Bishoo set to face England

20 April 2015 07:32

England are set to face trial by leg-spin after West Indies captain Denesh Ramdin confirmed Devendra Bishoo will play in Tuesday's second Test.

Wrist spin has long been a bete noire for England batsmen, a quirk that has been passed down the DNA since Australia's Shane Warne dominated the old enemy for more than a decade.

Peter Moores' current side, with the fresh faces of Gary Ballance, Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali and Jos Buttler throughout the order, have yet to face a frontline leg-spinner in Tests but that will change when Bishoo returns at the National Stadium in Grenada.

His record over 11 caps is modest, with 40 wickets at 39.55, but the 29-year-old comes into the game in place of the dropped Sulieman Benn in superb form.

His last five first-class matches for Guyana have yielded a phenomenal 37 wickets with six wicket hauls against Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago and the Windward Islands.

"Bishoo will be in," said Ramdin, when asked about his bowling line-up.

"The pitch will turn out to be better - in terms of spin - than the first Test in Antigua. He has bowled really well in first-class cricket in the last month and a half.

"In our squad's practice match he bowled long spells and got results.

"It's going to be a batting track for the first two days and then the fourth and five days, the spinner will come into play.

"With a leg-spinner you get bad balls and you get beauties. Hopefully he'll get a lot of beauties in this game."

Source: PA