“Merry Christmas 2013! When West Indies fail, WICB must hold public inquiries!”

Dec 22, 2013 Sports

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Colin E. H. Croft
Merry Christmas 2013 to all!
Do not consume too much of high-spirited liquids, but please enjoy fully and be safe!
So, is all lost for West Indies, as considered internationally, especially in Tests, after recent outright shambolic debacles and disappointments on tours of India and New Zealand?

Who knows, but it could be a very long haul, beginning 2014, to repair West Indies’ international Test standing!
“National Lampoon’s Animal House” is that 1970’s comedy classic, starring screen luminaries John Belushi, Karen Allen, Tim Matheson, Tom Hulce and Donald Sutherland.
After a series of outlandishly vile situations, Belushi, acting as John “Bluto” Blutarsky, first uttered those now fully immortal words:
“When all else fails, start drinking heavily!”
Obviously, that suggestion should not be for West Indian cricketers, but supporters are suffering terribly.
While enjoying the festive season, there should be serious in-depth introspections by the entire recently Test-toured senior West Indies contingent, to assess as to where exactly they, and our senior team, are.
All may not be fully lost, yet, so drinking very heavily, especially by our players, may not be necessary, yet, but after the last two Tests in NZ, and those in India, one has to seriously worry about this WI team.
In Test No. 2, v NZ, last week, WI ignominiously lost its way to New Zealand’s bowling, by an inning and 73 runs, in just two days and two sessions.  What an embarrassment!
Utterings from Head Coach Ottis Gibson and Manager Richie Richardson after Test No. 2, v NZ, were pointed, suggesting that there could have been serious problems in the camp on tour.
Had Gibson been a soccer manager, he would have lost his job ages ago, since Champions Trophy 2013!
One could only hope that when the festive season is complete, in the first week of January 2014 even, before 2014’s cricket season starts, that a real, not contrived assessment, but a full public investigation, will be completed by WICB, as to what exactly went wrong on these recent tours to India and NZ.
One thing is certain, even from the outside.  Something is seriously wrong with the entire make-up of the senior team and its coaching structure, since none of our cricketers could boast of becoming any better!
Realizing how West Indies cricket has worked over past years, always moving forward without obvious assessments of recent mine-fields, do not hold your breath, but such an overview should be welcomed.
It is Christmas time, so one should be charitable, but how does anyone who really cares about West Indies cricket interpret the absolute disgraceful garbage perpetuated on us from that other Down Under; NZ?
At time of writing this article, West Indies, even with expected exploits of Shiv Chanderpaul, with another, almost ubiquitous century, 122 not out, and as welcome a three-figure score as a wicket-keeper-batsman could want, 107 from Denesh Ramdin, in 1st innings, had just succumbed to 103 all out, 2nd innings, 3rd Test, in just one session of batting, leaving NZ to get only 122 for a 2-0 series win.
Only Sunil Narine’s efforts can stop that, but that would be an unlikely Christmas miracle!
1st Innings, Test 3, WI were also  86-5, facing real fire, so those centuries from veterans Shiv and Denesh could not have come at a better time.  2nd time around was not so fortunate.
Much has been written about Chanderpaul and Ramdin, but they do continue to produce, mostly when desperately required, hoping to see their team-mates do similarly!
In both innings, 3rd Test, openers Kraigg Brathwaite and Kieran Powell gifting wickets away, while Kirk Edwards seemed so much at sea to swinging deliveries that he would not be out of place with the fisher-folk at Oistins, or with captains of luxurious yachts moored in the Carenage, in his native Barbados.
“Messiah” Darren Bravo has not delivered any new miracles since his game-saving double hundred; Test No. 1.  George Frideric Handel must be wondering how his masterful musical work could be so defiled!
I hope that you had time to read, on Cric-Info and Caribbeancricket.com, a magnificent comparison by former New Zealand ace batsman and captain, Martin Crowe, of West Indies exploits these last several years, and also touching on New Zealand, England and Australia too.
It was a good assessment of what it was like to face the now almost forgotten might of West Indies when Crowe was NZ’s captain.  He even managed to make light of having to change many under-garments as he, and team-mates, thought, and waited, to face Holding, Garner, Croft, Roberts etc., and according to him, the best of us all, Malcolm Marshall.
Thinking about it now, even after three decades, facing West Indies then must have been a chilling feeling!
Whenever I cover or look at cricket played by WI these days, a la v NZ, it is obvious that, as was also described in “Animal House”, WI cricket, at least on the Test field of play, has reached “a new low!”
2014 cannot come fast enough, as one must believe that the new year will be better.  Enjoy the season!

 

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