Hope, Campbell could be axed for vital third Test

West Indies coach Phil Simmons has admitted that he is concerned about the form of John Campbell and Shai Hope, and will consider making top-order changes ahead of the third Test.

Campbell and Hope both fell cheaply on the final day of the second Test, and have made 52 and 57 runs respectively in four innings each in this series. Speaking at the post-match press conference, Simmons also bemoaned West Indies’ failure to convert fifties into hundreds throughout the series, and said that changes would have to be discussed.

“[Campbell and Hope’s form] is something that we have to discuss over the next couple of days, and make a decision as to which direction we go there,” Simmons said. “You’re right, they haven’t fired, so we’ve got to take that into consideration.

“We’ve had five or six half-centuries [in this Test] and no conversion. It’s something that we’ve been talking about a lot, and no one has taken up that opportunity in this game, yet again. It is disappointing.

“It’s critical that our batsmen carry on and make big hundreds. [Ben] Stokes made 176, what’s-his-name [Dom Sibley] 120-odd. Our batsmen need to make hundreds, because our bowlers have been doing their job. Now the batsmen need to stand up and do what they have to for West Indies cricket.”

In particular, Simmons said that he was disappointed with Hope’s form. Captain Jason Holder had backed Hope coming into the second Test, saying that he had “all the confidence that Shai Hope will deliver”, but scores of 25 and 7 only extended a miserable run of form that has seen him make 111 runs at 12.33 in his last ten Test innings.

Shai Hope is a picture of despondency after another failure. His Test average has not dipped to 26.35 after 33 matches.

“Yes, I’m concerned,” Simmons admitted. “He’s gone four innings without a score, in contrast to how he played over the last five, six months in the other formats. I am concerned about his form, and we’ll be sitting down and chatting about that over the next couple of days.”

Simmons added that the moment he thought anyone was playing for their place in the side rather than for the team, they would be dropped.

“If I think you’re more concerned about your current form than what you can do for the team, then you can think about your current form on the sideline,” he said. “So far, everyone has been looking to work hard for the team, and if someone changes that train of thought, then he’s not there for the team and we’ll have to think about that very, very seriously.”

While Campbell’s batting is the main concern, Simmons also criticised his fielding, after he dropped Stokes in the second over of the final day. Stokes was on 29 at the time, and went on to add 48 more runs off his next 34 balls to put England into a commanding position.

“If you go out and drop him [Stokes] within six balls [11] of the start, well then you’ve got problems,” Simmons said. “It’s our doing that he had the opportunity to go on and show what he’s made of.”

Meanwhile, West Indies fast-bowling great Sir Curtly Ambrose suggested that West Indies drop Hope for the series-deciding third Test because repeated failures might “destroy” him. Ambrose said something had gone wrong with the Barbadian batsman since his famous centuries at Headingley.

Heading into the series, the spotlight was on Hope, who notched up two centuries at the Headingley Test in 2017. The wicketkeeper-batsman has struggled to even breach the 30-run mark in his four innings against England. His scores read 25, 7, 16 and 9 so far.

“He is a much better player than what he is showing at the moment and is obviously very low on confidence. Maybe in the next game we should rest him so he can regain some confidence,” Ambrose told Sky Sports.

“If you keep playing him and he keeps failing it will only get worse. You are going to destroy him if it continues like that. Something has gone terribly wrong for him since those two centuries at Headingley – he hasn’t done anything really in Test cricket since then.”

Ambrose, who claimed 630 international wickets in his 98 Tests and 176 ODIs for West Indies, said it was a tough call as playing Hope would hurt his confidence.

“I like Hope a lot. I think he is a fantastic player but this is not doing his confidence any good. Are West Indies going to go with him again? It’s a tough call. I am inclined to give him another go but by bringing someone else in he could get totally away from the game for a little bit and get his mind together,” Ambrose said. (Cricinfo)