Quote:I doubt there is anyone in their right, objective, cricketing mind that thought a batting unit made up of the likes of Shikar Dhawan, Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane would have been overly discomfited by the bowling attack assembled by the West Indies.
Yes, Shannon Gabriel can produce troubling pace and Devendra Bishoo is often a testing leg spinner, but beyond that there is not enough penetration. Both Captain Jason Holder and Carlos Brathwaite are all-rounders of considerable potential but neither are frontline strike bowlers.
[quote author=ketchim link=topic=105412.msg704880#msg704880 date=1469383627]
Leon Johnson and Cheesy definitely IN.
Ramdin back as Captain and gloveman a la Dhoni
Blackwood and Chase and Dowrich and Carlos definitely OUT
until its ODI and T20 time on the fixtures!
Fuda in to Occupy the Crease : since no one has put up their hand.
Jerome back after "withdrawing" his resignation
Alzarri and Delorn IN with Permaul as the 4 prong.
Holder is our 5th bowler OR if BraBits still interested !
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In order to make all those changes, WI will need to play with 12 players, unless you are in favour of Bravo or Samuels being dropped?
It's really difficult to try and balance this team. For me, the batting still needs strengthening, as evidenced by getting skittled out on a good batting surface. For that reason, I'd be more inclined to stick with the four prong bowling attack with Chase and Paint filling in as necessary. Unfortunately, as zacaroni mentioned in the opening post, neither Holder nor Carlos Brathwaite are strike bowlers. They are too similar. Both are better suited to the role of fourth seamer. They can hold an end down, but they aren't going to take (m)any wickets.
Bravo has an average of 37.45 over the last year, which should be enough to keep him in the side. Marlon has no business being in the team, but we all know he isn't going to be dropped.
However, if we suspend reality and pretend that we are picking the best possible XI, I'd go with:
Paint
Johnson
Bravo
Hope
Singh
Chase
Dowrich
Holder
Bishoo
Cummins
Gabriel
The trouble with this lineup is Holder would serve as the third seamer - which is sub-optimal. But to add an extra seamer to the team, you would have to drop Chase, and weaken the batting further.
