Carew wants more WI consistency

Speaking in a wide-ranging interview with editor of the Sagicor West Indies Cricket Quarterly, Keith Holder, Carew also touched on an issue of returning to a once highly successful formula of playing four genuinely quick bowlers in Test matches, as has been suggested by former Pakistan batsman Rameez Raja.

In this regard, Carew reckoned that talented Trinidad and Tobago all-rounder Dwayne Bravo "confuses the situation a little bit." Under new captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul, West Indies were beaten 2-0 in the four-Test series against South Africa and white washed in the five-match ODIs, while they lost all three limited overs matches to Pakistan and drew the two-Test series 1-1.

Carew, who was a West Indies opening batsman in the 1960s, stressed that there was inconsistency from the experienced batting trio of Ramnaresh Sarwan, Wavell Hinds and Chris Gayle, all of whom are in the squad for the imminent tour to Sri Lanka for two Tests and a tri-nation ODI series. A West Indies ‘A’ team has also just started a tour of Sri Lanka. "I saw some improvements particularly in the field. But I have not seen the improvement I would like to see in Sarwan, Wavell Hinds and Gayle. Particularly our opening partnerships are not giving us a good start. I am not happy with that at all," Carew said in the interview, which was aired on the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation’s, Q 100.7 FM Superior Saturday Sports programme.

When asked if Barbadian batting all-rounder Ryan Hinds was "a forgotten man" in light of his omission from both the West Indies ‘A’ and Test teams, Carew responded: "Of course not. Ryan Hinds obviously has everybody knows where they have gone wrong and it’s no sense blaming somebody for it. You must address it yourself. Go in the nets and practice and make things easier for the selectors." The 24-year-old Ryan Hinds played in the first and third Tests against South Africa following an illness ahead of the second match but was ignored for the rest of the season. He was a favourite of new West Indies team coach Bennett King prior to the VB Series in Australia earlier this year but was forced to return home prematurely because of a hamstring injury.

Carew, who has served on several West Indies selection panels at different stages since the late 1970s, described the West Indies bowling against South Africa and Pakistan as "in and out", while touching on the performances of pacers Daren Powell and Reon King. Powell, who played consistently in both Tests and One-Day Internationals against South Africa and Pakistan following a virtually full season for double-crown Carib Beer champions Jamaica, has retained his place in the team for the tour to Sri Lanka but veteran Guyanese King, who had glaring problems with run-up and no-balls, has been axed. "The bowling again is in and out. Some bowled well and others poorly," Carew asserted.