“West Indies batting struggling at home and abroad!”

Jan 25, 2015 Sports

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Colin E. H. Croft
West Indies’ batting everywhere, except for a “Tiger”, was at a pretty low ebb last week!
For games played in WICB NAGICO Insurance 50-overs tournament 2015 at the venerable Queens Park Oval, no team has yet made 250 in any innings up to today’s final, despite pitches and conditions being almost perfect, except for regular, refreshing rain showers.
Especially spinners have performed creditably, but batting has left much to be desired, the highest score at QPO being Trinidad & Tobago Red Force’s 232 against Jamaica’s Franchise.
In South Africa, WI’s bowlers were firstly, almost unimaginably, battered for more than 400 runs in one 50-overs game, while WI’s batsmen could only muster just over 100 in the very next game.
Talk about massive team inconsistency, some WI stroke-play; outright slogging really; in ODI # 3, was as unproductive as ever!
WI’s performances in this ODI series in SA give general appearances and feelings, from the outside, of a fractured dressing room, this clearly evident after newly appointed ODI captain Jason Holder’s public lament, one with obviously wide-open connotations; “Players must be honest and hold their hands up at not performing at their best!”
That overview came after senior player Chris Gayle had steadfastly opined that the omissions of Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard from WI’s ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 squad constituted “victimization, being ridiculous and was really sad.”
Last we heard, Gayle will be making an appearance before WICB’s disciplinary committee soon!
What exactly is going on here anyway?  This entire episode appears to be like an animal eating itself from inside outwardly!
WI’s world beating teams in 1970’s, 1980’s and 1990’s were not beds of roses or choir-boys operating in vestries either, yet no one remembers a similar situation from our past cricket.
It must be difficult for manager Sir Richie Richardson, bowling consultant Sir Curtly Ambrose and chairman of WI selectors Clive Lloyd to manage that squad under these circumstances.  The way WI played in ODI # 3, they all looked like they were just ready to board a Boeing 777 bound for the Caribbean and carnival anyway!
So, the grounds-staff at QPO has really done an excellent job in this year’s regional one-day competition, alternating two nicely grassed pitches, first just quicker and bouncier than the second. Guyana Jaguars operated as the home team, amazingly scheduled to play all of its games at QPO.
Expect today’s final between the Jaguars and so far unbeaten Trinidad & Tobago Red Force to be a tight tussle.  T&T might have a slight advantage, with its batsmen probably just better equipped to handle spinning, bouncing deliveries, but count out Guyana at your very own peril.
It could well be a classic final to remember, especially if the sun comes out in all of its glory!
ODI No. 2 in SA was eye-opening for WI, three SA batsmen getting hundreds, WI’s bowlers put to an almighty sword at the “Bull Ring” – Wanderers Cricket Ground – in Johannesburg.
The thin air density – JHB is nearly 6000 feet above mean sea level – allowed the slogs to remain hit and to travel many a mile, WI’s bowlers flayed for 439-2, 2nd highest ODI score ever.
As previously noted in this column, AB de Villiers is on a personal rampage v WI.  That he is using WI as batting practice for CWC 2015 is as obvious as Table Mountain is near to Cape Town.
Hashim Hamla has shown exactly how supposedly Test-type batsmen could play ODI’s.  Add that commanding century from opener Rilee Rossouw and the debilitation for WI was complete.
What is best about SA’s fast bowlers Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel is that they counter-balance each other perfectly; pace, swing and fast cutters; augmenting their ruthlessness to get WI batsmen out by any means necessary, reminding all of WI of 1970s and 1980’s!
In WICB-Nagico 50-overs 2015 at the Oval, at least three batsmen in each team managed 20’s, 30, 40’s, even 50’s and above, yet it took “Tiger”, Shiv Chanderpaul, to show Guyana Jaguars and the rest of the gathered cricketers how it should be done; 98 not out in that 1st semi-final v Jamaica.
Chanderpaul should always open any 50-overs innings whenever he plays especially for Guyana!
Semi-final # 2 was, unfortunately, hampered by rain, but newly-named Combined Campuses and Colleges “Marooners” could not leave “Red Force” as stranded as they had left the “Jaguars” in that last preliminary game.  T&T were just a bit more savvy than Guyana!
Today’s final could come down to determination and sticking-to-it of “Tiger” Chanderpaul against mystery spinner Narine and WI discard Dwayne Bravo.  The cricket should be good!  Enjoy!
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