Squad: Denesh Ramdin (Captain), Kraigg Brathwaite (Vice Captain), Sulieman Benn, Devendra Bishoo, Jermaine Blackwood, Carlos Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Jason Holder, Shai Hope, Kemar Roach, Marlon Samuels, Devon Smith, Jerome Taylor
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Why Bishoo and not Permaul, the leading wicket-taker in the last domestic series? Why Benn? Why Carlos Brathwaite? Are we banking on Bajan powers with Carlos? Why the proven failure, Devon Smith? Why make Paint a vice captain and not Holder or a senior? Don't burden Paint with all this additional stress!? Why drop Leon Johnson so quickly? You can't play someone like Leon in one series (tough conditions in South Africa) and then immediately drop him!
My team and order:
Paint
Holder
Darren Bravo
Hope
Samuels
Chanders
Blackwood
Bishoo
Benn
Taylor
Roach
My team has two pacers, 2 spinners and Holder. I drop Ramdin for Hope and I seperate Samuels and Bravo because both of them can't bat together. Put Samuels with Chanders, because nobody runs out Chanders. I open with Holder because otherwise he becomes a passenger like Sammy. Perhaps even play Holder at 4 or 5 and turn him into a Kallis. If the coaches select Hope to open with countryman Paint, this might work as well; it's also a very brave move and might prove fruitful (both have similar styles and temperaments, and Greenidge and Haynes, their idols, were also both from Barbados).
Unfortunately, I bet the coaches will opt for a team that looks like this:
Paint
Devon Smith
Darren Bravo
Marlon Samuels
Ramdin
Blackwood
Chanders
Carlos
Benn/Bishoo
Taylor
Roach
The coaches will rationalise that Devon Smith has experience as a opener. They will ignore the fact that Bravo and Samuels suck when running together. They will ignore Hope, they will select Carlos as an allrounder to "beef up our batting" (ignoring the fact that this is Holder's function) and they will select Benn as the one spinner. They cannot comprehend the idea of 2 spinners. They might throw Bishoo some charity and let him play one game instead of Benn.
If they select this team, it will demonstrate that the selectors don't know how to do anything but play things conservatively. They have no faith in the batting, no faith in youngsters, and no faith in the bowling. Their selection policy is predictable and inherently negative.
