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Simply the worst!
published: Wednesday | May 30, 2007
Tony Becca - CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
THE WEST Indies lost the second Test against England at Headingley on Monday with one day to spare, and that after rain had washed out an entire day's play.
In their worst performance in 438 Test matches, the West Indies, the weakest team ever to represent the region in its 79-year history in Test cricket, were bundled out for 146 and 141 replying to England's 570 for seven declared. And, as coach David Moore said minutes after the beating, "I think it was ugly in the end. It looked like a pretty meek surrender".
In saying that he thought it was ugly and that it looked like a pretty meek surrender, Moore, obviously I hope, was trying to be nice to the players - just as those who kept talking about the absence of Brian Lara, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan were trying to be nice to West Indies cricket.
Looking at the strokes of most of the West Indies batsmen with the exception of Dwayne Bravo in the second innings, it was, without a doubt, ugly. It was, also without a doubt, a meek surrender and those talking about the absence of Lara, Chanderpaul and Sarwan should remember the past.
They should remember that when the West Indies were destroyed for 51 by Austrilia at Queen's Park Oval in 1999, Lara was present. That when they were routed for 54 by England at Lord's in 2000, Lara, Chanderpaul and Sarwan were present. And, that when they were destroyed for 61 by England and lost within two days at Headingley in 2000, Lara and Sarwan were present. And, that when they were eclipsed for 47 at Sabina Park in 2004 by Steve Harmison, all three were present, and with each man failing to score, all three, batting one behind the other, failed to contribute a single run in the worst batting performance ever by the West Indies.
History
According to Moore, the per-formance of the West Indies is not necessarily a reflection of where the team is now but rather their history over the last few years.
That is interesting and I would like to know just what he meant by that.
The performance of the team is a reflection of where it is and, especially without Lara forever, without Chanderpaul and Sarwan in this past Test match, the West Indies, without a doubt, are in the company of Zimbabwe and Bangladesh at the foot of the ladder in international cricket.
I never did see the early teams but based on those who batted, bowled and fielded in this Test match, this must be the weakest West Indies team of all time.
Obviously, the team without Lara, Chanderpaul and Sarwan is a weak team, every West Indian must know that, and it is not surprising that a bowling attack of Daren Powell - 51 wickets at an average of 45.41, Corey Collymore - 88 at 31.86, Jerome Taylor - 33 at 38.78, Bravo - 43 at 42.65 and Gayle - 57 at 39.35 - has failed to dismiss England once in three attempts.
Anyone who believed that a team with batsmen like Daren Ganga - average 29.45, Devon Smith - 24.93, Sylvester Joseph - 14.70 and Runako Morton with 23.25 forming the heart of the batting could have survived against England, especially with the swing of Ryan Sidebottom, at Headingley in the cold of Leeds, must be crazy.
Embarrassing performance
On top of their embarrassing performance, the poor technique, the lack of skill of the West Indies bowlers and the West Indies batsmen, including Gayle, at Headingley, made them sitting ducks for England's batsmen and then their bowlers.
The selection of strokes by the West Indian batsmen was appalling and while many will talk about the lack of ability to stick with it, to fight it out, the fact of the matter is that if you are technically inept, no will in the world can make you survive - at least not for more than a few minutes.
And, the same goes for the bowlers. Apart from the absence of one who can spin the ball and flight the ball, most of the West Indies bowlers can neither cut the ball off the seam nor swing it through the air consistently, if at all.
While a bowler like left-hander Sidebottom, experienced after years of playing first-class cricket as a professional, bowls the ball on the stumps, cuts and swings it both ways and has the batsmen, so many of whom are not accustomed to bowling of that kind of skill, guessing, edging.
Devon Smith of the West Indies (centre) watches as he is caught out by Andrew Strauss (second left) off the bowling of Ryan Sidebottom (top left) during the West Indies second innings on the fourth day of the second Test at Headingley on Monday. The West Indies lost by a record inning and 283 runs. - AP photo
published: Wednesday | May 30, 2007
Tony Becca - CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
THE WEST Indies lost the second Test against England at Headingley on Monday with one day to spare, and that after rain had washed out an entire day's play.
In their worst performance in 438 Test matches, the West Indies, the weakest team ever to represent the region in its 79-year history in Test cricket, were bundled out for 146 and 141 replying to England's 570 for seven declared. And, as coach David Moore said minutes after the beating, "I think it was ugly in the end. It looked like a pretty meek surrender".
In saying that he thought it was ugly and that it looked like a pretty meek surrender, Moore, obviously I hope, was trying to be nice to the players - just as those who kept talking about the absence of Brian Lara, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan were trying to be nice to West Indies cricket.
Looking at the strokes of most of the West Indies batsmen with the exception of Dwayne Bravo in the second innings, it was, without a doubt, ugly. It was, also without a doubt, a meek surrender and those talking about the absence of Lara, Chanderpaul and Sarwan should remember the past.
They should remember that when the West Indies were destroyed for 51 by Austrilia at Queen's Park Oval in 1999, Lara was present. That when they were routed for 54 by England at Lord's in 2000, Lara, Chanderpaul and Sarwan were present. And, that when they were destroyed for 61 by England and lost within two days at Headingley in 2000, Lara and Sarwan were present. And, that when they were eclipsed for 47 at Sabina Park in 2004 by Steve Harmison, all three were present, and with each man failing to score, all three, batting one behind the other, failed to contribute a single run in the worst batting performance ever by the West Indies.
History
According to Moore, the per-formance of the West Indies is not necessarily a reflection of where the team is now but rather their history over the last few years.
That is interesting and I would like to know just what he meant by that.
The performance of the team is a reflection of where it is and, especially without Lara forever, without Chanderpaul and Sarwan in this past Test match, the West Indies, without a doubt, are in the company of Zimbabwe and Bangladesh at the foot of the ladder in international cricket.
I never did see the early teams but based on those who batted, bowled and fielded in this Test match, this must be the weakest West Indies team of all time.
Obviously, the team without Lara, Chanderpaul and Sarwan is a weak team, every West Indian must know that, and it is not surprising that a bowling attack of Daren Powell - 51 wickets at an average of 45.41, Corey Collymore - 88 at 31.86, Jerome Taylor - 33 at 38.78, Bravo - 43 at 42.65 and Gayle - 57 at 39.35 - has failed to dismiss England once in three attempts.
Anyone who believed that a team with batsmen like Daren Ganga - average 29.45, Devon Smith - 24.93, Sylvester Joseph - 14.70 and Runako Morton with 23.25 forming the heart of the batting could have survived against England, especially with the swing of Ryan Sidebottom, at Headingley in the cold of Leeds, must be crazy.
Embarrassing performance
On top of their embarrassing performance, the poor technique, the lack of skill of the West Indies bowlers and the West Indies batsmen, including Gayle, at Headingley, made them sitting ducks for England's batsmen and then their bowlers.
The selection of strokes by the West Indian batsmen was appalling and while many will talk about the lack of ability to stick with it, to fight it out, the fact of the matter is that if you are technically inept, no will in the world can make you survive - at least not for more than a few minutes.
And, the same goes for the bowlers. Apart from the absence of one who can spin the ball and flight the ball, most of the West Indies bowlers can neither cut the ball off the seam nor swing it through the air consistently, if at all.
While a bowler like left-hander Sidebottom, experienced after years of playing first-class cricket as a professional, bowls the ball on the stumps, cuts and swings it both ways and has the batsmen, so many of whom are not accustomed to bowling of that kind of skill, guessing, edging.
Devon Smith of the West Indies (centre) watches as he is caught out by Andrew Strauss (second left) off the bowling of Ryan Sidebottom (top left) during the West Indies second innings on the fourth day of the second Test at Headingley on Monday. The West Indies lost by a record inning and 283 runs. - AP photo