WI failures continue and no one seems to have an answer

May 26, 2011 Letters

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Dear Editor,
The condition of West Indies cricket is enough to make their most ardent fan laugh and cry at the same time, laugh at the celebration of an isolated win on a helpful wicket, laugh because the struggling captain was awarded the man-of-the-match who would in my opinion could never command his place in an already weak cricketing side by his performances, laugh because this same captain was given the man-of –the-match on a very bowler friendly Providence pitch, in my opinion a batsman on either side should have been rewarded simply because batting was a nightmare and they had the gut, the mental strength and gumption to standup and fight.
Cry, because our boys from the Caribbean lost again, after the celebration of a test win since they defeated England in Jamaica some years ago, eventually a win, the West Indian fans hardly had time to begin the digestive process of a victory when our boys were crushed by the jaws of defeat, cry, because the fielding which promised a lot at Providence fell away, and dropped catches was the order of the day, all of a sudden these buttered finger gentlemen were spilling catches as though this is what they practiced, cry, because of the ineptness of the performance of the older guys, cry because of the careless, non-commitment, and lack of thirst and intensity of our younger players, cry, because there seem to be no light at the end of the tunnel for West Indies cricket.
It is my firm opinion that Devendra Bishoo was not wisely used, he was given too long a bowl, he should have been used in shorter spells, the batsmen were given the opportunity to get accustomed to his pace, spin, line and length, so because of this they were able to negotiate his every mix with confidence, use him wisely or soon he will join the many “tried and failed” spin bowlers of the Caribbean bin.
Ramnaresh Sarwan seems to have a load to carry, this man seems so burdened, the weight so heavy that when at the crease he becomes so static, his mental strengths have diminished somewhat and seems in need of counseling, Lendl Simmons is still a promise, with great potential, but is unable to grab his opportunities with both hands, like Lawrence Rowe and Alvin Kallicharran did against the 1972 Kiwis, both scoring centuries in their first tests in West Indies colours, and they never looked back with Rowe scoring at least one double, and a triple century is his short career, this bunch of so-called youthful players makes Leonard Baichan a master in his class, Darren Bravo the “Brian Lara Look Alike” oh yes that’s where it stops, he has learned to count from one to 50 since he seem not to be able to score more that that number, what a let down from one so talented, so gifted and so filled with potential.
Excuse me Mr. Bravo I am disappointed by your poor performances’ so far, you need to do better, we want to see the tornado in you not a weakened storm, play the game as though your life depends on it, like Boycott and Shiv, cricket should become more important that food for you. Then there is Mr. Carlton Baugh, he has been around for a long time, promises so much but is yet to deliver.
Well what else can the selectors do, they have tried them all, except for the spinners of the Caribbean, bowlers and batsmen have been given more than their fair share of chances and have mostly failed, wicketkeepers have been part of our being at near to the bottom of the cricketing ladder, where do we go from here, I have heard it all, the analyses from the writers and experts, the coaches and managers, but failures continue, no one seems to have the answer including yours truly.
My suggestions for Caribbean cricket is for the selectors to stick with the old horses, Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan,Shiv Chanderpaul and of course Marlon Samuels build the team around them, treat them better, treat them as though they are all we have, give them a sense of belonging, commend and reward them when their performances are good and encourage them when they do not perform as expected, give Nash the captaincy now, do not linger any longer, put more emphasis on the spinners in the region, bring back Jerome Taylor and Fidel Edwards, get a wicketkeepers’ clinic going now, the boys are talented but are unable to deal with the transition from regional to international levels, let Jeffrey Dujon and Derick Murray observe what the problems might be and help with the technical deficiencies that exist, they have been among the best we had on display in the years that we long for as cricket loving nation of the Caribbean
Indian will be here in a short while, they are the best in the world at the moment in both forms of the game (one day and tests) they will not give us any breathing space whatsoever, they are coming with murderous intent, blood thirsty, and ready for the kill, time is not on our side, thinking will help us win or at least give a fight, this is for the administrators to do. Here I have a few suggestions, in the one dayers make Shiv the opener with Gayle this way the team can be more balanced since it will allow for an extra batsman or bowler, Darren Bravo should bat just before the wicket keeper, Nash should be out for the one dayers and 20twenty, this way the players might be able to cope with the ruthless nature of a confident and rampaging Indian team and maybe, just maybe, they can make a fight of it.
The tests are a different kettle of fish, Darren Sammy should be out so the team can be allowed to have the kind of balance that is needed, Sammy I could promise will not get any four or five-wicket haul in any of the tests, he will do well in the one dayers with line and length, in test not a chance, he is too gentle, a real gentleman.
My fifteen for the 20twenty and the one dayers are Darren Sammy captain, Chris Gayle, Shiv Chanderpaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Lendl Simmons, Dwayne Bravo, Darren Bravo, Marlon Samuels, Carlton Baugh, Fidel Edwards, Jerome Taylor, Kemar Roach, Davendra Bisoo, standbys Benn. If Sammy was not the captain then Benn would have been in my team.
The passion must now return to the team, it now lies with the fans only.
Ivan John (Bishop)

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