Too Much 'Pace' in Windies
Thu, Jan 27, '05
Even now, selectors, players and fans are talking about four pronged pace attacks. But there are not four good fast bowlers in the West Indies. In olden days, teams were balanced.
That usually meant two fast bowlers, a medium pacer who was usually the allrounder and two spin bowlers, five specialist batsmen and the wicketkeeper.
Then, the bowlers were also expected to score runs or to be able hold an end while a batsman did the scoring. Today, the bowlers seem to think they are not needed to bat. At least that seems true to West Indies teams of late.
Douglas Jardine introduced the four pronged pace attack to cut Don Bradman down to human proportions and it succeeded. But it required four fast bowlers who could keep it up for the day and at good length.
It caused such a furore and was so patently outside the spirit of the game, that it was proscribed in the next review of the laws of the game.
In 1955, Len Hutton, who had faced the terror of Lindwall, Miller and Bill Johnston, took Frank Tyson, Fred Truman and Brian Statham to Australia and destroyed the Aussies in Australia for the first time since 1937.
After Australia battered and beat Lloyd?s West Indies in 1975/6, Lloyd lost a match to India with spin in his team and decided that henceforth, pace would be the name of the game. He was lucky in that just then, Andy Roberts, Michael Holding, Wayne Daniel and a whole host of fast bowlers were coming on in a splendid production line that has ended. But neither the selectors nor the fans seem to have realised that.
West Indies continue to chose bowlers who are not truly fast and in any case unable to control the length and line of their bowling. The four pronged pace attack was most successful when there were four fast men, truly fast bowlers, who could be rotated so that they were as frightening at the end of the day as they were at the start.
Hutton?s idea was that the batsman had to defend his personal safety, before he was concerned with defending his wicket, let alone scoring runs. The unrelieved tension made him more prone to error and he was thus out for less than he would be otherwise.
It worked for the Windies until in 1981, Bedi captain of India, declared his first innings at 306 for six wickets, with two men retired hurt. In the second innings, he declared at 97 for five wickets just 12 runs more than Windies first innings total.
After that, the laws were adjusted as to the number of bouncers that could be bowled in each over, batsmen began using helmets, arm guards and chest protectors.
Batsmen too, had been playing an increasing number of fast bowlers and while speed was still a potent weapon, technique against it improved and the four pacemen would only be successful, if the four were of the highest class.
In the meantime, in each of the other countries? attacks, there was at least one spin bowler. Ashley Giles for England, Harbhajan Singh and Kumble for India, Hafeez and Danish Kaneria for Pakistan, Vettori of new Zealand and the Australian Warne, who have all been destructive.
As instructive as that is, even more telling is that every year in the Caribbean, spin has taken and continues to take more wickets than the fast bowlers. The spin bowlers are obviously better bowlers than the ?fast? men, yet the selectors studiously ignore them.
The result has been Dillon holding his place despite so many disappointing performances. Fidel Edwards walking into the team after one match for Barbados and Pedro Colins, Cameron Cuffy and several others occupying positions while spin bowlers, who out perform them cool their heels as West Indies lose.
The pre-occupation with pace is indicative of the mentality of West Indians. Not for us the subtle, cerebral, unspectacular plan that defeats the opposition. Rather we would send his stumps wheeling out of the ground in the dramatic style of Holding to Boycott.
It seems impossible for the fans and selectors to realise that there are no Holdings around anymore.
Since Australia inflicted the first series defeat on the Windies in 1995, 100 Test have been played and of them West Indies won 23, lost 50 and drew 23, one was abandoned.
In those matches the Windies suffered the pain of whitewash on six occasions.
Twenty two ?fast? bowlers were selected and made about 344 Test appearances. In the same period nine spin bowlers made about 40 Test appearances.
The same thing has been done repeatedly and ended in defeats. Should the men with the responsibility not realise that their plan is not good. Should they not try choosing the best bowlers instead.
* This article appears by special arrangement with the Trinidad Guardian.