Is it time for a changing of the West Indies guard?

CARIBBEAN CRICKET COLUMN - MACHEL HEWITT: Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo will be 42 and 38 when the next T20 World Cup comes around. So is it time for the next generation to step up?

The T20 World Cup in Australia was supposed to be the final swansong for at least two of West Indies' modern-day greats.

Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo would have been 41 and 37 years old respectively, seeking to add a third world T20 title to their glittering resume.

Alas Covid-19 put paid to not only the World Cup but several cricketing events across the global calendar, with the next T20 World Cup installment now due to take place in India, in October and November next year.

While one would not put it past the Universe Boss and DJ Bravo to still force their way into World Cup selection, odds are against them at the ages of 42 and 38.

Their possible and perhaps likely absences pave the way for a select few to throw their names firmly into the West Indies World Cup reckoning.

The CPL is not the only requisite for selection but, as the premier Caribbean competition, those who do well are in the driving seat to be part of the international T20 cohort moving forward.

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Openers

Should Gayle not make it, the openers slot looks set to be a shoot-out between Lendl Simmons, Brandon King and Evin Lewis.

Simmons fulfills the experienced veteran spot, he was the second highest run scorer in the 2019 CPL behind Brandon King and rightly earned a recall to the West Indies side.

Productive series against India, Ireland and Sri Lanka followed, suggesting he is in the man in pole position.

King was catapulted into the West Indies side off the back of his career-defining run in the 2019 CPL. Not only was he the top run-scorer but he hit the highest ever CPL score. His international returns have been middling but another strong CPL season will secure his selection.

Lewis needs no introduction and, all things being well, he would be a lock to open for West Indies in all limited-overs cricket. However, a failed fitness test meant he wasnt selected for the tour of Sri Lanka, and there are some continued question marks about his desire. He had a great series opening alongside Simmons against Ireland at the start of the year, and a strong CPL would be yet another reminder as to the explosive talent he possesses.

Special mention: Johnson Charles (Barbados Tridents), Rahkeem Cornwall (St Lucia Stars), Chandrapaul Hemraj (Guyana Amazon Warriors)

^{Evin Lewis}

Middle-order batsmen

If there is one part of the West Indies T20 squad that looks nigh-on impossible to break into it’s the middle order. The options they possess in the engine room are the envy of world cricket.

No.3 - Hetmyer, No.4 - Pooran, No.5 - Pollard, No.6 - Russell, No.7 - Allen 7, No.8 - Bravo.

As a prospective young West Indian trying to break into that team you would have to produce world-beating numbers.

Bravo may well struggle to make a T20 World Cup at the age of 38 so his place looks most in doubt. However, his experience and wily variations with the ball are still unmatched by any other allrounders in the Caribbean.

Those most likely to be in a position to take advantage appear to be Sherfane Rutherford, Rovman Powell and Keemo Paul.

Both Rutherford and Powell have shown their destructive potential with the bat on various occasions. Injuries have held Powell back in recent years but a strong domestic season in both red and white-ball cricket suggests he is back to form.

Rutherford has been talked about as untapped potential for so long that you could be forgiven for not realising he is still only 22 years old. There is no doubting he is at the right franchise, and in his home country at Guyana Amazon Warriors, but this year it is with the ball where he needs to do damage.

The reality for both men is they can force selection into the maroon with improved all-round displays. Powell showed signs in Sri Lanka that his bowling is improving but he will know he needs to show consistency on that front.

For Paul it is the opposite. While his bowling is by no means the finished article, he is the closest to replicating Bravo's options. Now, the challenge at hand is demonstrating ability with the bat on a more consistent basis. When batting No.7, No.8 or No.9 it can be hard for batsmen to express themselves in T20 cricket but Paul must understand that is where he would likely be selected. It is up to him to make the position his own.

Special mention: Romario Shepherd (Guyana Amazon Warriors), Raymon Reifer (Barbados Tridents)

^{Keemo Paul}

Bowlers

There will be plenty of time to debate whether the West Indies will have the right combination of bowlers over the next year but for the purposes of this article we go with the idea of three frontline bowlers.

This could also be expressed as Sunil Narine +2.

Under Pollard’s white-ball leadership bowling consistency has been the most worrying aspect thus far. Narine’s injury woes notwithstanding, the lack of options at the death is ultimately what led to Bravo’s prompt recall without any meaningful cricket behind him.

Sheldon Cottrell and Oshane Thomas are currently in the drivers seat as new-ball fast bowlers, both are part of IPL franchises and seem a lock going forward. However, lurking in the background are wily operators like Kesrick Williams, who needs to match his domestic consistency at the international level.

There will be several fast-bowling youngsters who were on the recently concluded tour to England playing in CPL but in terms of immediate selection Alzarri Joseph and Obed McCoy have the most to prove.

Both have the pace and capabilities to leapfrog Thomas or Cottrell and in McCoy’s case he offers the seldom seen West Indian left-arm variety. Injuries have held him back, but he is only 23 and highly rated by Phil Simmons.

In the spin department, Hayden Walsh Jr, after his stella CPL 2019, can still consider himself the primary option after Narine. However he has had a difficult start to T20Is with Pollard reluctant to fully trust him. Walsh Jr could do with another strong CPL season to ensure he is given yet more opportunities going forward.

With Khary Pierre having played himself out of West Indies selection, there are promising youngsters to look at this year namely Ashmeade Nedd, Kevin Sinclair and Ramaal Lewis.

However a possible wildcard who could yet force his way back into maroon is Ashley Nurse. Having reinvented himself as a lower order basher, if Nurse can get more overs with the Tridents this year and prove his use at particular stages of the innings he may yet represent the maroon once again.

The Cricketer's coverage of the CPL comes in collaboration with the Caribbean Cricket Podcast