Dropping of Powell was long overdue

The West Indian squad to tour England has been announced. A quick glance through the list reveals the absence of Daren Powell, a player who has been in the starting eleven for a considerable period of time. While some may advocate that his experience can come in handy in what is bound to be a difficult tour, the hard facts suggest that it is quite a miracle that Powell hadn't been axed earlier.

In his last 14 tests Powell has managed only 25 wickets at a frankly awful average of 60.80. Considering his career average in the first place is a hardly inspiring 47.85, one has to ask why the selectors and team management have persisted with him for so long. Several other fast bowlers in the Caribbean might validly ask why they have been discarded on the basis of a few poor matches while Powell has been rewarded without consistent excellence.

It can't be forgotten that Powell did have his own contribution to the recent series victory over England. His excellent rearguard action in Antigua, as a night watchman in the first innings, followed by tremendous application in the last session on the final day ensured the West Indies got the draw that maintained the momentum for the West Indies in the series.

That being said, the reality is that Powell was in the team to win matches with his bowling, an aspect of his game that was unfortunately not up to the task. In fact one could say the quality and hostility of his bowling were both regressing. Furthermore, Powell had the alarming tendency of giving a four-ball or two every over, enabling the opposition batsmen to score at a fair quip. This particular tendency must have been especially infuriating for the Windies, in light of Jerome Taylor and Fidel Edwards troubling the batsmen to start the innings, through swing and pace respectively.

The baton now passes on to Grenadian Nelson Pascal, who has really impressed in regional competition with his pace and wicket taking ability. The inclusion of Darren Sammy is also a good option for the Windies, especially in light of the conditions that are prevalent in England at this time of the year. Lionel Baker and Andrew Richardson are the other seam bowling options in the squad.

There is no doubting that for the West Indies to succeed as a bowling unit, Taylor and Edwards will be expected to provide most of the damage. Nonetheless, it is imperative that the other seamers provide good back-up and are able to maintain pressure. Its now up to the likes of Sammy, Baker, Pascal and Richardson to seize their chance and ensure that the long overdue exclusion of Daren Powell was the right move.