Past players muse latest loss
Food orders for Day 5 of the 1st Digicel Test between India and the West Indies had to be cancelled when the visitors rolled over the home team just after Lunch on Day 4. Losing by 63 runs, after putting in a commendable bowling performance in the first half of the India innings, the West Indies team came under much criticism.
CaribbeanCricket.com asked four former West Indian cricketers to share their assessment of the Test Match and what changes they would make for the 2nd Test to be played at the Kensington Oval in Barbados. Would Chris Gayle be in their team?
REGGIE SCARLETT, former Director of Coaching, WICB. Played 3 Tests in 1960
Very disappointing. When, in the first innings, they allowed India to recover from 82 for 6 to make a score that they could defend, I think that’s where we lost the match. Our batting is a bit brittle. We had a good opening stand in the second innings and then the middle order just crumbled. We need some consistency. It was always going to be difficult here. The ball was bouncing and turning. They’ve got Harbijan Singh. Fortunately for us he did not bowl too well.
The tail enders showed that there was no devil in the wicket. Although it turned and bounced, it was slow. I think we are lacking in technique. Too many people get out playing across the ball. That’s the fundamental of batting that they are ignoring.
I think it’s technique, application and discipline [which accounts for the low scores]. The first thing you are told when you start playing cricket is that you stand a better chance playing straight. A lot of them keep trying to work the ball to the leg side and it’s their doom and I wish we would learn. It doesn’t appear that they are learning. It happens time and time again.
What I don’t agree with is that Chanderpaul and Nash bat together. I think it upsets the balance of the team that we have two defensive left handers together in the middle order. I think they should look into that.
There is another matter. I think the balance is even more upset because our captain, I don’t think he’s up to it although he tries. What is going to happen when Dwayne Bravo is fit? What about Andre Russell? What has he got to do to get in the side? We have Kemar Roach. The only way you’re going to groom those fellows, is to make them play. Right now, they are not looking to the future. What’s going to happen when Chris Gayle comes back? The selectors have a lot of thinking to do, to come up with our best team, because right now it isn’t. We’re not picking our best team.
LAWRENCE ROWE, played 30 Tests and 11 ODIs, 1972 – 1980
We didn’t play as well as we could have. I think one of the big turning points in the match was, although I don’t like to say one incident makes you lose a game, but that dropped catch off Dravid early on was basically the difference in the game.
From where they are now, I would tend to think that they would probably have to bring Marlon Samuels into the team. I would think they would have to drop either Chanderpaul or Nash. It’s always difficult with the current captain there to balance it either way. It’s difficult to play with four bowlers. Because of how the selection is done, it’s going to be difficult to play your best team. I don’t think it’s the best team they could have played. I honestly don’t think so. But with the combination now where they have it, it’s more or less along the lines of the best they can do with what they have.
The guys are talented. It’s more so application in this game. The wicket seemed to favour the bowlers a little bit more. But if you got yourself in, you could play and do well on it, so clearly it’s a situation of application.
EASTON MCMORRIS, 13 Tests from 1958 – 1966
I had a dream....327/9! But I was hoping for some good cricket from the West Indies. The batting fell far short, especially the top players. They were giving away their wickets. Some of the soft dismissals were so disappointing and it was left to the tail to wag, and it wagged very well. So can you imagine if we had some half centuries in the middle somewhere, we would have made it home.
I think Simmons is a player for the future but I would prefer him in the middle. If they can find somebody to open....I would love if Chris Gayle would apologize to the Captain and the Manager and the Coach so he could fit back into the team and help West Indies cricket to get back to where it should be....competing.
I am glad to see Fidel Edwards back and along with Rampaul and with Roach in the wings, we have a good pace attack in front of us. Young Bishoo is very promising. You can imagine how outstanding he would be in a stronger team. So we have the nucleus there. With a little adjustment in the batting line up, we could do very well for the rest of the season.
JACKIE HENDRIKS, wicketkeeper, 20 Tests from 1962 – 1969
A young batsman like Bravo, who I consider to be a very promising young player, is getting out to the same shot in almost every innings. It doesn’t seem to me that he is concerned about it. It surprises me because I would have thought that somebody would have brought it to his attention if he himself did not know. But overall, I think that we have the nucleus of a fairly good little team. I like the young Bishoo and I am sure that with more experience he will become a really good bowler. Our tail enders today I thought showed up some of the earlier batsmen with the way they played.
Unfortunately the impasse between the WICB and Chris Gayle still has not come to a conclusion. I think the public is waiting to hear what is going to happen with Chris Gayle. He is a very very important part of our cricket team and I think that every effort must be made for him to be persuaded to come to some understanding about the remarks that he made.
Whether they were right or wrong I think that coming out in the public in the way that he did has certainly not left a very good taste in the mouth of some of the cricket administrators. My recollection, although I didn’t hear the whole of the interview, is that he criticized the Captain, Coach, President and CEO. This is something that I think should have been done in private. I think whatever he had to say could have been said in the same way, but to the President or CEO himself and come to some understanding and try to get the air cleared.
I think Carlton [Baugh] has improved a little bit. I think that the more he plays he seems to be improving. I am still not too happy with his batting. I think at the moment, he seems to be the person in charge and I hope that he will continue to improve.