Permaul in line for debut as Windies, Bangladesh clash

Dhaka - Left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul could be in line for his international debut as the West Indies face Bangladesh in the opening Test of the two-match series starting in Mirpur here Tuesday.

The 23-year-old was a surprise choice for the series after being picked ahead of several other proven candidates but with the Windies seriously weighing the option of playing two spinners, he is being considered for the final eleven, CMC reports.

He would join wily off-spinner Sunil Narine in an attack that would be looking to exploit what are expected to be conditions friendly to slower bowlers at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium.

“We have a selector (Robert Haynes) on tour and we will meet later to discuss things further (on the final XI),” Sammy said here Sunday.

“We are tempted to play two spinners, particularly Veerasammy Permaul, since he was part of the HPC team that last month played here. He has done really well here, so he makes a strong case for a place in the side, but the selectors will have to decide what they feel is the best combination for us to win the Test.”

Permaul, the West Indies A skipper, excelled on the recent tour here, taking 21 wickets in all formats. Though without international experience, he is a seasoned campaigner in first class cricket, having taken 152 wickets at 24.59 apiece from 45 matches since his debut five years ago.

His inclusion would make for a novice spin attack as for all his promise, Narine has

never played in Bangladesh before and only has three Tests under his belt after making his debut last June against England.

If the Windies opt for two spinners, it means Sammy will share the new ball with perhaps Ravi Rampaul.

“It looks like a pitch on which you will have to be patient in the batting and the bowling, so it will be about consistency in the execution of the plans you put in place,” said Sammy.

The West Indies will enter the Test without any match practice after heavy rains left the BKSP ground in Savar unfit for play, forcing officials to scrap the three-day warm-up game, the only one scheduled before the Test series.

Sammy admitted this was a blow for the Windies but said the players had utilised the time in the nets to compensate for the lack of a match scenario.

“It is disappointing, but the same thing happened to us a few years ago in Sri Lanka. We still had some specific work which we were doing and this time it is no different.”

The West Indies, boasting the likes of prolific opener Chris Gayle, veteran left-hander

Shiv Chanderpaul and the in-form Marlon Samuels, are tipped to easily win the series against a Bangladesh side that have not played a Test in nearly a year.

Last year when the Caribbean side toured here, they won both the Test and one-day series by narrow margins but Sammy stressed while they would not take the Tigers for granted, they would be looking for emphatic results.

The squads:

Bangladesh: Mushfiqur Rahim (captain), Mahmudullah (vice captain), Tamim Iqbal, Zunaed Siddique, Shahriar Nafees, Shakib Al Hasan, Naeem Islam, Nazim Uddin, Nasir Hossain, Mohammed Elias, Shahadat Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Abul Hasan, Shohag Gazi.

West Indies: Darren Sammy (captain), Denesh Ramdin (vice captain), Tino Best, Darren Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Narsingh Deonarine, Fidel Edwards, Kirk Edwards, Assad Fudadin, Chris Gayle, Sunil Narine, Veerasammy Permaul, Kieran Powell, Ravi Rampaul, Marlon Samuels.