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Carl Hooper has said the West Indies have to guard against making wholesale changes just because we've lost a Test match.

The captain and his fellow selectors must decide by Saturday night, when they pick their squad for the third Test, starting at Kensington today week, whether it is worth extending their decision to bring back opener Stuart Williams and wicket-keeper Junior Murray into the team three years after their previous appearance.

With the West Indies behind 1-0 in the series of five Tests after defeat in the second at the Queen's Park Oval on Tuesday, selectors' minds could be swayed by performances for the Busta XI in the three-day match against the Indians at St Lucia's spanking new National Stadium starting tomorrow.

It includes two young openers, Daren Ganga and Devon Smith, who are both contenders for Williams' spot.

Ganga, the 22-year-old Trinidadian, gave way to Williams after holding the opening position for seven consecutive Tests in Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and Sharjah.

Devon Smith, the exciting 20-year-old Grenadian left-hander, aggregated 750 runs (average 62.5) for the Windward Islands in seven matches, the most by any batsman in the Busta Cup proper.

Williams and Murray regained their spots principally on the strength of their Busta batting form but have done little in the first two Tests to vindicate the selectors' judgment.

Williams, the 32-year-old Leeward Islander from Nevis, amassed 974 in eight Busta matches but scores of 13, 43 and 13 in the two Tests have almost precisely mirrored the moderate average of 24.26 he brought into the series from his previous 28 Tests.

Murray, 34, also owed his recall to batting form the Busta in which he scored four hundreds for the Windwards.

Out lbw for nought in almost identical fashion in his first two innings, Murray's tension was evident in his run out for one as the West Indies lower order collapsed to defeat in the second Test.

Hooper understandably backed both at media question time following the match.

Murray's run out was a bit unfortunate, he said, but added that he had a really good game behind the stumps.

As for Williams, Hooper said: I think in both innings, the time he spent there, he looked good.

© The Barbados Nation