Darren Bravo and Kieran Powell are West Indies' struggling southpaws

While the highflying T20 stars were in Dhaka mounting their eventual anticlimatic defence of the world title joyously won in Colombo two years earlier Darren Bravo and Kieran Powell were back in the Caribbean watched by a couple of nutsellers and a smattering of diehards in the understated firstclass tournament seeking to restore long held expectations that they are two future pillars of West Indies battingBravo at 26 is a year older than Powell Both are lefthanders who carry the unmistakable stamp and effortless evidence of class The heady hopes around them are based on previous performance Bravorsquos more so than PowellrsquosWest Indies Darren Bravo left and Kieran Powell during third Test against India at Mumbai in 2011It is recent inconsistency and in Bravorsquos case a hint of personal distraction that is cause for concern So too is their struggles since the last international series against India and New Zealand to rediscover their best in the interterritorial and international 50overs format in February and March and in the subsequent fourday contests now entering their runup to semifinal qualificationDouble ton in NZBravorsquos matchsaving 218 against New Zealand in Dunedin in December was by some distance the longest of his five Test hundreds of which two have been in Bangladesh two in India It spanned over nine and threequarter hours occupied 416 balls and halted a sequence of 10 innings without a 50 It seemed reconfirmation of Steve Waughrsquos early prediction that Bravo ldquois world cricketrsquos next superstar no doubtrdquo A few days later a wrist injury ruled him out of the next Test ndash just the third he has missed in the 27 since his debut in Sri Lanka in November 2010 eye problems accounted for his absence from the other two in the home series against the Black Caps 18 months earlierWithin three weeks he abandoned New Zealand and headed back to Trinidad for ldquopersonal reasonsrdquo They were unexplained and given his subsequent shortage of runs inevitably fanned speculation as to what they were In 18 innings in the Caribbean over the past three months five in the Pro50 four in ODIs against Ireland and England nine firstclass he has passed 50 twice 69 his highest He has simply been a shadow of the player he was and surely can be once againDwayneLara relationThe return home of his elder halfbrother Dwayne immediately after the World T20 was bound to be of comfort but Dwayne is soon off again for another season in the Indian Premier League IPL His celebrated cousin Brian Lara is always near at hand to offer encouragement and adviceNo book research is required to make the connection with Lara Born in the same Santa Cruz area of north Trinidad 20 years after the most entertaining batsman of his generation the similarity stretches beyond their lefthandednessThere is an unmistakable physical and facial likeness Bravorsquos mannerisms at the crease and his strong elegant offside strokeplay repeatedly cause us commentators to stifle the inevitable Lara identificationTheir identical records after their first 12 Tests was stuff for Ripleyrsquos lsquoBelieve It or Notrsquo ndash 941 runs average 4705The insatiable Lara then went into overdrive to end with more runs 11912 and more hundreds 34 than any other West Indian and of course his unimaginable 400 not out record Inevitably Bravo hasnrsquot kept that kind of pace A high average of 5250 after 13 Tests has slipped to 4448 after 27 useful but undoubtedly less than his capabilityThere is no question that he will be slotted in at No 4 for the three Tests in June against a patently stronger more united better led New Zealand than the team beaten in both Tests and four of the five ODIs on their 2012 visit he is simply too good not to beEven so time is running out for him to put together a major innings or two in Trinidad and Tobagorsquos remaining matches ndash three if they get to the final ndash that would stimulate the selfbelief presently lackingNor is it in the shortterm that West Indies cricket needs him he is young enough to look forward to at least another 10 years as the batting leader once the over30s Shivnarine Chanderpaul Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels departPowellrsquos case is based on less persuasive data than Bravorsquos his average after 20 Tests since his debut against India in Roseau in 2011 is well average 2811 The first of his three hundreds 134 against New Zealand in Antigua in 2012 was in an opening partnership of 254 with Chris Gayle two more followed two Tests later against Bangladesh in Dhaka one in each inningsIt placed him among giants of West Indian batting who had done the same ndash Headley and Walcott each twice Weekes Sobers Kanhai Rowe Greenidge Optimism was understandably high it swiftly waned in his next 15 innings the highest 48While his scores for the Leeward Islands have perked up in the current domestic firstclass season four over 50 in eight innings the highest 91 team coach Ridley Jacobs the former Test rsquokeeper has let him know in no uncertain terms that he expects more from him ldquoHe has a lot of work to dordquo Jacobs said leading into the last qualifying round match against 2013 champions Barbados ldquoHe has not been what we are looking for at times not very consistent and that is what we are looking for from the top and from the captain He needs to be consistent in every aspect catching batting just everythingrdquoIt was a warning in flashing lights for the sixth Test player from the tiny island of Nevis 108 square miles population 13000 Other toporder batsmen offer the selectors alternatives for the Tests against the Black CapsBright EdwardsThe strongest is 29yearold Kirk Edwards whose nine Tests have brought him two hundreds and an average of 39 his case is bolstered by two hundreds in four innings for Barbados this seasonThe challenge now for Powell and for Bravo as well is of character rather than ability The outcome is critical to West Indies at a time of scarcity of quality young batsmenCricket writer and commentator Tony Cozier will write a fortnightly column for this newspaper