Lead selector the golden greats Desmond Haynes believes the opening combination of Kraigg Brathwaite and the uncapped Tagenarine Chanderpaul the son of batting legend Shivnarayan Chanderpaul, can pay dividends for West Indies in Australia. The left-handed Tagenarine Chanderpaul has been included in the squad for the two-Test series starting current month following heavy scoring in first-class cricket this year and is expected to the captain Brathwaite at the top of the order. West Indies are expected to assemble in Australia on 10 November and will play a three-day game against an ACT/NSW XI at the Philip Oval in Canberra starting seven days later, before facing the Prime Minister’s XI in a four-day match beginning 23 November 23 at Manuka Oval in the same city. The first Test bowls off at Perth Stadium on 30 November with the second at Adelaide Oval – a day/night contest – scheduled to start 8 December.  “I believe they can work well together.

I think what you have to take into consideration too is with Tage, a young man, he’s got a very good technique to the new ball which is good,” said Haynes, himself one of Test cricket’s greatest openers of all-time. “He leaves alone very well. When you go to places like Australia, you don’t want to see the number three batsman coming in too early or the number four. So I think he and Kraigg would definitely complement each other because at least they would be looking at what openers should do for a team as well, which is build a foundation for the side so the guys coming in down the order would not get the new ball.” Chanderpaul, the son of West Indies legend Shiv Chanderpaul, has scored five first class hundreds – the last of those hundreds – 109 against Bangladesh A in St Lucia last August – required 337 balls in 6-¾ hours at the crease. Haynes, who formed Test cricket’s most feared opening partnership with Sir Gordon Greenidge, said the upcoming series would be an excellent starting point for Chanderpaul’s career.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-INP