by HAYDN GILL in Trinidad

SULIEMAN BENN is facing the distinct possibility of what every West Indian spinner over the past 15 years has endured.

The tall, Barbadian left-arm spinner could join a long list of specialist bowlers who have been shabbily treated by the selectors.

Since the days of Rajindra Dhanraj, dating back to 1994, a host of slow bowlers have hardly been given extended chances (Please see accompanying box).

Of the nine previous specialist slow bowlers selected before Benn, only Dinanath Ramnarine has played more than ten Tests and no one apart from Ramnarine had a streak of more than four successive matches.

Benn's debut international appearance in the first Digicel Test between West Indies and Sri Lanka at the Guyana National Stadium was
hardly spectacular.

His 40 overs in the first innings were wicketless and when the opponents were going after quick runs in the second innings, he conceded almost five runs an over but managed to collect three wickets.

Figures also don't always tell the story, but Benn bowled encouragingly in his first outing and surely deserved a few wickets in the first innings.

It was an effort that is worthy of retention for the second Test which starts on Thursday at the Queen's Park Oval, in Trindiad, and among those who thought highly of his debut Test was West Indies coach John Dyson.

"In assessing his performance you have got to say that the wicket was a batsman's paradise. It didn't help the pace bowlers and it didn't help the spinners and I thought he bowled very, very well for his first Test match," Dyson said.

Coach pleased

"He came in, maintained a good line, a good length.

"I felt sorry for him that he didn't take a wicket [in the first innings] albeit there was one opportunity missed from his bowling and I was pleased that he came out there again and bowled pretty well [in the second innings]."

Two days after the first Test, Benn was back in action for Barbados against Trinidad and Tobago here at Guaracara Park and he was by some distance his team's best bowler on the opening day when he could have bagged more than two wickets.

The presence of Trinidad and Tobago off-spinner Amit Jaggernauth in the West Indies 14-man squad for the first Test tells you that the selectors don't have to go too far if they want to consider other options.

If the selectors, however, discard Benn after only one match, it would serve to strengthen the widely held view that they have little patience with Caribbean spinners.

Dyson's words seem to suggest that he is prepared to give spinners a chance to show their mettle.

"I said before the match that it is good that we have frontline spinners in the squad because it gives us that option that when you get a wicket that might actually be kind to spinners to actually play one," he said.

"We found in South Africa that we didn't have that spin option. We were asking the pace bowlers and as you know all of our pace bowlers are aggressive pace bowlers.

"Bravo can tie an end down very well but the other bowlers are very aggressive in their approach to taking wickets and it's difficult to then ask them when the wicket isn't conducive to pace to come on and do a similar job.

"The thought for the spinner was that he could bowl long spells if needed. He could also be in a situation where if he bowls well enough he could take wickets and it gives us an overall better balance if a wicket isn't suited to pace."