Tagenarine Chanderpaul faces a difficult Australian initiation as he prepares to follow in his father’s footsteps as a West Indies Test cricketer. With scores of 119 and 56 against a Prime Minister’s XI that included several Australian internationals, the 26-year-old has all but secured a place in the touring side’s playing XI for the first Test match in Perth, which begins on Wednesday.
The left-hander will almost certainly open the batting alongside captain Kraigg Brathwaite, a well-deserved reward for a long run in First-Class cricket. The runs in Canberra follow an unbeaten century for West Indies A during a recent tour of Bangladesh, as well as two centuries for his native Guyana, where he has been a consistent contributor. Only his skipper’s 584 runs in the West Indies four-day competition surpassed Chanderpaul’s 439 runs.
Shivnarine view of Tagenarine Chanderpaul
Tagenarine’s First Class average of 35.55 may not jump out at you, but it tells the story of batters in the region who are forced to cut their teeth on slow surfaces. Nkrumah Bonner, for example, is 24 innings into his Test career and has an average of 37.47, a far cry from his 28.43 while playing for Jamaica. Tagenarine’s early success in Australia bodes well for his international future, and his father Shivnarine, a recent inductee into the ICC Hall of Fame, believes a good series Down Under can help him climb the ladder even faster.
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It will not be easy in Australia. No other team has come here and done well,” Chanderpaul told ICC-cricket.com on the night he was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame. If you do well against Australia, it will be a feather in his cap and will most likely help him propel his career. Shivnarine has a strong record against Australia in Test cricket, scoring 1649 runs at 49.96 with five centuries. However, all five three-figure scores came at home, with the left-hander unable to convert on Australian soil, scoring five fifties at an average of 30.20. But it was challenging his game against the best, at the time an all-dominant Australian side, that primed Shivnarine.
I used to love playing against Australia, especially early in the season, because they push you to raise your standards, and if you can do well against them throughout the year, you’ll do well because you’re playing at a different level. It will help him with his career if he can get a start and do well out here. It’s easy to see the similarities between the two at the crease, with both facing up almost front onto the bowler and placing a high value on their wicket.
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When their careers intersected, the pair batted together for Guyana, and Shivnarine says his technical philosophies of moving forward into the ball to prevent the head and eyes from dropping were key values applied as his son rose through the ranks. He’s one of those guys who will try to bat long when he gets a chance. There are a few other things he can work on, but he has an opportunity now, and hopefully, he can take advantage of it. On the other hand, Australia’s attack is one of the best in the world with a red ball in hand and will provide stiff opposition in their own backyard.
He’s one of those guys who will try to bat long when he gets a chance. There are a few other things he can work on, but he has an opportunity now, and hopefully, he can take advantage of it. On the other hand, Australia’s attack is one of the best in the world with a red ball in hand and will provide stiff opposition in their own backyard.
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