West Indies are yet to appoint a new Test captain following Kraigg Brathwaite's resignation at the end of March. How have the frontrunners for the position fared in the latest domestic season?
When asked about the team management's plans to replace Brathwaite at a press conference on March 31, new all-format coach Daren Sammy had said, "Throughout the region, we now have seven (eight) first-class teams playing, including the [West Indies] Academy. We've been grooming leaders in that regard as well. What we do have is an opportunity to start fresh. With the blow of missing Kraigg as a captain, I always look at the bright side."
One of the eight captains on the West Indies domestic circuit is Brathwaite himself, who leads Barbados. Sammy's words indicate that one of the other seven could potentially step up as Test skipper.
So, which of these players has advanced their case most in the season just gone?
Joshua da Silva (Trinidad & Tobago)
583 runs @ 64.8, HS: 152 | Test caps: 33
The natural successor to Brathwaite would be wicketkeeper da Silva, West Indies' current red-ball vice-captain. In charge of Trinidad and Tobago for this domestic season, the 26-year-old enjoyed a productive campaign. His 583 runs were the second-highest in the league, and he reeled off three consecutive centuries in his second and third matches of the season.
Here's the catch, though. Da Silva has rarely been poor with the bat in first-class cricket. Before this season, he averaged 33.7 for T&T, not shabby at all for a wicketkeeper. This season was certainly a step up, but until now his performances haven't quite translated to Test level, where he averages a shade under 25 after 33 matches.
He was even dropped from the side earlier this year, in favour of debutant Tevin Imlach. His excellent season notwithstanding, West Indies could be forgiven for having their reservations over da Silva.
John Campbell (Jamaica)
517 runs @ 47.0, HS: 126 | Test caps: 20
An opening batter, Campbell has already played 20 Tests, but the last of those was in 2022. It seems unlikely that a 31-year-old would be plucked out of the domestic scene and thrust back into the fold as Test skipper, but stranger things have happened.
His own form with the bat was more than solid, in the most recent campaign, with three centuries and a further two fifties to his name in a 500-plus run season. Campbell is similar to da Silva, though – a first-class average of almost 32, not high to begin with, has translated to barely 26 at Test level.
The same questions around da Silva plague Campbell as well, with the added downside of him not even being in and around the side for an extended period.
Alick Athanaze (Windward Islands)
231 runs @ 28.9, HS: 78 | Test caps: 13
Athanaze led a relatively weak Windward Islands team that ended up in last place this season. It might be harsh to judge his captaincy credentials on that alone, but he did not have a great personal season either. He found consistency hard to come by, with just one fifty in eight innings, averaging under 30 as well.
He is another who has already gotten a chance in international cricket. But an average of 25 in whites, and 23.5 in ODIs, would have needed a stunning domestic season to convince the decision-makers that he is the right choice. That hasn't come, either in the form of personal or team sucess.
Rahkeem Cornwall (Leeward Islands)
28 wickets @ 24.3, BBI: 4-41 | 138 runs @ 17.3, HS: 49 | Test caps: 10
Cornwall's 28 wickets were the joint-fifth highest in the league this season, and he did chip in with the bat on occasion. At 32 years old, though, and with the likes of Gudakesh Motie and Jomel Warrican ahead of him in the West Indies pecking order, it remains difficult to see him force his way into the side, let alone as captain.
He has done as well as he could, but whether or not he adds to his 10 Test caps could be down to circumstances outside his control.
Tevin Imlach (Guyana)
538 runs @ 67.3, HS: 126* | Test caps: 2
Imlach played two Tests in Multan earlier this year, and the scores – 6, 14, 0, 35 – do not make for pretty reading, although the wickets were far from helpful for batting. He has enjoyed a stellar domestic campaign on both the personal and team fronts though, averaging nearly 70 with the bat and captaining Guyana to the title, although a couple of fines for ball-tampering for his teammates took some of the shine off that.
At 28 years old, Imlach is actually two years senior to the more experienced da Silva, but could be a tempting choice as skipper, given Daren Sammy's emphasis on the opportunity for a fresh start with the red-ball team, between him taking over as head coach and a new World Test Championship cycle on the horizon.
Between da Silva, who has had chances but not completely taken them at Test level, and Imlach, who is just starting out, it might not be the worst decision to back the latter.
Teddy Bishop (West Indies Academy)
340 runs @ 37.8, HS: 99 | Test caps: 0
The 22-year-old Bishop was one of two skippers uncapped in Test cricket, on the domestic circuit this season, leading the West Indies Academy team as they finished above Combined Campuses & Colleges, and Windward Islands. (He did play one match under the captaincy of Ackeem Auguste, though.)
Bishop played one ODI last year, against Australia – scoring a six-ball duck as West Indies were bowled out for 86. A first-class average of 27.3 isn't much to write home about, but this campaign was a marked step up. If, as Sammy says, Cricket West Indies are seriously looking at grooming leaders for the future, Bishop could be an option in a few years' time – especially in a red-ball environment starved of talent on the younger side.
For now, Bishop does not appear to be a real contender.
Kyle Corbin (Combined Campuses & Colleges)
282 runs @ 40.3, HS: 102* | Test caps: 0
The second uncapped captain on the West Indies domestic circuit, Corbin is 34 years old and has had a domestic season significantly better than his first-class average of 26.2 across a 16-year career indicates. Still, it remains difficult to see him even push for a spot in the squad, let alone become a realistic captaincy option.
The other contenders
If West Indies were to see none of these options as suitable, other senior members of the Test squad could be considered. But very few of them were in action this season.
Shai Hope played just once for Barbados, scoring 20 & 16.
Jayden Seales took 38 wickets at a shade under 21 in the last WTC cycle, but his four matches in this regional four-day season yielded just nine wickets at 35.6. His County Championship form for Sussex could help his case though – he has already picked up 10 wickets in three matches.
Kavem Hodge had a middling campaign for Windward Islands with 314 runs in 10 innings. 225 of those came in two innings, and he was dismissed six times for single-digit scores.
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