00:01Cricket analyst Fazeel Muhammad says the West Indies squad for the two-match test series against Bangladesh reflects the realities
00:08of the contemporary game. He says it's disappointing that the men in Maroon are without Pesa Al-Zahri Joseph. While
00:15it's a blow that batter Shehope is being rested.
00:17And especially now Shehope, given the fact that now that he's come back into the test fold, has had a
00:22good last 12 to 15 months with three test entries, even though his overall numbers are poor, he's just come
00:28out of a fantastic series in India in the one days and the T20s would be brimful of confidence and
00:35form. But again, it's a very different format, test match cricket. But certainly he would have to be considered a
00:40significant loss for the West Indies.
00:43He says it has reached the stage where test cricket is not given the same respect as before, since players
00:48are being fed a diet of white ball cricket. And with the interest that's been shown towards T20 cricket, be
00:55it international or franchise, Mohamed says it has done its part, which is why the Windies are not up to
01:01full strength in Bangladesh.
01:02And there are so many different variables now. You now have to consider whether or not players will actually be
01:08prioritising test match cricket, whether it's a priority of what cricket West Indies, via the vision of the board or
01:15the selectors themselves, whether they like to save players for white ball tournaments to the detriment of the test game.
01:22But having said all of that, there are opportunities for players in this squad.
01:26Mohamed is pleased to see batter Kevin Wickham and left-arm spinner Joshua Bishop in the squad. Plus, he says,
01:33it's a good opportunity for keeper batter Joshua De Silva to redeem himself in West Indies uniform.
01:38The highly respected cricket analyst was impressed with the West Indies at home, where they beat Sri Lanka 1-0
01:44and drew 1-1 with Pakistan. But having said that, he knows it's a different story on the subcontinent.
01:50And they've certainly put a tremendous focus on fast bowling over the last few years, and especially now with the
01:57West Indian Phil Simmons as their head coach, and we've seen the results.
02:00So therefore, it's going to be interesting to see the pitches that are prepared for these two tests in Mirapur
02:06and Salet.
02:07If it's fast bowler surfaces, you can see the likes of Hassan Mahmood and Hayd Rana, if he recovers from
02:13injury, really putting the West Indies batting under pressure.
02:16But having said that, it's the opportunity for the West Indies bowlers, headed by Jaden Seals, the veteran Kemar Roach,
02:21Shamar Joseph, of course, Justin Graves has proved very effective bowling seam up as well, the all-rounder.
02:28So it could be a really interesting duel.
02:32The West Indies have tasted success in Bangladesh, winning 2-0 in the year 2021.
02:37But the Bangladeshis also had a 1-1 draw in the Caribbean in 2024.
02:42So what's going to be the scoreline this time around?
02:44And there's always that air of vulnerability about both sides and how they will fare against consistent, high-quality bowling.
02:52But given the fact that Bangladesh have continued to improve, that the West Indies have had a decent year so
02:58far, but are now playing away from home,
03:00I'd like to see the series going probably at 1-1 if the rain doesn't intervene, if the conditions are
03:05really the source that will produce the best out of both teams.
03:09I'll go for a 1-1 series between West Indies and Bangladesh for this time in Bangladesh.
03:14In terms of captaincy, Mohamed says leadership has always been a bugbear for the West Indies.
03:19Having said that, he can understand why Roston Chase leads the side the way he does.
03:25Roston Chase, as leader, we've seen a situation where he is more or less falling into the mold of recent
03:32West Indies captains.
03:33Very conservative, very defensive in many ways, lacking in imagination.
03:38But that is only because of the current state of West Indies cricket, especially in test matches,
03:44where essentially the West Indies, with a poor record going over many, many years, a couple of decades in fact,
03:50in fact three decades,
03:52have actually adopted almost at the first port of call a defensive posture.
03:59The opening test bowls off on October 28th, while Game 2 takes place on November 5th.
