Dear Editor,

I’d like to heartily congratulate the West Indies cricket team for both victories in the recent two-Test series against Bangladesh. Beating the home team, on their soil, with their varied spin attack under unfavourable conditions is not an easy task for any visiting team — no matter how good the team is.

Even though I was rooting for them, I didn’t give them much of a chance to accomplish this feat, especially since they were completely blown away in the three One-Day series.

I believe it’s an absolute honour to represent one’s country and region, and so those who declined to make the tour for personal reasons, they’re within their rights. So I agreed with past great Clive Lloyd that the players selected were not second-best, and shouldn’t consider themselves as such, but see it as an opportunity for them to showcase their talents — which they did admirably. So thank you, Sir Clive, for your inspiration.

I particularly liked the way Kraigg Brathwaite captained the team. When was the last time, for example, you saw Jason Holder win the toss and bat? He won’t, because, in my opinion, he has no confidence in his batting unit.

I have always liked the “big guy” Rahkeem Cornwall, and I think that Joshua da Silva is a better wicketkeeper/batsman than Shane Dowrich.

Therefore, the tour was very useful for the selectors as well, as they now have a wider pool of players to choose from. They now know that quality players abound outside of these so-called front line or experienced players whose selection, as it stands, is in jeopardy or, at the very least, no longer guaranteed for future series. Players such as Kyle Mayers, Nkrumah Bonner, Jermaine Blackwood, da Silva, Alzarri Joseph, and others, all emerged as talented options under hostile and adverse conditions.

I would like to see Cricket West Indies arrange an intra-squad game between the players who declined to tour and the current team. I think it would be an exciting match-up. Of course, I would be rooting for the current team, based on performance. They did what the regular line-up would never have accomplished. They had a plan and went out and executed it.

So, once again, take a another bow, West Indies, you made the region proud.

Noel Mitchell

Westchester, New York, USA

nlmworld@yahoo.com