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Nkrumah Bonner and Darren Bravo in West Indies selection radar: Desmond Haynes

image-le89vqlvNkrumah Bonner | PC: Twitter

West Indies chief selector Desmond Haynes passed an assurance that the senior players Nkrumah Bonner and Darren Bravo are still there in the selection contention in the longest format of the game. 

While the left-hander Darren Bravo has not played in the longest format for more than two years, top-order batter Nkrumah Bonner has been struggling for form in recent months, averaging just 10 in his last five Tests.

Here's what Desmond Haynes said: 

“Obviously, Bonner struggled a little bit in the last couple of Test matches that he has played, and we believe we would like to see Bonner come back and play some more first-class games here in the Caribbean and then get ready for India who are coming in June.”

It's worth noting that Nkrumah Bonner has not been included in the squad for the South Africa tour. On being asked about this, Desmond Haynes revealed that they had spoken to Bonner about the reasons for his exclusion. 

“When someone is left out of the side, the first impression that comes to one’s mind is that you’re done with somebody.

“But I had a conversation – not only myself but [fellow selector] Roland (Butcher) – we had a conversation with Bonner and we explained to him the reason why he’s not been selected to go to South Africa.” 

As for Darren Bravo, since his return to international cricket following a controversial 30-month break, he has struggled to find his rhythm, which resulted in his exclusion from the team in 2020 after averaging only 13 in seven Tests.

However, he managed to turn things around with two centuries against the Leeward Islands Hurricanes at the Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium last week. Speaking on Darren Bravo, here's what Desmond Haynes stated: 

"I called Bravo to congratulate him on the two hundreds that he scored."

“We in the Caribbean, we don’t have the luxury of talking about age not being on someone’s side. If someone is doing very well in our competitions, I think his name must come up for selection."