“ICC CWC 2011 – One-Day 50-over cricket – Coming back from the dead!”

Mar 20, 2011 Sports

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Colin E. H. Croft

Colin E. H. Croft

Hey, my 58th birthday was March 15 – ‘Ides of March’. I can only hope for as great a 59th year as my last. I feel almost “un-deadable!” Unlike Gaius Julius Caesar who was eliminated from life by myriads of stabs from his ‘friends’ on that fateful day, and despite extremely severe external stimuli, I am still here! Ha!
The only ‘being’ in my survival league, with similar survival instincts must be that dark, mysterious, dangerous, royalty from Transylvania, one who keeps returning from the grave, after being supposedly killed so many times by so many, that “Master of the un-dead”, Vlad the Impaler – aka – Count Dracula!
Oh, the 1st Test match ever; England v Australia, was also started on Ides of March; 1877. Cricket is, especially now, fully alive and well, even as much has happened, including One-Day Internationals and T-20’s. The very rebirth of ODI’s should be copied by the Count!
I know that everything and everybody must change. Acceptance brings excitement and challenges. I would not trade great health, hope, aspiration and ambition for anything. Life, for me, is indeed great!
So, full credit to International Cricket Council! Just when there was much conjecture as to what would happen to 50-overs ODI’s, especially with the advent of T-20’s, assuming that Test cricket, the bench-mark, will remain in some form or fashion, they scheduled ICC CWC 2011 for Asia.
That has been a master stroke. Asia, especially India, is to cricket as United States of America is to baseball. Relating to ODI’s; “News of its eventual demise and death are vastly exaggerated!”
Even the English, where cricket was invented, would agree that the game’s foot-print is so large in Asia; China and Nepal etc too; that England is now an afterthought for administration and effect. ICC CWC 2011 has brought the 50-over game from the brink of sports degradation, even eventual oblivion!
One has to experience the cauldrons of Mumbai and Chennai, India, or Dhaka and Chittagong, Bangladesh, or Colombo and Kandi, Sri Lanka, to appreciate them. Nothing in the western world could compare. No demographic area, not even the African continent, could compete with this crescendo.
The travel, noise, people, ambiance, food and atmosphere are unbelievably electric, even without cricket. Some of us have been extremely fortunate to have experienced these situations regularly!
The only regret in ICC CWC 2011 is that Pakistan, and its similarly teeming cities of Lahore, Karachi and Multan, could not be considered as venues, due to ongoing military activities and outright violence that transpire there almost daily. At least, Pakistan’s cricket team is doing the business at ICC CWC 2011!
Anyway, West Indies v England was set to be a barn-burner, even if neither team will win ICC CWC 2011. Both teams have been involved in tremendous games this tournament. They complement each other well, in play or lack there-of. However, what is most glaring is that when West Indies was put to its toughest test, against a “big team”, its batting failed miserably under pressure. That too, is not so new!
I have two questions about that loss to England. Who reset that batting line up? Does anyone in WI know when to use the batting power play? Unfortunately, I think that I have answers to them too!
Answer No 1:
I could only assume that coach Ottis Gibson and captain Darren Sammy cooked up that thrash of sending Sammy himself in at No. 3 and Devon Thomas in at No. 5.
(Sir) Everton Weekes says it best. “If you can bat, then you can bat at any number!” Therefore, Darren Bravo, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Keiron Pollard should have kept their original places at No’s 3, 4 and 5.
Batting cameos do not win ODI’s! Nothing so very confused ever works! Here, it did not either!
Answer No. 2:
Simply; No!
Andre Russell played brilliantly, beyond his experiences, and deserved to end up on the winning team. With Sarwan, he helped West Indies come back from the edge of despair; from 150-6 (27.4 overs) to 222-6 (41.1 overs); before Russell went for a well-made 49.
Why did especially senior man Sarwan not insist on taking the batting power-play during those 15 overs? If his awareness was suitably acute, he could not have expected the game to get to the final overs. Or was Sarwan not thinking straight, somewhat discombobulated by the changes in the batting line-up?
Okay, West Indies has one last game, today (Sunday) against India at Chennai, in the preliminary round. India will not want to lose this, as a loss will lose them much more than momentum, even as they lost some of that to South Africa. For India not to qualify for the quarterfinals could be dangerous to health, wealth and wisdom. If India does lose to West Indies, many Indian players might need Dracula’s wings!
Against England, Davindra Bishoo bowled excellently. The little man stood tall; his bowling talking. Also; note; he did even better than Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitheran had done in their initial ODI’s.
It follows that Bishoo could have a productive input for West Indies, if he stays fit, gets more confidence, continues to produce, learns to, at the very least, swipe, if not bat properly, and most of all, continues to be selected. Only time will tell if any or all of those will become eventualities.
I think Shiv Chanderpaul has played his last ODI. On recent form, he was fortunate to be in Asia at all. He will have to do well too to keep his Test place, when Pakistan and India tour West Indies starting next month. Despite resilience and longevity, perhaps the time is now for Shiv to hear ‘ashes-to-ashes’, etc!
Who would have thought that West Indies, brought up on fast bowling, circa 1975, having won the initial two ICC CWCs with fast bowlers, would have been using two spinners for ICC CWC 2011?
It might be playing horses for courses. However, I am sure that with the personnel available, this will not be a one-off situation. Look out for much more spin; often, for these dead pitches we have here!
England’s 243 were about 40 runs too far. At 151-6 (32.2 overs), West Indies should have nailed them, making sure that they did not get past 200. Those last 40 runs cost West Indies that game!
Trinidad & Tobago, against Leeward Islands, did the same in its recent 4-day game!
At 131-8 in its 1st innings, Leeward Islands should not have made more than 150. They added 80 runs for the last two wickets; 221. By the time that the dust had cleared, and even after getting 1st innings points, T&T lost by 41 runs, eventually buried by the leg-spin of the emerging Anthony Martin!
In passing, I expect that Runako Morton’s and Tonito Willet’s careers could be almost dead! Yes, they can, like Count Alucard (Dracula spelled backwards – film – ‘Son of Dracula’), come back with rehabilitation, but cricket is not always like that. Unless they have real survivability, they are doomed!
50-overs cricket, though, is not. ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 has seen to it that it will live on! Enjoy!

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