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West Indies aim to avoid whitewash
West Indies cut a dejected bunch after their last loss and will hope for better fortunes today.
West Indies are struggling, and their problems are not confined to performance. Their board CEO, Ernest Hilaire, delivered a scathing indictment of the state of affairs in West Indies cricket, telling fans they were in store for more “embarrassment” from their players in the years to come.
Not just for the lack of quality, but an attitude that, he felt, favoured fame and wealth over excellence. Then came the incident involving Sulieman Benn, who was sent off the field by his captain Chris Gayle for disobeying an order. All this amid another disappointing series, which has helped South Africa recover from their Super Eights exit and continued West Indies’ frustrating run in front of their home crowds. Just one defeat away from a whitewash, the hosts are in dire need of a psychological boost ahead of the Tests.
For South Africa, a win today will mark a continuation of the three-year dominance they’ve enjoyed over their opponents.
Graeme Smith, while several of his team-mates have cashed in on the tour, the South African captain has failed to convert starts. His scores in the four ODIs read 18, 37, 29 and 23, and thrice has he been dismissed by Dwayne Bravo. In his last 11 international innings, he has reached double-figures each time but his highest score remains 37. With three Tests to follow, he needs to get some confidence going at the top.
The captains share a similar predicament when it comes to individual form, but there has been little support from the rest for West Indies captain Chris Gayle. Following his team’s failures with the bat in the first three games, Gayle had called on his batsmen to shoulder more responsibility. His own scores this series read 45, 26, 16 and 29 and with a significant burden to bear at the top in the Tests, he needs to hit form.
West Indies’ bowling lacked depth in the fourth ODI and they need Jerome Taylor, who was out of that game due to a niggle, back. David Bernard could be asked to sit out in the event of Taylor’s return.
There are scattered thunderstorms forecast in Port of Spain today, increasing the possibility of a truncated fixture.
Graeme Smith speaking on what a 5-0 win means for his team said, “For us, the players that comprise the limited-overs squad, it would restore a lot of confidence in us, after we performed so poorly in the T20 World Cup.”
And Ottis Gibson, the West Indies coach noted, “(Losing is) tough. Because in those four defeats, and if you take the two Twenty20s into consideration, five of those games we had a realistic chance of winning. Hopefully, we can put ourselves in a winning position again on Thursday.”
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