PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) — Former West Indies batsman Suruj Ragoonath expects selectors to keep faith with the core of the current West Indies squad for the tour of Bangladesh, despite their recent struggles on the tour of New Zealand.

Even though acknowledging West Indies were likely to alter the composition of their bowling attack because of the pitches in Bangladesh, Ragoonath said widespread changes were unexpected because alternatives were limited.

“You’re looking at players’ records on different surfaces and the composition of the team because of the conditions you’re going to play [in]. I don’t think you’re going to go to Bangladesh and play four fast bowlers,” the former chief executive of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board told the Trinidad Newsday.

“In terms of our batting, as much as we want West Indies cricket to do well, we got to allow players the luxury to learn on the job, given the fact that the standards in our regional tournaments aren’t that high. As a result, we’ll have to be more patient.”

He added: “Between now and January, we don’t have any cricket coming up to prepare us, so those guys who have been playing are the ones that, most likely, the selectors will have to stick with.”

Cricket West Indies confirmed Tuesday that West Indies will tour Bangladesh starting next month for two Tests and three One-Day Internationals.

The tour comes on the heels of a disappointing series in New Zealand where West Indies lost both Tests by an innings inside four days.

Of the specialist batsmen, only Jermaine Blackwood with 216 runs managed more than 200 runs from four innings, with the next best being left-handed opener John Campbell with 110 runs.

The series defeat was the second this year for West Indies, following a 2-1 loss in a three-Test series in England.

Ragoonath, who played two Tests when Australia toured West Indies in 1999, said any high expectations of the Caribbean side were unrealistic since the quality of the first-class tournaments which produced international players was “not of the highest standard”.

“I’m disappointed because it’s a West Indies team and I always want West Indies cricket to do well,” Ragoonath continued.

“But I’m also very measured in my expectations, knowing that most of our players — the batters in particular — average very poorly in our regional first-class tournaments, which are not of the highest standard.

“So I don’t expect when they come up against quality opposition, in foreign conditions, that they would do well.”

He added: “It has been a tough [New Zealand] series for our bowlers and tougher for our batsmen. The positives were very few and far in-between.”