Test-wickets everywhere comes from.
Quite simply, they haven't. Good batsmen have never had trouble with them on wickets that haven't helped fingerspin.
There may not be any wristspinners in England, but there are plenty elsewhere; Warne, Murali, Mushtaq, Kaneria, even Kumble is one believe it or not, just much more like a fingerspinner in style.
On this evidence, I'd say it's only a matter of time before one of these quality wristspinners pops-up in England. Just hope it's sooner rather than later. Schofield has yet to demonstrate that he may be the answer.

The current U-19 team has a wrist spinner in Lawson. I have no idea how good he is. But i've seen him pick up a few wickets in the world cup (be it in spinner friendly conditions).
Anyone know of any younger english spinners (both wrist or unorthedox finger spin) coming through the ranks?
Even if lawson is good it will be a few years yet before he even thinks about getting near the full england team.

 

[Neil Pickup]

There's a batch of a few wrist spinners coming up as part of Jenner's Elite Wrist Spin programme.

Can't remember any of their other names though! There's one at Somerset.. Rich?

 

[Arjun]

In that respect, Dillon is more potent at the moment than any of the other bowlers in the West Indies team, bar a fit Collymore

Collymore has a very good seam position. Sometimes, as in the home series against Sri Lanka, he can produce a few spells where he can be unplayable. It's just those 4 good balls mixed with 2 bad balls that let him- and the team- down.