Reifer in for Holder as Windies, Bangladesh battle in Test

By Clifton Ross

Guyana Jaguars all-rounder Raymon Reifer will be seeking to carry his tremendous Regional Super50 form with the bat into the ongoing Away Series versus the Bangladeshis, and possibly cement his place in the team.

The Barbados-born left-arm swing bowler, one of Guyana’s main players in the Jaguars set-up over the past 4 years, replaced injured Windies skipper Jason Holder for the Bangladesh tour. Holder was recently ruled out of the entire tour of Bangladesh, which bowls off November 22. He has a shoulder injury.
Vice-captain and opener Kraigg Brathwaite will lead the side for the two-Test series, which will be played in Chittagong and Dhaka. Reifer, the only change from the squad that toured India last month, teams up yet again with his Jaguars teammates in Guyanese Keemo Paul, Devendra Bishoo and Shimron Hetmyer.
The 27-year-old made his Test debut against New Zealand in Hamilton last year, but has since not played another Test. He has now gotten his chance, because the skipper has been diagnosed with a partial thickness tear of the subscapularis tendon in his shoulder, and will undergo physiotherapy and rehabilitation in Barbados, according to a Cricket West Indies (CWI) release.
In the recently concluded Regional Super50 tournament, Reifer was among the leading run-scorers. He was a member of the Jaguars team which made it to the finals but lost to a Carlos Brathwaite-led CCC Marooners. The left-hander, who has two Test wickets to his name, played match-winning innings of 50*, 28, 66, 61*, 68 and 38; as he got the selectors’ nod for the Bangladesh series.
Versus the Tigers, the Caribbean side lead the Test contest 10 – 2; ODIs 20 -9, but are tied 4 matches apiece in the T20s. The last time the teams met, Windies easily won the Test series 2-0, but suffered major losses in the ODIs and T20I series 1-2 respectively; as the Tigers displayed their prowess in the limited overs arena.
The Windies have bowled off their 2-day practice game versus the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) XI at the MA Aziz Stadium in central Chittagong, ending day one with the score strongly placed at 303-6 from 83-odd overs. Reifer and Paul are set to resume their innings today on 14 and 18 respectively.
The two-Test series will be followed by three ODIs and as many T20Is in December to be played in Dhaka and Sylhet.
Bangladesh Squad: Rubel Hossain (capt), Soumya Sarkar, Zakir Hasan, Mizanur Rahman, Fazle Mahmud, Ebadat Hossain, Shadman Islam, Nazmul Islam Shanto, Nayeem Hasan, Shafiul Islam, Robiul Haque, Mohammad Mithun, Rishad Hossain
Windies Test squad: Kraigg Brathwaite (capt), Sunil Ambris, Devendra Bishoo, Roston Chase, Shane Dowrich, Shannon Gabriel, Jahmar Hamilton, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope, Shermon Lewis, Keemo Paul, Kieran Powell, Raymon Reifer, Kemar Roach, Jomel Warrican