Thrown West Indies players Shai Hope and Roston Chase will have to fight their way back into the Test team, after not being selected for the matches against Sri Lanka.
Hope, widely agreed to be one of the region’s most talented batsmen, was dropped from the team after a poor run of form in November last year. Chase, the consistent general player, at the same time replaced Kraigg Brathwaite as a lieutenant before the New Zealand series.
Both players were called to the team ahead of the Bangladesh series but were among 12 players to decline due to health and safety concerns.
Hope has since returned to the ODI squad, where he looked to be in strong form. Chase, who initially failed the minimum fitness requirement before the series, put on a strong display in the warm-up tour games. Both players remain on the sidelines, so far. For now, according to Simmons, though, current players are doing well enough to retain their places.
“The men who played in the Test matches have done well, so we need to continue to support the men who have done well in the last three Test matches,” Simmons told media members through a conference to the Zoom press.
“The way I look at it is the guys have done well. The boys went to Bangladesh; all batters did well. They won their places. So it’s a case of them continuing to play and play well, ”he added.
“Roston, Shai, those other players will have to fight their way back in, and that’s how cricket goes.” (SportsMax)