Marlon Samuels has been drafted into the West Indies side to replace the injured captain Ramnaresh Sarwan, who has been sent home. Sarwan had injured his shoulder during last week's Test at Headingley when he dived into the advertising boards trying to save a boundary. Presumably, vice captain Daren Ganga will be elevated to the captaincy.
The issue of who should replace Sarwan once again raised the spectre of insularity in the region. Barbadian Tony Cozier called for Barbadian Ryan Hinds to be drafted in the squad. This ruffled the feathers of a few Jamaican commentators who argued that the Jamaican Samuels should be the choice, often hinting that Cozier's choice was because he and Hinds are Bajan, while dismissing that a similar claim could be made against them.
The hard truth is that neither really deserve to be playing in the Test arena as their records show paltry averages despite the tremendous talent they each possess. Both were born in 1981, with Samuels a month older and both starred at every level in the West Indies youth team. Both display tremendous batting talent but have also demonstrated an equally remarkable inability to capitalise on that talent. Samuels has played 23 Tests with a paltry average of 28. Hinds has played 9 Tests for an average of 24. Samuels averages 36 in First class matches, Hinds 37. Not the stuff of champion Test cricketers.
Samuels, like fellow Jamaican Chris Gayle, is often seen as having a lackadaisical attitude. He often flatters with his strokeplay, only to deceive as he often times gives away his wicket to rash shots. Prior to the World Cup we hoped that he had turned the corner, but again he was only flattering as he had only 2 innings of note in the World Cup. Still, when he was excluded from the England tour initially, he responded by slamming a double century in a Jamaican club match. Maybe he is only still flattering? Or will he finally deliver the goods? Don't hold your breath.
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