Brooks added to Windies A ‘Test’ squad

[AFRO]

It doesn't matter, Afro...the WI selectors knew about the Bangladesh A squad before they picked theirs, and they STILL went for a bunch of inexperienced youngsters who couldn't even dominate our batting stats at the regional level....

So, are you saying that you don't care if our A team does badly against the Bangladeshis? Are you saying that you don't mind if the Bangladeshis outplay us, just as long as these inconsistent youngsters get some games under their belt?

I'm sorry, but that sounds like typical ASS thinking....

Any sensible selector, who didn't go to ASS, would pick a side with a mix of youth and experience, and this squad smacks of over-confidence, because we're just playing the Bangladeshis. Thankfully, we're not playing an A team from another Test side, or we would've been thrashed!

Take Brooks, for example...he failed for Barbados in the four-day domestic season, and gets a callup to the WI A squad. He averaged 26 with the bat this season, and was Barbados' NINTH best batsman! What is the logic behind that?

It seems that Gibson and his cronies are picking players on the basis of youth and inexperience, with no attention paid to ability and consistency....

By the way, Brooks is the same age as Fletcher, who outperformed Brooks in domestic cricket this season.

Well i agree about Fletcher but lets be real here NO-ONE IS THE FINISHED ARTICLE WHEN THEY PLAY FOR THE A-TEAM, a prime example is Kirk Edwards who flattared to deceive for Bim for a while but then he had one decent season, got into the A-team with his average in the mid to low 30s and hasn't looked back since, why can't more batters follow in his footsteps? that's why i'm keeping an eye on Leon Johnson because i believe he might be another Edwards, i'd rather he got a chance then gifting a position to a man like Ganga OR Hinds WHO HAS NO CHANCE OF PLAYING FOR WI AGAIN, also Chesney Hughes HAS to play in the next A-team series imo, and that's a kid with a proven track record regardless of whether he's young or not,

In closing the only way we'll know if the selectors mess up is when this last test is over!!.. what if we win it and take the series? you still gonna bawl your head off and lambast the selectors? .

[mikesiva]

Kirk Edwards performed better with the bat than Chandrika, Hyatt, Bonner, Carter, Thomas and Brooks when he was called up into the WI A squad - Only Corbin came close to him. And Kirk had a long apprenticeship in four-day domestic cricket before he was called up to the A team. He made his debut for Barbados in 2006. None of this force ripe nonsense....

You say Kirk was averaging in the mid-30s when he was picked for the A team. Well, if we're picking players who are averaging mid-30s in FC cricket, then I wouldn't mind, but I really think we should draw the line at picking players who average in the 20s....

I disagree about Johnson and Hughes - IMHO, they need to prove themselves at domestic level before they're promoted to the A team. The same goes for the likes of the youngsters currently playing in the A team.

And it's only a mild relief if we win the second 'Test'. We should be beating them 2-0, with a team that's a mixture of youth and experience. An experienced captain can pass on things to the youngsters. It achieves little having Permaul captain the A team.