The Dyson and Duckworth collusion against West Indies

Apr 05, 2009 Sports

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By Edison Jefford

A group of enthusiasts had converged at a popular restaurant with no other intention but a need for information. The result on the high definition screen shocked them–the infamous Duckworth/Lewis System had conspired again.
I looked at the disappointment on their faces and being too young to have seen the known demolition that West Indies enacted during their heyday, I tried to understand the passion behind some verbal banalities that were expressed.
As an informed sports commentator, I joined the conversation–one, for debate and two; I thought that I could have put some inaccuracies in perspective. For the records, I was not given the opportunity to accomplish the latter.
What was obvious from that micro setting was that the West Indian community craves for a dominant sport team to help in the development and sustenance of the Caribbean image, unique identity and regional superiority.
We have the West Indies Cricket Team. The stories of the three W’s: Weekes, Worrell and Walcott among those of hostile fast bowling attacks and batting prowess under the astute leadership of Clive Lloyd form part of our nostalgia.
Cricket is beyond the boundary for many West Indians. It is our culture and any on–field loss easily translates into decadent cultural behaviour. For instance, that gaff at the eatery on Friday produced a few mugs of draught beer.
This missive, though, is not about the social dimensions of our cricket. It is an assessment of the recent collusion of the Duckworth/Lewis System and John Dyson against the West Indies Cricket team that cost successive ODI Series.
On the West Indies’ presumable ascendancy after years of humiliation owed to consistent embarrassment, the West Indies have not found favour with the infamous Duckworth and Lewis System, which their coach’s error compounded.
Let’s start in Napier, New Zealand. Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul had set up a competitive total batting first in the third and final ODI on that tour. Gayle (135) and the prolific Chanderpaul (94) helped the team to 294–9.
New Zealand, chasing the West Indies’ target, were behind on the calculations as the first drops of rain fell. As the weather continued to threaten, Ross Taylor and Grant Elliot got New Zealand to 211–5 after requesting a power–play.
The rain became heavier with every passing second and the umpires’ only alternative was to summon both teams off the field in the 35th over. Subsequent calculations revealed that New Zealand had gained a nine run advantage.
West Indies had played to a drawn Test and Twenty20 Series in New Zealand and was on the verge of clinching the ODI series when the controversial system intervened. The three game ODI Series was levelled 1–1 before New Zealand won.
The heartbreaking series loss in Napier came on the heels of clear upward mobility versus Pakistan in Abu Dhabi in November last year and previously against England where the beloved Caribbean team chalked up a 2–1 ODI Series win.
On the basis of those outcomes, the West Indies had started on the path of resilience that was absent in previous years. England, however, overlooked the team’s competitiveness against formidable opposition on their recent tour.
English cricket commentators had well–documented that the tour to the Caribbean was a mere “warm –up” for the prestigious Ashes Series against Australia. The subsequent events that unfolded in the region proved different.
To save editorial space, West Indies won the Test Series 1-0, battered England in the lone Twenty20 and would have easily swept the tour if Coach John Dyson had not looked down the wrong column on the Duckworth sheet.
Dyson’s error gave England a one run win in the first ODI at Providence and went further to gift England the series. England outplayed West Indies in the ODI on Friday in Saint Lucia but Dyson and Duckworth gave England two games.
The West Indies Coach, who is Australian, apologised for his error at Providence and the Captain Chris Gayle said he “would not kill him” for the blunder at a post–match press conference but that was not the end of the imbroglio.
Renowned regional commentators including Orin Davidson, Fazeer Mohamed and Tony Cozier did not take lightly to the blunder. Calls for Dyson’s resignation even emanated in some quarters of the Caribbean relatively small enclave.
As I tried to explain all this at the restaurant, the faces of my audience obviously changed from cautious information to serious concern. The point is that mistakes like Dyson’s are unacceptable and inconceivable in professional sports.
This writer had written in a previous article entitle “West Indies’ costly mistake” that the end of the five–match ODI Series will determine the extent of Dyson’s blunder and as was proven on Friday, the slip–up was very expensive.
West Indies did well two days after Dyson’s error to convincingly win the second match at Providence to level the series. They went to Barbados and again dominated England before Duckworth/Lewis gave the opposition another win.
Dyson and Duckworth colluded against West Indies in the ODI Series. It was as though a force beyond the boundary was deciding the fortune of the team that had done so much on their commendable and refreshing redemption path.
Dyson and Duckworth became God!

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