Tour of New Zealand 2008-09              Captain: Chris Gayle

Sixtieth official test tour

Ninth Test-playing tour of New Zealand by West Indies

 (November  2008 -

                     January 2009)

A proposed two-Test series between Pakistan and West Indies planned to take place in Abu Dhabi after the three ODIs there was cancelled because the WICB had insufficient time to negotiate touring terms with the players.

In its place the WICB arranged that the players should have a training camp in New Zealand as a build-up to to the series but this was shortened when players arrived late because of problems obtaining visas.  John Dyson had complained that six weeks of training for the $20 million Stanford 20/20 match prevented him holding a camp to prepare for the New Zealand series.

During the New Zealand series the teams trialled the ICC's umpire decision review system which allowed each side three unsuccessful appeals to the umpire to change a decision. It had also been used in the three-Test series in Sri Lanka against India 2008.

The tourists shared the Test series (both matches drawn) but lost the decisive one-day international under the Duckworth/Lewis Method, after two other matches were abandoned because of rain.

The West Indies Players' Association made a strong protest when Otago cricket officials wanted to promote the first Test by using the unfortunate slogan "It's all white here", as a variation on New Zealand rugby's  'black out' theme and the campaign was dropped.

Other West Indies tours

Previous tour

To South Africa 2007-08

Next tour

To England 2009

Members of the Test tour party (15)

Opening batsmen:  Chris Gayle, Sewnarine Chattergoon

Middle-order batsmen:  Shiv Chanderpaul, Leon Johnson, Xavier Marshall, Brendon Nash, Ramnaresh Sarwan

Wicket-keepers:   Dinesh Ramdin, Carlton Baugh

Slow bowlers:  Sulieman Benn

Fast bowlers:  Lionel Baker, Fidel Edwards, Daren Powell, Kemar Roach, Jerome Taylor.

Regional representation:   

B - Barbados (3)

G Guyana (4)

Ja -  Jamaica (6)

L - Leeward Islands (1)

T Trinidad & Tobago (1)

W Windward Islands (0)

Average age of  team at time of first Test match

(11 December 2008) : 26 yrs  6 months

Test Appearances made before the tour

Chanderpaul 112,  Gayle  73,  Sarwan 72,  Edwards 34,  Powell 30,  Ramdin 27,  Taylor 20,  Baugh 5, Marshall 4,  Benn 2,  Chattergoon 2,  Baker 0,  Johnson 0,  Nash 0,  Roach 0.

Team Officials 

Selectors

Clyde Butts (chairman),

Selection

Ramnaresh Sarwan was appointed vice-captain but resigned on arrival in New Zealand and Ramdin took over

Unavailable:  Dwayne Bravo suffered an ankle injury which ruled him out of cricket for eight months

Marlon Samuels had been banned from the game for two years for his links with an Indian bookmaker.

Tour Party Announced :  1 November 2008.

Former Queensland batsman Brendon Nash, who moved to Jamaica where his parents were originally from, was included in the touring squad.

Not selected :   D Ganga,  R S Morton,  D J G Sammy

The ODI team for Abu Dhabi (†) included the spinners Nikita Miller and Dave Mohammad and  batsman Shawn Findlay, who were not selected for the New Zealand Test series.

Time between selection and departure from West Indies

  7 days

(1 November to 8 November)

Travel

BridgetownQ  London Q   Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi   QChristchurch

The West Indies team left the Caribbean on 8 November for Abu Dhabi to play three ODIs against Pakistan.

After the one-day series coach John Dyson left Abu Dhabi on 22 November for New Zealand and arrived in Christchurch on Monday 24 November. However, the players could not leave as they had decided to take the opportunity to stay on for some intensive training, and changed flights meant transiting in Australia which required a visa.

The squad remained in Abu Dhabi until 24 November

Sulieman Benn, Fidel Edwards and Denesh Ramdin, as well as media liaison Philip Spooner, were simultaneously travelling from the Caribbean to join the tour but were holed up in a London hotel waiting for the WICB to obtain the visas.

The West Indies squad finally arrived in Christchurch on Wednesday 26 November, and held a long training camp until 3 December.

Time spent in New Zealand

  50  days

(26 November - 15 January)

On-tour selection panel

Reinforcements

None

Fixtures/Results

† not first-class

§  one-day international

⊕  Twenty20 international

Time spent in  before First Test:    15 days

(26 November - 11 December)

Test appearances on tour

2 -   Chanderpaul, Chattergoon, Edwards, Gayle, Marshall, Nash, Powell, Ramdin, Sarwan, Taylor

1  -  Baker, Benn

0 -   Baugh, Johnson, Roach.

Highlights

•  Jerome Taylor struck his maiden century (106) in the Test at Dunedin. He took 97 minutes, striking 3 sixes and 17 fours.

•  Gayle scored 197  and Chanderpaul 126 not out in the second Test at Napier.

•  Fidel Edwards had his best bowling figures in Test cricket: 7 for 87 in the first innings at Dunedin.

Tour Summary

Return to West Indies

Q 

West Indies returned to the Caribbean on Thursday 14 and Friday 15 January 2009 to begin preparations for the England tour starting in February.

Time away from West Indies    67 days  

(8 November to 15 January)

Finances