Da Silva should open in second Sri Lanka Test, says Andrew Mason

– Time has come for Pollard to say goodbye

By Brandon Corlette

Noted cricket commentator and journalist Andrew Mason of Barbados strongly believes that wicketkeeper-batsman Joshua Da Silva should open the batting alongside Kraigg Brathwaite in the second Test match against Sri Lanka at Galle.

Regular opener Jeremey Solozano remains uncertain after he was struck on the helmet while fielding at short leg in the first Test. Solozano has since been replaced by Shai Hope as concussion substitute, and Jermaine Blackwood opened the innings alongside his captain.

Blackwood recorded scores of 20 and nine, while Da Silva scored a half-century. Da Silva seems to be batting too late at number eight and nine, as he did in the first Test, having shown solidity at the top in regional cricket for Trinidad and Tobago Red Force and the West Indies Emerging Players team.

“We should be looking at asking Da Silva to open the batting along Kraigg Brathwaite for the upcoming Test match. We cannot afford to go in this Test match with Blackwood at the top, he simply does not have the temperament for it. And if Da Silva opens, you can ask Shai Hope to keep, because you do not want to put the pressure of batting at the top and keeping.

“I think we need to do that, because that problem is compounded because there is a problem with the selection. In the 15-man squad, we are playing a batsman short. It was not necessary to take the extra spinner, and it is true that Permaul would have done well, but for team balance, you had to cover your batting,” Mason told this daily publication.

Additionally, Mason said Da Silva should have made the West Indies One Day International team to Pakistan as an opener, since Evin Lewis opted out because of personal reasons. Mason also recalled that Da Silva had a top season for the West Indies Emerging Team, wherein he scored heavily.

In the Regional 4-Day season in 2020, Da Silva finished the batting charts with 507 runs and an average of 50.70. Only four Caribbean batsmen have accumulated more runs than the man known as “White Shark”. The runs he piled on included a high score of 113.

Playing for the West Indies Emerging Players before the Regional 4-Day tournament, Da Silva scored 310 runs at an average of 44, and racked up an unbeaten 103 in the championship campaign for the Emerging Players.

“Da Silva is a player that has shown that grit and determination that he can play in the ODI,” Mason has said.

Pollard should call it a day

The noted journalist Mason has also said it is time for Kieron Pollard to call it a day in the T20I squad.

“Time has come to say goodbye to Pollard. He has done well at the T20 level for franchises, but for the West Indies, his record has been there and thereabout. His record as a captain is shattering, and we believe we must look towards the future and make Nicholas Pooran the captain,” he said.

Mason also noted that Shai Hope should lead the ODI side, since he is playing his best cricket in that format. And he said Chris Gayle should have gotten his farewell at the World Cup.

“In terms of Gayle, I believe those responsible should have spoken to Gayle and say, ‘Thank you very much, but we are not going forward with you after the World Cup.’ I do not know why it is necessary to have a farewell for Gayle in Jamaica. Remember what happened to Shivnarine Chanderpaul? He was not given an opportunity to leave the scene. That, in my view, is not good at all,” Mason added.