2018-19 Windies tour of Bangladesh
Guyanese all-rounder Keemo Paul is heavily tipped to replace the suspended pacer Shannon Gabriel as the Windies seek revenge following the first Test loss to the Bangladeshis.
Keemo Paul
After losing by 64 runs in their opening Test at Chittagong, Windies will be seeking a desperate bounce back against the Tigers and now without their main pace weapon Gabriel, it seems that Paul could further get an opportunity to build a Test career.
Gabriel picked up a suspension owing to his on-field altercation with batsman Imrul Kayes, who he apparently rushed into. With Gabriel’s spot up for grabs, it is likely that Paul could beat off his competition like Guyana Jaguars teammate left-hand all-rounder Raymon Reifer.
With Paul being among the brightest Windies prospects over the past year – having played in all formats, it is likely that his wicket-taking prowess and his proven ability as a batsman down the order could see him snag the vacant spot over any of the other bench-men.
Paul has played just two Tests for the Windies, taking three wickets with a best of 2-25 and a high score of 47 runs, which he made during the India series – showing maturity during the matches he played. Now with the suspension of Gabriel, Windies could opt to choose Paul’s seam and variation coupled with his skills as a batsman to further beef up their batting order which has faltered in the previous Test.
Kemar Roach and Gabriel formed a lethal pace attack, but with the absence of the injured Jason Holder, the fast-bowling unit will further struggle should selectors not opt for Paul or Reifer as a likely partner for Roach with the new ball. Given that frontline spinners Devendra Bishoo and Jomel Warrican gave good account of themselves, as did even part-timer Roston Chase in the first game, Windies could certainly opt for a two-pacer, three-spinner attack on the Dhaka surface.
Warrican is the leading wicket-taker for the Windies and second on the overall list with six victims, trailing Bangladesh’s MVP spinner from the last game, Taijul Islam, who sits in the top spot with seven wickets. Centurion Mominul Haque enters the match as the leading run-scorer, having knocked a century in the first Test as he notched up 132 runs while Guyanese batting star Shimron Hetmyer will be looking to occupy the number one spot as he trails closely behind in second place with 90 runs. (Clifton Ross)
