WI look at cricket options

DERBY: Finding themselves once again facing the prospect of a humiliating cricket series whitewash, the West Indies are expected to use their final warm-up match against Derbyshire starting today as an opportunity to examine the credentials of players who have not yet appeared in the Tests against England. With less than three weeks to go to the end of the tour, team management is faced with the now familiar challenge of keeping players focused at a time when motivation is low and thoughts of going home foremost in the minds of many in the Caribbean side. More than just technique and ability, it is a test of professionalism and character, and the next three days at the Racecourse Ground will serve as the barometer of whether they can lift themselves to present a more formidable challenge to England at Old Trafford and at The Oval.  Even if most around him are despondent, Sylvester Joseph will be keen to further press his claims for a Test debut next week in Manchester.

The 25-year-old Antiguan did all that was asked of him in his only match on the tour so far, hammering 114 and 68 in the drawn fixture against Sri Lanka “A” at Shenley that preceded the First Test. But with the middle order virtually settled and Dwayne Bravo impressing as an all-rounder, the aggressive right-hander has been left waiting in the wings.  Bravo proved to be a success with the ball and scored 44 in his debut innings, but seems incapable of modifying an obviously flawed technique to cope with the spin of Ashley Giles on helpful surfaces. Another good innings from Joseph and it will be very difficult for the selectors to ignore him for the Third Test in a week, even if it means pushing Bravo lower down the order at the expense of Omari Banks or one of the frontline pacers.

The tall Anguillian, whose three wickets in the two Tests so far have come at a cost of 351 runs, will also be under pressure to retain his place if Dave Mohammed makes an immediate impression as Tino Best’s replacement. Just arrived from Los Angeles, USA, where he was on a tour with the Trinidad and Tobago team, the left-arm wrist-spinner’s lone Test against South Africa at Cape Town at the start of the year earned him unwanted comical cult status for his outlandish displays in the field and batting pyrotechnics in the lower order. Yet his bouncy hyperactivity in the midst of disillusionment may serve to spark some life into his teammates.

Drafted into the Test within days of his arrival after Ravi Rampaul flew home, Corey Collymore can expect lengthy spells against a Derbyshire team that has struggled in the lower reaches off all the competitions in the English domestic season. The Barbadian seamer’s inability to pick up wickets, even when achieving a measure of containment, continues to blight his development since the series in South Africa, and similar lack of success against a modest batting line-up here will raise questions about persisting with him when the Test series resumes. His compatriot, Fidel Edwards, can redeem himself after falling out of favour as much for his failure to appreciate his role as a tail-ender as for his wayward, ineffective fast bowling in the First Test. Yet whether it will be enough to get him back into the Test fold is highly debatable

Teams: Derbyshire (probable) — Luke Sutton (captain), Jonathan Moss, Nick Walker, Steve Selwood, Hassan Adnan, James Bryant, Graeme Welch, Mohammed Sheikh, Nathan Dumelow, Neil Gunter, Mohammad Ali. West Indies (probable) —  Brian Lara (captain), Devon Smith, Dwayne Smith, Sylvester Joseph, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Carlton Baugh, Dwayne Bravo, Omari Banks, Dave Mohammed, Corey Collymore, Fidel Edwards. (CMC)