”CROFTY’S CRICKET CALL”

May 28, 2024 Sports

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West Indies v South Africa:   3T-20-I’s – Sabina Park, Jamaica – 23, 25 & 26 May 2024

By Colin Croft

Game No. 1: Thursday 23 May 2024

Kaieteur Sports – While this first game resulted in a good win for the West Indies to start the International T-20 cricket season and very much needed preparations for ICC WT-20 2024, that 1^st game effort overall, by WI v South Africa, was just average at best, especially the WI batting innings.

One batsman, Brandon King, West Indies stand-in Captain, got 79 and his confidence already seems extremely high.  He also looked to be in superb form and seemed quite fit too.

Only three WI batsmen overall, when WI batted first – Brandon King 79, Kyle Mayers 34 and Rolston Chase 32 – got to double figures.  That type of stunted output is just not good enough.

At 11 overs, WI were 115 – 2, yet even with 19 extras added, WI did not approach 200; only 175-8 in their 20 overs.  Similar batting effortssimply will not win this ICC WT-20 2024.

Do not consider the more illustrious WI players who were unavailable.  Teams must always play the game at hand, with the players available, not the imaginations or fantasies.  Some of the players on show v SA were also playing for their respective form in ICC WT 20 2024.  With that start, WI should have made at least 225 in their 20 overs, especially batting first.

WI bowling effort was much better than its batting effort, augmented by good rotation of his bowlers by Captain Brandon King, while his field placements were almost always correct.  Brandon King looked relaxed, organized and confident as WI Team Captain.  It was a very good call to elect Brandon King as WI Captain for this series.

Debutant T-20-I WI fast bowler, Shamar Joseph, looked as if he needed much more preparation work.  There was no high knee-lift; no real pace generated, but he might have been tentative, though, given that serious foot injury he had suffered months ago in Australia.

Medium pacers, right-handed Matthew Forde and left-handed Obed Mc Coy, got five wickets between them for just 42 runs, while ever reliable left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie had 3 – 24 from his four overs, as South Africa were shot out for 147 in 19.5 overs, to lose by 28 runs.

It was a good win for West Indies to start the T-20-I season.  Now on to ICC WT-20 2024.

Game No. 2:  Saturday 26 May 2024

The West Indies this time won the toss and still elected to bat first.  On a more sedate Sabina Park pitch, they looked more organized in getting 207 – 7 from their 20 overs, a vast improvement on their first game’s first inning total (175 – 8). At 11.2 overs, WI were 100 – 3.

Captain Brandon King, 36 from 22 balls, with two 4’s and three 6’s, again showed his confidence, form and worth, but his opening partner, Johnson Charles, who had made only one in that 1^st T-20-I v South Africa, again failed; dismissed for only seven this time.  Charles must have been worried about his form and production so far, as would perhaps have been both his Captain Brandon King and Head Coach Darren Sammy.

At least ever consistent Kyle Mayers again had a good start; 32 from 16 balls, including two fours and three 6’s; but did not carry on as he should have done.  Royston Chase, whom I have always considered the best all-rounder presently in the WI white ball teams, came good with a polished 67 n. o., from 38 deliveries, including seven 4’s and two 6’s, sixes.

Wicket-keeper Andre Fletcher, with a breezy 29 from 18 deliveries, and lusty hitting from Romario Shepherd; 26 from just 13 deliveries; both batsmen hitting one 4 and two 6’s, ensured that WI, with a similar start to the first T-20-I v SA, got past that 200 runs mark.

South Africa made a much better effort in this 2^nd game too, falling just short, to lose by 16 runs, ending up at 191 – 7 in their 20 overs; a much closer game for both teams to savor.

Left-arm spinner, Gudakesh Motie, again probing well, got 3 – 22 from four excellent overs, while Shamar Joseph again looked shades under his Australian flair, his only one over cost 21 runs.  Joseph’s pace, function and production need to return quickly for his selection to be justified.  With ICC WT-20 2024 about to start, he is now more of a passenger than a driver.

Again Captain Brandon King manipulated his bowlers well; one spinner and the other faster bowlers doing the required job; to put the West Indies two-up in the three-games series.

Game No. 3:  Sunday 27 May 2024

Having already lost the series, but winning the toss, South Africa elected to bat first for the first time in this series.  That did help their returns much; only 163 – 7 from their 20 overs; on a Sabina Park pitch that showed some wear and tear of the week’s abrasions.

Captain Brandon King again used his bowlers with exceptional intelligence, rotating them brilliantly, with the required tight field placings.  That SA got to 163 – 7 at all was due mainly to their Captain, Rassie van der Dussen, who managed a polished 51, with one 4 and five 6’s.

This time Shamar Joseph showed more consistency, direction and purpose, even if his pace was still lacking; finishing with 2 – 26 from four good overs.  Obed Mc Coy, so consistent, was more expensive this time, with 3 – 39 from his four overs, while left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie was a frugal as ever, his three overs costing only 21 runs, and with two wickets too.

Batting second for the first time this series, WI had its most productive opening partnership, as Brandon King blasted 44 from only 28 balls, including two 4’s and four 6’s, while Johnson Charles carved the SA bowling everywhere, for 69 explosive runs from just 26 balls, with nine 4’s and five 6’s.  At last, Johnson Charles had come good; that 1^st wicket partnership being worth 92 in only the 7^th over; as WI made very light work of SA’s total of 163 – 7.

West Indies embarrassed South Africa by getting 165 – 2 from only 13.5 overs, the consistent Kyle Myers also contributing 36 from 23 balls, with four 6’s.  It was a West Indies rout:  3 – 0.

This was a good clean-out series for the West Indies.  With so many more illustrious players still to join the squad for its first set of games for ICC WT-20 2024 in Guyana next week, confidence must be sky high for that big tournament, but there must some concerns too.

Except for Gudakesh Motie, ‘Man of the Series’ v SA in this series, the rest of the bowlers looked relatively docile and ordinary.  Much more energy needs to be generated.

West Indies overall consistency is also lacking at this quite late moment, and, so far, too much is required from too few of the players.  There must be more overall, general inputs, from all players involved, if West Indies are to try to make history by winning ICC WT-20 2024 at the Kensington Oval, Barbados, at the end of June.  That task too will not be very easy!!

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• Colin Croft, cricket season, International T-20, Jamaica, Sabina Park

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