“Is celebration in order or is the experiment over?”

Dec 18, 2011 Sports

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Colin E. H. Croft

This week leads into the holidays. Time for celebrations; maybe! With economies in shambles world-wide, anything goes. Maybe we all need saving. Happy Christmas 2011!
Kwanzaa, the confusing celebration of similarly confusingly-named African Americans, is December 26 – January 1, annually. Initiated in 1966, it suggests that we should all eat, drink and be merry!
Hanukkah, the reverend, historical concept, “Festival of Lights”, eight-day Jewish holidays; December 20 – 28 this year; commemorates the rededication of Jerusalem’s Holy Temple, and epitomizes great hope.
So very busy in 2011, can West Indies celebrate anything? Tours to Bangladesh and India were mixed!
These days of supposed better cricketers, Test playing entities have three teams. T-20 teams are changed from 50-over versions, certainly for Tests. Are these better cricketers? Anyway……..!
In Bangladesh and India, West Indians successful in all three were few. Is this experiment working?
For West Indies solitary T-20 in Bangladesh, Marlon Samuels made West Indies only half century; 58; West Indies 132-8. Only four players made double figures. Bangladesh’ reply, a tense 135-7 (19.5 overs), was the zenith of West Indies tour there. Bangladesh fell away badly!
West Indies won the ODI’s 2-1, relatively convincingly. ODI # 1, West Indies 298-4; Lendl Simmons, 122, led the way. Samuels made 71. The Tigers only mustered 258-7. Deposed captain Shakib al Hasan fought an admirable losing battle; 71 no.
West Indies dominated ODI # 2, winning by eight wickets. Bangladesh made 220; West Indies 221-2. Samuels and Simmons – sounds like a law firm – again controlled; 80 and 88 respectively. Two former outcasts were making heady noises!
Bangladesh won consolation ODI # 3, totally embarrassing West Indies, the visitors dismissed for 61. Bangladesh lashed 62-2; annihilation for West Indies. Unexplainable!
It was, literally, two games forward, one game back! How could a team play so well one day, so poorly the next? West Indies confirmed that it is consistently inconsistent!
T-20 and ODI’s dusted, the two-Test series started with much riding on this for the hosts. Many, perhaps most, still think that Bangladesh should not be playing Tests. They did beat West Indies in that troubled series in 2009, but Bangladesh has not improved much since!
Test # 1 stale-mated. Bangladesh 350-9, and 119-3; West Indies 244 and, set 226 to win, 100-2. Nothing was obtained except to confirm that these two teams were on par; both poor overall!
Much-maligned West Indies captain Darren Sammy even contributed 58 and match figures 2-62. As one fan subsequently opined, in India, “if being energetic and positive were the only requirements for success, Sammy would be a world beater”. “But”, that fan suggests, “that seems to be all that he has!”
Test # 2 was more positive for West Indies, the visitors winning by 229 runs. West Indies 355 and 383-5, Bangladesh 231 and, set a mammoth 508 to win; 278. Good emerged from this game!
Classy Kirk Edwards, 121 and 86, nearly joined the greats, and should be around for some time. Pacer Fidel Edwards and spinner Davindra Bishoo each contributed five wickets, the latter his first. Darren Bravo also kick started his tour, quenching many expectations with a magnificent 195; much more like it!
After winning his first overseas Test series since becoming captain, Sammy knew that India would be a bigger kettle of fish, perhaps piranhas, for West Indies had just beaten fellow minnows!
In India, Sachin Tendulkar’s one hundred 100’s watch was on. Could he achieve that incredible landmark against West Indies? Most punters would have wagered their children believing that!
Test # 1 v India showed how distant West Indies are in resilience from tougher teams. Leading India on 1st innings, by 95 runs, West Indies still lost, by five wickets. Incredible!
West Indies “Wall”, ‘old man’ Shiv Chanderpaul, again, like Guyana’s gold, showed his worth; 118; while Pragyan Ojha had 6-72. Spin demons had returned to haunt West Indies. They struck in 2nd innings too!
Ravichandran Ashwin, off-spinner, opened India’s 2nd innings bowling, mesmerizing West Indies; 6-47; the visitors 180. India obliged; required 276, for 5, made; but Sachin disappointed millions, out for 76! West Indies did bite the dust, but India knew that they had bitten the bullet and got out of jail! Cheers!
India’s original “Wall”, Rahul Dravid, 119, then perhaps its main foundation, VVS Laxman, 176 no, and its swashbuckling captain, MS Dhoni, 144, made sure that India could not lose Test # 2; 1st innings 631-7.
Huge opposition totals are burdens, most captains inform. West Indies fell under theirs! 153, 1st innings, was extraordinarily poor. 2nd innings was much better, 463, with another dominant century; 136; from Darren Bravo, and accompanying 84 from Samuels, but West Indies faltered and lost badly!
Sammy’s tactics, his average returns and dropped catches were starting to take precedence in reviews of his team’s performances. Where exactly did West Indies learn to play cricket so damned negatively?
Test # 3 was close. West Indies should have won. It was drawn, not tied, even with scores level. All Indian 2nd innings wickets were not taken. Again, tactics floored West Indies!
West Indies made 590, 1st innings, with yet another century, 166, from Bravo; a massive purple patch. Half centuries by the other top five; Barath, Brathwaite, Edwards, Powell and Samuels; helped!
Ashwin, batting, made a purposeful 103, while Sachin brought further tears to so many eyes; 94, out; India dismissed for 482, West Indies a useful 108 lead. Then West Indies blew it big time, again!
Ojha, 6-47, bamboozled West Indies into making 134. India needed 243 to win. Sachin fell; 3; India 106-3. When Kohli fell; 63; 224-7, India looked worried. Last over, from Fidel Edwards, West Indies needed two wickets. India, 240-8, needed three more runs for a brown wash. Both could have won!
India should have won on the final delivery, but Ashwin ambled the tying run, before, belatedly, turning for the winning run; easily run out. West Indies celebrated the draw very enthusiastically too! Wow!
ODI’s # 1 and #3 were good for West Indies, the tourists winning the latter, but the series was disappointing. India’s Virender Sehwag scored a double hundred in #4, while Rohit Sharma bossed all!
ODI # 1, West Indies defended 211 well, but India prevailed, just; 213-9. Only Bravo, with 60, rallied. Virat Kohli, 117, and Sharma, 90 no, put paid to any hope that West Indies had of defending 269-9 in #2.
West Indies came back into contention in # 3, winning that by 16 runs; West Indies 260-5, India 244. In # 4, Virender Sehwag, 219, blew West Indies away totally. India 418-5; West Indies, poor, gone for 265! # 5, Keiron Pollard got his only major score, first ODI century; 119, but West Indies faltered, by 34 runs.
West Indies, being much too inconsistent over the Asian tours, need adhesives. Chanderpaul, Simmons, Edwards, Samuels, Bravo, Baugh, Ramdin, Russell and Pollard were good in T-20’s, Tests and ODI’s. Rampaul and Bishoo bowled well in ODI’s and Tests too. The rest were just average.
With minimum three international tours in 2012, West Indies selectors may need egg-nog, puncheon rum, maybe strong ‘XM’, this Christmas. Will this experiment continue? Enjoy!

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