The Trinidadian Nanan, who played a single Test against Pakistan 18 years ago, said Benn did not possess the attributes to succeed at the highest level as a spinner.
“I am not convinced that Benn is up to Test standard. I don’t like his demeanour on the field. He seems to be just going through the motions,” Nanan said here.
“Benn does not spin the ball, what he does is really roll the ball. I will think that he is more of a slow bowler than a spinner. At the Test level this is not going to bring the success that one wants.”
The lanky six-footer has been the West Indies preferred spin option since making his Test debut against Sri Lanka in the Caribbean last year.
Since then, he has taken 26 wickets in ten Tests at an average of 48.61. His best performance came in the opening Test against England in Jamaica last year when he finished with match figures of eight for 108 to help fire West Indies to an innings and 23-run win.
But Nanan, who grabbed four wickets in the 1981 Faisalabad Test, said he expected Benn to struggle against top class batsmen at the highest level.
“Benn has gotten some success at the regional level because the standard is much lower than the Test standard,” said Nanan.
“When he comes up against world class players he cannot make an impression and this is because he comes on as pretty ordinary.”
West Indies have failed to find a steady spin option over the last three decades and have tried and discarded a number of bowlers.
Last year, Trinidadian off-spinner Amit Jaggernauth was given one Test against Australia before being dropped while left-arm Jamaican spinner Nikita Miller played one Test in July against Bangladesh before also being overlooked.
