5 positives for West Indies after the second Test

Shannon Gabriel

Shannon Gabriel is a reliable and destructive bowler

One thing which has taken Windies cricket to seriously embarrassing lows in recent times is the complete dearth of fast bowlers rising through their ranks. Despite that, there are few fast bowlers in this current Windies set up who can cause troubles and be a force to reckon with- one among them is Shannon Gabriel.

He has a good run-up and his strong arm action makes him a very bankable bowler for Jason Holder to have in his team. He has a very effective bouncer which surprises batsmen and he is among the very few Windies fast bowlers in recent years to touch 140 km/h on a frequent basis which is promising to see.

He is one bowler most captains would like to have in their team as he can bowl you long spells and get the important wickets as well.

In times where there seems to be no hope for Windies cricket and their future looks bleak, Gabriel offers some hope. A very talented bowler, he has bagged 66 wickets in 26 test matches with two 5 wicket hauls.

The Windies bowling attack lacked bite and hardly posed a threat to the English batsmen in the first test match. But with Gabriel’s inclusion , the bowling line up looked more potent and he along with Kemar Roach broke through the batting line up of England and proved too good for them.

The challenge for Windies, now, would be to manage the workload of the likes of Roach and Gabriel and if they manage that, they have two bowlers who have it in them to trouble most oppositions.