'I try and be myself, I can't be him' - meet Tagenarine Chanderpaul
The opener is in line for a Test debut in Perth next week after a prolific year with the bat
It would be a huge surprise if he doesn't, having made 119 against a strong Prime Minister's XI attack in Canberra to continue a prolific year. He had made just 4 in his one outing against NSW/ACT XI last week, after missing the first innings because of illness. But on Thursday, he faced 293 balls before falling to the final delivery of the second day when he top-edged a pull against Joel Paris. The PM's line-up included Test seamer Michael Neser as well as Mark Steketee, who has been in Australia squads. Todd Murphy, the young offspinner, and left-armer Ashton Agar bowled 41 overs between them, which is likely to be more spin than Chanderpaul will face in Perth, but should put him good stead for the challenge of Nathan Lyon. A vacancy for Kraigg Brathwaite's partner has come up at the top of the order following the anti-doping ban handed to John Campbell.
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He's waited a little while for this opportunity, but he effectively lost two years of his career because of Covid and did not play a match from March 2020 until February 2022. Before that gap, he had shown glimpses of his potential with a maiden first-class hundred against Barbados in 2018, and then another against Windward Islands in 2019, which at a marathon 484 deliveries is his longest first-class innings to date in terms of balls faced. From early on, he had shown the ability to bat time, facing more than 150 deliveries in an innings three times in his first two seasons. However, it's been this year where things have really taken off: in 2022, he has an average of 89.50 including four centuries.
Indeed they did, 11 times in first-class cricket. The first came in 2013 against Trinidad and Tobago [Tagenarine made 42 in the first innings, Shivnarine 108 in the second], and the last in 2018, which is when Tagenarine made his maiden first-class hundred.
He played in the 2014 Under-19 World Cup in the UAE, where he made 293 runs. That team also featured Nicholas Pooran, Fabian Allen, Shimron Hetmyer and Brandon King. After that, he bided his time in first-class cricket before the Covid-enforced break. Earlier this year, he was rewarded for his impressive domestic form with a West Indies A call-up to face Bangladesh A where he made an unbeaten 109 in the second four-day match.
Make your own mind up…
Meet the Chanderpauls #PMXIvWI #AUSvWI pic.twitter.com/hSOJfFZSre
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"He's been knocking at the door since before Covid… two-and-a-half years passed with no cricket behind, then he started to get some cricket back. He started the first-class season without many runs, then he came to Florida and did some work with me. When he got back, he got a couple of hundreds and now he's got selected to come here. Knowing the attack Australia has - these guys are relentless - if he can come here and do well, it will be a start to his career.
"I try and be myself. I can't be him, so I can only be myself. Fingers crossed… I'll try to get some runs if I'm selected."
Tagenarine has a movie credit to his name. He was plucked to play Larry Gomes in the film 83 about India's famous World Cup triumph.
"Sometimes," Shivnarine said.
Andrew McGlashan is a deputy editor at ESPNcricinfo