Some players are simply unlucky. In terms of not actually playing for West Indies after putting in some solid performances at the domestic level, Anthony Bramble sits on top of that list. In the past few seasons, Bramble has recorded some strong performances with bat, and his gloveswork continues to get better daily.
Anthony Bramble
In the 2017-18 season, Bramble racked up 613 runs for the Guyana Jaguars. The lad, who plays for Albion locally, backed up his aggregate with 42 catches and three stumpings in that memorable season. After averaging 47.15 with the bat, Bramble had one century, a high score of 196*, and four half-centuries.
The right-handed batsman then proved his consistency, following up in the 2018-19 4-Day season with 580 runs at a stunning average of 52.72. Bramble scored two centuries in that season and again was in top form with the gloves. He accounted for 42 catches and one stumping. After those back-to-back season efforts, Bramble earned selection for the West Indies T20 team, but did not play a single match.
In Bramble’s most recent 4-Day season, he had promising outings; however, but his performance was not as impressive compared to the previous outings. He scored 339 runs at an average of 26.07, including two half-centuries with a high score of 91, just missing out on a century.
Shane Dowrich has established himself as the first-choice Test keeper, but Jahmar Hamilton was given an opportunity in 2019 in Tests, ahead of Bramble. Hamilton has also been in the runs at the Regional 4-Day level, but from 2017-18 to the 2020 season, his numbers were inferior to Bramble’s.
Hamilton’s dream season was in 2016-17 where he scored 648 runs in nine matches at an average of 46.28, including two centuries and two half-centuries. The busy right-handed Hamilton then had a poor 2017-18 season, scoring 237 runs in eight matches with only one half-century at an average of 16.92. In 2018-19, Hamilton then scored 385 runs in seven matches at 29.61 with three half-centuries.
The most recent Regional 4-Day season saw Hamilton scoring 372 runs at 28.61 with four fifties. If Dowrich misses a Test and Shai Hope is not given the opportunity to keep in Tests, will Bramble be tipped ahead of Hamilton or will he continue to be unlucky? (Brandon Corlette)
