Coach Simmons says Cornwall is team’s number one spinner

By Brandon Corlette

West Indies Head Coach Phil Simmons has declared that off-spinner Rahkeem Cornwall is the number one spinner in the West Indies Test team currently in Sri Lanka.

The Kraigg Brathwaite-led West Indies Test side will battle their Sri Lanka counterparts from November 21 in the first of two Tests in Galle.

Addressing the media in a virtual press briefing on Thursday, Coach Simmons previewed the Test series and shared his assessment of some of the players in the squad.

While Roston Chase is in the squad for his steady batting in the middle-order, he is expected to play a role with his off-spin; but according to Simmons, that is left to be seen.

“We have a lot of spinners. So far, on away tours, Rahkeem Cornwall has been the number one spinner. In Bangladesh, we saw at the start of the year… We (will) look at the main spinners, and I would suppose that Rahkeem will be your first (choice) spinner,” the West Indies Head Coach has said.

In addition to Chase and Cornwall, who are both right-arm off-spinners, the West Indies have Jomel Warrican and Veerasammy Permaul in the mix.

A look at the spinners in the squad

Cornwall, who played in eight Test matches, has 32 wickets, with two five-wicket hauls to his name, taken at an average of 35-40. His best bowling figure is 7-75.

Cornwall has also done well at the regional level, picking up 329 first-class wickets in 70 matches.

Jomel Warrican has played 11 Test matches and taken 32 wickets at 37.15, with a best bowling figure of 4-62.

In Warrican’s 70 first-class matches, he has taken 271 wickets with a best bowling figure of 8-34.

Warrican’s fellow Barbadian Roston Chase has played in 41 Tests, mostly as a batting all-rounder, and has picked up 71 wickets at 43.94, with a best bowling figure of 8-60. He also has taken five-for wickets on three occasions.

Veerasammy Permaul, who last played a Test in June 2015, played six Tests and has taken 18 wickets at an average of 43.77. His best bowling figure is 3-32.

Permaul has since dominated regional cricket, his tally including 536 first-class wickets in 121 matches.

With Sri Lanka equipped with spinners, West Indies would be looking to rotate the strike and bring that Bangladesh series win mentality to this series.

Coach Simmons is keen on assessing the players and the pitches before he and the captain make a decision in terms of selecting the starting XI.

The two Test matches will be played at the Galle International Stadium, and the men in maroon will have a four-day warm-up match in Colombo from November 14 to 17. The Tests will follow from November 21 to 25, and from November 29 to December 3.

The series is the second of six series, three at home and three away, that West Indies will play in the 2021-2023 ICC World Test Championships.

WEST INDIES’ FULL SQUAD FOR SRI LANKA TESTS: Kraigg Brathwaite (Captain), Jermaine Blackwood (Vice Captain), Nkrumah Bonner, Roston Chase, Rahkeem Cornwall, Joshua Da Silva, Shannon Gabriel, Jason Holder, Shai Hope, Kyle Mayers, Veerasammy Permaul, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales, Jeremy Solozano and Jomel Warrican.