SPORTS
Joel Bailey
eOMAR KHAN, the former manager of Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies and Guyana Amazon Warriors, is calling for the inclusion of left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein in the WI Test squad.
Hosein has featured in both One Day International and T20 teams since making his international debut during the 2021 tour to Bangladesh, but he is yet to earn a Test call-up.
In the last two years, West Indies have used Rahkeem Cornwall, Roston Chase (off-spinners); Jomel Warrican, Veerasammy Permaul and Gudakesh Motie (left-armers) as the main spin options, but none of them have been able to cement a place as the team’s spinner.
WI were beaten 2-0 by hosts Australia a month ago, and they will play two Tests each away to Zimbabwe and South Africa in February and March.
Fast bowler Jayden Seales will miss both trips with an injured knee, but Khan does not want too many changes to the squad that fielded in Australia.
“I think obviously the core of the Test team remains the same,” Khan said. “There are hardly any names that come up for consideration.”
However, Khan noted, “I would like to see a spin option. We didn’t keep a front-line spinner in Australia, which I totally disagreed with. You can’t say Roston Chase is your spinner.
“I would like to see Akeal Hosein settle in as one of our front-line spinners in the Test team, in fact across all formats. He is doing well now, he is playing well, his confidence is high. He is a penetrating shooter. We are looking for penetration bowlers now.”
He continued, “We don’t have any leg-spinners in the Caribbean that we can easily identify. Hayden Walsh jnr has been in and out but, in terms of a spinner in Test cricket who can take wickets and also contain, I think Akeal is a good choice.”
On batting, Khan commented, “Tagenarine Chanderpaul will continue to do well. He made a promising start in Australia.
“I would like to see, in the middle order, Jermaine Blackwood and these guys be more consistent but, unfortunately, they are not. Even if you look around, from the group of players that we have, the young players, I can’t really see any names that come up that can say ‘I command a place in the team’.
