Wanted: Bigger, Better Boys
Mon, May 9, '05
South Africa's Graeme Smith won the toss and sent the West Indies in to bat in today's second One Day International of the series. Would it be a repeat of yesterday where the West Indies lost their way badly, going down by eight wickets to the visitors? The fans hoped not. That was to be wishful thinking.
The sun is super hot today, just like yesterday, but even though dark clouds hovered then, there was no rain to cool the fans down. What's different with the weather today though is that there is a nice breeze blowing into the Media Centre.
To the cricket now. Here is Gayle in the third over. Waddap! Two consecutive fours off Pollock. With a couple of singles following, the score is 13 without loss at the end of that over. Hopefully Gibbs won't get in Chris' way today. That was some catch yesterday.
Just when I am thinking that Hinds doesn't look the part again today, Ntini bowls Gayle with the first ball of the fourth over. Hinds had better repeat his century-making performance of the VB series today. The number three batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan walks out to huge applause. What can he do for my team today? With Ntini's second ball to him he drives it square through cover (thanks Reds...I really should get out my field placing notes drawn for me by a famous umpire...maybe later).
Sarwan is hitting the ball nicely. He just straight drove Ntini, and the next ball was hit in the air on the leg side. Remember what Xavier Marshall said that Bennett King told him? "Keep it on the ground, you cannot get out on the ground." Fortunately no fielders were near.
The West Indies plod along to the ninth over where they reach 29 for 1. Wait..no...29 for 2. Hinds goes to a super catch at slip. Steve, a South African journalist who works for The Star, is excited. "That's a super catch, super catch," he says, then runs to look at the television replay. The great Brian Lara walks out to the strain of R Kelly's "I am a mountain". Yes, we have another mountain to climb today. The run rate is barely three per over.
No fireworks yet from Lara. That's right. Settle in. Wait! What's happening? No sooner I type the previous sentence than Lara is out; caught off slip by South Africa's captain, Graham Smith, who does the high knee lifts indicating his delight.
The mountain is now looking like Everest. The score is not healthy ? 30 for 3 off 10. What must be going through captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul's mind now? He said at the press conference yesterday that the top order batsmen needed to make the South Africans work for their wickets instead of us giving it to them. Perhaps they didn't get the message.
Today is Mother's Day. Didn't any of the cricketing mothers say to their sons, "I want a century today?" Oh, that was only for the last Test match nuh? It was at this ground last year that we made that dismal score of 47 against England in the second innings of the Test match. Then there was the controversy with three of the players going over to the Mound. I'd better head over there to drown my sorrows. Maybe that's what those players were doing last year.
But wait...Sarwan looks to be in good touch. Lovely straight drive towards the George Headley Stand in the twelfth over to take him to 19, and Shiv is batting like somebody upset the Tiger...with reason. Lemme stay here a bit longer and see if I can begin to write that 'shots are being played all around the ground, and that the run rate has climbed up to a more respectable five per over.'
Johan, another of the South African journalists, is having trouble with his internet connection so he asks for my help to send an article from my computer. While I'm doing that, Sarwan gets bowled. At first I thought it was an LBW appeal. Wrong. Off-stump gone.
It's time for food. Only a pear. Have to save space for Sunday lunch. Excuse me for a second will you? I'll leave you with the score on 42 for 4 in the 17 th over...
A pear and a cup of tea later, it's 45 for 4 after 20. It's time to walk. I see some policemen sitting in interesting positions in front of the Eastern Stand so I'm going to investigate. Be back in a sec...
I'm back. Went to shoot the police officers sitting back to back. Ooops, wrong choice of words. I photographed the police officers, chatted to their 'Supe' to find out how come they were sitting like that, took some pictures of people who asked me to, then headed to the Mound. A short poll of Moundites indicated that a total of 100 runs was too optimistic. Two wickets fell while I listened to the music blaring on the speakers. I'm going to be deaf tomorrow. Maybe it would be better if I were blind now, so I couldn't see the rot that's happening on the field.
As a friend on the Mound said, "do they know how much money it costs me to come from Barbados? And how much are they being paid...for this?" She wasn't alone in wishing the torture to be over soon so she could retreat to her hotel.
The Captain and his Test Vice Captain are at the crease. At the end of the 34 th over, the West Indies have managed to score all of 82 runs. Six men have come and been returned to the dressing room. Do the math and you'll see that the run rate is 2.14. They've obviously gone into survival mode, batting to ensure that they reach at least 40 overs.
Pollock's first over back from his rest. Chanderpaul hits a four. The crowd cheers. There should be a law against that. What is there to cheer about when we are in such a dismal position? I'm in all black ? the official mourning colours. Perhaps I had a vision.
We get to 100 and there are sarcastic claps around the ground. We have made it to 40 overs. Can Chanderpaul and Browne make the 'happy hour' really a happy one for the West Indies? My heart stops for a second, as there is a near run out when one of the batsmen slips. These two are the last recognized batsmen, although Daren Powell, who was brought in today for Pedro Collins, fancies himself as a batsman. And one of the heroes of the ICC Champions trophy, Ian Bradshaw, comes next. Who knows, maybe my original estimate of 150 isn't too unrealistic after all.
Spoke too soon. I turn to talk to one of my colleagues in the Media Centre and turn back to see the South Africans celebrating the dismissal of Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who played the ball on to his stumps. 'Lean on me, when you're not strong, and I'll be your friend' is the song playing on the Mound. The West Indies are slowly losing their friends.
Ian Bradshaw joins Courtney Browne with the score on 103 for 7. Browne runs a single and Bradshaw gets ready to face Andre Nel. He survives and adds one more to the total. Lawks...mi heart. This can't be good for it. Bradshaw better bat like he did in the ICC Champions Trophy finals.
We are in the 44 th over now. The crowd celebrates Ntini's missed caught and bowled chance to Bradshaw while the bowler rues his error. 111 for 7 could so easily have been 111 for 8.
I'm looking at the big red advertising board beside the almost empty rollaway stand. "Rally round the West Indies" it says, but with performances like what we've seen in the last 10 years or so, it is really really hard to do that.
It's also really really really really really hard to describe the West Indies bowling to the South Africans, trying to defend the 152 we made in our 50 overs. Imagine that...we actually lasted 50 overs without losing more than seven wickets.
A few exciting overs from Daren Powell and Ian Bradshaw enlivened the crowd, with the latter getting the two wickets to fall before the rains finally came in the ninth over, with South Africa 'struggling' on 25 for 2. The rain just delayed the inevitable.
All there is left for me to say is that South Africa once again steam rolled the West Indies team by eight wickets...the same margin of victory yesterday. Sorry, wrong choice of words. Once again the West Indies gave away a match to the opposition ? a gift for the South Africans on Mother's Day.
To all West Indian women; please try and produce better boys who can play bigger, better cricket.
* Click here for a photojournal of the second ODI between South Africa and the West Indies.