Shillingford has that same pushing-back-at-an-imaginary-person-trying-to-hug-him that Harbhajan Singh does. He gets good bounce. Has a first-class bowling average of 25. Experience over many years of cricket. Has a ten-wicket haul in Test Cricket. Will one day have a stand named after him.

He’s not Sunil Narine.

Sunil Narine has never played a Test, but will probably make more money out of cricket over the previous few weeks than Shillingford ever will. Right now more people are clicking on Narine’s ESPNcricinfo profile, the one that shows his Mohawk well as he smiles cheekily, than have probably ever looked up Shillingford’s profile (which is him looking rather uncomfortable and like he was taken by surprise).

Shillingford was overlooked for the first Test for a debutante; there is not an attack in world cricket that would overlook Sunil Narine right now.

Shillingford is a workhorse, there’s no magic, mystery or mayhem about him. That doesn’t mean he isn’t good. But he’s good as in handy, not good as in Narine.

Narine has tricks that Shillingford will be able to talk about, but probably never replicate. But it isn’t just the tricks that Narine has, his magical mystery ball is amazing, but his normal offspinning delivery is at the moment the best spinning stock ball in world cricket. It bites, and bounces. And even when his carom ball (which if you can pick it, does very little at all) does get worked out, Narine will still be world class.

The best spin bowlers use tricks to confuse batsman who can’t pick it from the hand and embarrass the tail, but it’s the stock ball that you need if you want to be a Warne, Murali or Kumble. Narine is a long way from joining this company, and while his stock ball is far better than that of the last mystery phenom, Mendis, once people pick your trick ball, that’s when it really gets tough for bowlers.

Shillingford’s stock ball is okay. It’s certainly not horrible, and when he’s on a helpful surface he can bowl for an amazing amount of hours and take quite a few wickets. On a surface like this, against a team who is willing to attack him, he looks a bit out of his depth.

In this Test so far, Shillingford is going at 4.7 an over. In the 2012 IPL so far, Narine has so far gone for 5.2 an over.

Today Narine will be watched by close to a billion people, Shillingford by only million or so. One playing for his country. One playing for his financial future.

I hope Narine plays a blinder for Kolkata Knight Riders, wins the IPL and sets up his entire future in one night. But more than that I hope as soon as humanly possible he plays for his region in a Test match.

West Indies have more than a few well-meaning workhorses who are helping them put in slightly improved performances, now they need some magic. And right now, that’s Narine.

Silky stallions t shirt.

King Cricket shirt is available here.

But that attitude seems to be disappearing of recent times. The Windies are fast becoming the second favourite team of cricket fans, especially to those who never used to watching the West Indies pummel their country’s batsmen upside their heads.

They’ve been a perfect second side of late. They have exciting young cricketers, mystery bowlers, mini Lara, a talented young quick, and they’re not likely to beat your team in a Test match.

Not that they don’t get close.

At home against India they worked themselves into several good positions only to end up losing or drawing. And against Australia they played well only to fall apart when they needed to be at their best.

Yet again, they’ve snuck up on a better side and find themselves with a good chance of winning the Test. Rudi Webster, the former Windies psychologist recently said they don’t know how to win. To beat England at home, when they’re chasing less than 200 on a solid batting pitch, you need to really back yourself.

The two wickets were promising. But there is little to lose in a four over session that is essentially being played with Hammer Horror type lighting. It is when England puts on a partnership of any note, or as they close in on the total when West Indies will be under real pressure.

Will they do everything they can to win this match, or will they just put in another effort that annoys the opposition before they eventually fold.

It’s nice to be everyone’s second favourite team, but it’s better to win a few matches. They may never be universally feared or hated again, but it would be nice if they could do more than just temporarily annoy fans, and on occasions like this, really ruin the mood of a few opposition fans like my dad. It’s good to piss people off.

Thanks to Karachi tips for the free Afridi shirt.

And if you want an afghan cricket shirt slap one on right here.

If you feel the need to get a bit of Curtly splashed on your chest, you can buy it here.

But I think I’ve got my second one all set.

The good news is that it’s not going to take long to edit.  The bad news is that it will take a long time to watch.

The film is a complete unedited split screen (from the side and straight on) of Shivnarine Chanderpaul recounting every Test run he has scored.

There will be no sound track, animation or montages, just Shiv’s face close to yours as he takes you through every single run.

Bam.

According to the far more stylish than Shiv, Ceci Masters, the poster would look like this.

Shiv has always been a weird one for me.

Partly because I automatically want to spell his name Chandrepaul, then I’d get confused as to whether it was re or er.  Then I started calling him Shiv.

I’ve never really warmed to Shiv.

Shiv wears tape on his face, the cramping, or the fact he hasn’t moved himself up the order despite the West Indies top four often consisting of 3 rubber chickens and a groundsman who brought whites to the ground.

I admire him, because he has made 10,000 Test runs, and that’s no trip to Cleveland.

It doesn’t mean I have to like him.

The tension between us could even make this film better.

“So Shiv, tell us about the gritty 2057th run you took at the Basin”

“I’ve got 10,ooo Test runs you passive aggressive Stinkey Beetie, but I remember that one well. Nathan Astle was bowling around the wicket, and he got it a bit too straight, not straight strait, but leg straight, and I closed the face and turned it for one, Phil Simmons wanted two, but there was only one and it was the last ball of the over”.

Credits.