Who will be the extra Test spinner on Bangladesh tour?

By Brandon Corlette

The West Indies Test squad has been selected, and the official announcement is expected very shortly. It was made evident that an extra spinner will be in the Test squad to tour Bangladesh in January 2021. During recent Test matches, Rahkeem Cornwall and Roston Chase were the spinners. With Bangladesh known for more spin-friendly conditions, an extra spinner would be required. Who will be

that extra spinner in the Windies squad?
Examining some of the spinners in the Caribbean, the first name that comes to mind, to partner Chase and Cornwall in the squad, is Veerasammy Permaul, who ironically made his Test debut in Bangladesh.
Jomel Warrican, another left-arm spinner, was in the reserve list that toured England. In the 2020 Regional 4-Day which concluded back in March 2020, Permaul took 50 wickets, the most by any bowler. Akeal Hosein, another left-arm spinner, took 36 wickets, while Cornwall took 30 wickets.

Bishoo, who suffered a knee injury, last played a Test match back in 2018 in Bangladesh, but he seems to be off the selection radar.
After Permaul’s last Test, he played 55 first-class matches and took 290 wickets. He has a best bowling figure of 8 for 18; a best match haul figure of 15 for 77; and has taken 18 five-wicket hauls and seven 10-wicket hauls at an average of 16.90.
Permaul has played in 121 first-class matches, and has taken 536 wickets. He has a best bowling figure of 8-18 at 20.65, with 29 five-wicket hauls.
Meanwhile, Warrican has taken 261 wickets in 67 first-class matches at an average of 20.3, with 17 five-wicket hauls. In the two first-class matches against New Zealand A, Fabian Allen and Hayden Walsh Jr. were the spinners, but, in challenging spin conditions, they struggled.

In this upcoming tour to Bangladesh, the spinners who are expected to play would each have opportunity to spin the ball and make a name for themselves.
However, since the time of the great Lance Gibbs, not many West Indies spinner dominated Test cricket for an extended period. The modern era has seen Guyanese leg-spinner Bishoo ranked fourth as the leading wicket-taker; behind Lance Gibbs, Sonny Ramadhin, and Alf Valentine. Bishoo has participated in 36 Test matches and has taken 117 wickets, with four five-wicket hauls and one 10-wicket match haul.

A look at West Indies Test spinners since Gibbs
Gibbs may remain as the leading wicket-taker among spin bowlers for the West Indies. He accounted for 309 Test wickets in 79 Test matches, capturing 18 five-wicket hauls and two 10-wicket hauls.

Some may say the modern West Indian spinners are not given a fair opportunity at the Test level, but the likes of Permaul, Sulieman Benn, and Shane Shillingford each failed to cement a place in a Test side.
Permaul played six Test matches, and in the 11 innings that he bowled, he picked up only 18 wickets, with no five-wicket haul.
Benn had a decent run, with 26 matches from which he picked up 87 wickets; but he lacked consistency, which his bowling average of 39.10 proves.
Shillingford was among the dangerous spin bowlers when he played Test cricket, but he was reported for a suspect action. Shillingford, who is still playing regional cricket, has 70 Test wickets in 16 matches, along with six five-wicket hauls and two 10-wicket match hauls.
In contrast, other Test nations, such as Australia, India and Sri Lanka, have produced great spin bowlers in the modern era. The likes of Carl Hooper and Roger Harper were decent spinners in their time, but were considered part-time spinners.
Besides Chase, who is among the current Test spinners? Cornwall played three Test matches and has 13 wickets. Gibbs’s haul of 309 wickets is more than a million miles away for the current West Indies Test spinners.