Regional 4-Day cricket and Test cricket has its similarities and differences. One similarity is the white clothing. Test cricket is played across five days and most batsmen are of supreme quality. That is the difference I am getting at, the batsmen at these different levels.

Guyana Jaguars left-arm spinner, Veerasammy Permaul has been dominating Regional batsmen but he is constantly being ignored by the West Indies selectors. What are the reasons for this?

At age 23, the young Albion left-arm spinner, Permaul made his Test debut against Bangladesh. At that point, Permaul had taken 152 First-class wickets in 45 matches at 24.59. Permaul’s journey at the Test level was brief; he played only six Tests and picked up only 18 wickets in his 11 innings he bowled. His best bowling figure at the highest level reads: 3-32 and his average is 43.77.

In June 2015, that was the last time Permaul rocked a West Indies Test kit, at Kingston Jamaica against the mighty Australians. In that series analysis, ESPNcricinfo Assistant Editor, Daniel Brettig described Permaul as steady but clearly he needs the pitch to do much work for him.

Permaul returns to Regional 4-Day with points to prove

After Permaul received the axe at the Test level, he had two options; to give up or dominate Regional cricket. He did the latter; in the 2014-15 season of the Regional 4-Day tournament, Permaul had 67 wickets in ten matches. It was a record breaking performance but that did not earn him a recall to the Test team.

He continued to show his skill and consistency, years after years. In the 2015-16 season he played eight matches and claimed 40 wickets. He then followed up that season with 41 wickets in the 2016-17 season and 50 wickets in the 2017-18 season. In the 2018-19 season, Permaul had 42 wickets and in the 2019-20 season, the most recent, Permaul had 50 wickets in only eight matches.

If Regional 4-Day cricket was the only yardstick for selecting a West Indies team, Permaul would have sit in the front seat of the team bus. Let me divert your attention a bit, who has been the most dominant batsman at the Regional 4-Day cricket over the years? It’s Devon Smith.

Smith has piled on runs on a consistent basis over the years. The left-handed opener played 217 First-class matches and has 14,681 runs. He has 38 First-class centuries and 63 half-centuries. Supreme batsman right? However, his Test career his exactly the opposite of his First-class career. Smith played 43 Tests and has 1760 runs at a miserable average of 23.78. He has only one century and eight half-centuries.

Smith and Permaul has shown that Test cricket and Regional 4-Day cricket are totally different challenges. Permaul had little opportunity to show his quality Regional left-arm spin at the highest level. Having seen Permaul in operation, he is simply a skilled bowler. He has the ability to pitch the ball in a consistent area to trouble batsmen. He turns the stock ball viciously, he has a deadly arm ball and he can operate for over long periods.

Permaul has dominated Regional cricket due all those qualities but, has the impatient batsmen contributed in Permaul’s success? After his last Test, Permual played 55 First-class matches and has 290 wickets. He has a best bowling figure of 8-18, a best match haul of 15-77, 18 five-wicket hauls and seven 10-wicket match hauls at an average of 16.90. That’s all or more than you can do to earn a recall.

Will Permaul be given a seat in the next West Indies Test squad? Or will West Indies selectors continue to ignore Permaul’s consistency? Will the selectors continue with the likes of Roston Chase, Jomel Warrican and Rahkeem Cornwall? Time will tell.