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Who should take credit?
John Dyson
Omar Khan
By Rawle Welch
West Indies head to the Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad and Tobago for the final test match against England on Friday in the driver’s seat, clutching to a 1-0 advantage and a strong possibility of gaining their first series win against a team ranked higher than them. Still not on the same plateau with the teams of the late 70s until the mid 90s that performed at dizzying heights against all and sundry, this current crop was never considered as being worthy of possessing the quality to beat England prior to the commencement of the tour.
Well, with one test to go and no chance of losing the series, this team has shown steady improvement with every passing mission and could go on to grab a memorable series win.
But, who is responsible for this overdue improvement?
Not to take anything away from Coach John Dyson, who like those that preceded him, has repeatedly urged the players to do the basic things on a more consistent basis, but could the present fighting qualities and the more professional approach exhibited by the team over the last three series be attributed to former Trinidad and Tobago’s successful Manager Omar Khan or is it mere coincidence?
Since his appointment as Team Manager on March 5 after replacing the great West Indies Captain Clive Lloyd there has been a whole transformation in the team’s mental attitude to the game against all opponents.
Starting with the Sri Lanka tour, the regional side rebounded from being one down to level the series.
On our next assignment against Australia, West Indies showed admirable fight, before eventually succumbing to a more superior side, but that series was evidence enough to indicate that the team was beginning to do some of the basics correct and were not prepared to go down without a struggle.
On our last overseas tour to New Zealand, the team produced a terrific performance to earn a deserved draw in the two-test rubber.
Khan had been the Manager of the successful Trinidad and Tobago Cricket team for just around five (5) years and is the current Corporate Communications Manager of the Power Generation Company of Trinidad and Tobago Ltd.
The WICB had stated then that they saw his appointment as crucial at that point in time since they were in the process of re-engineering the organisation.
He is a graduate of The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad, and has held several positions on state Boards in Trinidad and Tobago. He also served as Chairman of the Board of the National Stadium of Trinidad and Tobago and a member of the Board of the National Energy Corporation.
As Team Manager, his experience and interpersonal skills has brought a level of proficiency which as we’ve seen has surprised the English.
His expertise also matches the Board’s focus on raising the standard of West Indies cricket and improving the performance of the team.
Despite a few hiccups here and there, no one can dispute the fact that the team has displayed a new attitude both in terms of professionalism and improvement in skills and even though currently we are not ‘world beaters’, a victory over England could send a warning to the rest of the cricketing fraternity that the team which has for many years entertained fans all over the globe is back on track.
Who should take credit?
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