WI v Aus: First Test Report Card
Mon, Nov 7, '05
The West Indies went into the first Test with their tails in the air. A solid all-round game against Queensland raised hopes that this team could at least be competitive against the mighty Aussies.
But, alas, it was all for naught. With minor exceptions, the batting crumbled, the bowling was listless and the allround out-cricket was beyond disappointing. In addition, some mind-boggling decisions on team selection and what to do after winning the toss led to low grades all around...
(Head Coach)
The whispers that King is a great fitness trainer but a terrible game-day coach are bound grow louder after this debacle.
As a coach with more power -- and resources -- than any of his predecessors, King has absolute authority over team selection and his decision to embark on a tour without a spinner will always be open to scrutiny.
What's worse, he opted for four under-prepared fast bowlers (one who didn't play in a match since the Sri Lanka tour) and promptly chose to bowl first after winning the toss. As if batting last against Shane Warne isn't enough to be thankful about winning the toss, the one workhorse seamer with the ability to get big wickets (Dwayne Bravo) was made to ride the pine.
GRADE: F
CHRIS GAYLE
There comes a time when Chris Gayle's stand-and-slog routine gets old. That time is now. The left-hander is considered the senior opener in this side but it was his partner Devon Smith who showed, at least in the first innings, what was required of the batsmen against Australia's top-flight bowlers.
In both innings, Gayle's cavalier approach caused his downfall and put the West Indies in an early hole. His feast-or-famine routine is wearing thin and must surely be infuriating to a coaching staff that preaches discipline and focus.
Gayle's off-spin bowling came in handy in this Test, especially since the pacers were struggling to keep up the required over-rate but, Gayle is playing in this team as a batsman. A senior batsman at that. He failed. Twice. Badly.
GRADE: F
DEVON SMITH
Unlike Gayle, Devon Smith was responsible, level-headed and impressive against a probing Aussie attack. The wicket was batsman-friendly and Smith showed what could happen if a batsman chose to play carefully.
His first innings 88 was not without alarm. He played and missed, got conked on the head and survived some close shouts. But, throughout, he showed a broad bat and scored freely when the bad balls came.
Smith must now show consistency to prove that he belongs at the top of the West Indies batting line-up for a long time.
GRADE: C
RAMNARESH SARWAN
The West Indies vice captain teased us in this Test. Twice. In both innings, Sarwan looked like a batsman full of runs. The nimble footwork was there when he was driving McGrath sweetly to the cover fence. The confidence was there when he was hooking at Lee early in the first.
But, the concentration was lacking. In the first, he was caught in two minds and lazily nicked one the 'keeper. In the second, he sparred at a short one just when the team needed him to keep his cool and bat for a long, long time. Two all too familiar dismissals.
GRADE: D
BRIAN LARA
Already struggling for form, Lara could do without the bad luck that has followed his great career. Umpire Howell's unbelievable decision in the first innings came at a time when Lara appeared set to dominate like only he can.
In the second, with the weight of the entire Caribbean on his shoulder, he laboured through an uncharacteristic 51-ball 14, playing and missing and edging uncomfortable in the slip/gully region. Lara must find form if the West Indies are to show a competitive side.
GRADE: D
SHIV CHANDERPAUL
Chanderpaul's captaincy was characteristically unimpressive. His batting, just as bad.
To win the toss and choose to bowl with an underprepared bowling attack was utter idiocy. Even if the strip offered help to his pacers (it did not), the decision to bat last against Warne was always suicidal.
At the crease, Chanderpaul was equally listless. He never appeared set in the first and it came as no surprise that he perished to a Warne long-hop that was mis-hit. His second innings LBW dismissal could have gone either way (replays showed it has high) but by then it really didn't matter.
GRADE: F
MARLON SAMUELS
Coming off a fine all-round warm-up game (a double century and a 5-fer), Samuels himself must have set the bar high going into this Test.
But, facing Glenn McGrath with his tail up in a Test isn't exactly like facing a tired batch of first-class bowlers on a batting track. Samuels found that out in a hurry, prodding and snicking a peach of a leg-cutter from McGrath. In the second innings, he stuck around with the long tail but, by then, it was all lost.
In the field, he appeared lost at time, dropping a crucial catch when the Aussies were piling on the runs in the second innings. Samuels is running out of chances. He'll want to make full use of these times.
GRADE: F
DENESH RAMDIN
This neophyte 'keeper is a keeper. Ramdin has soft hands, nimble feet and big-game temperament.
Unfortunately, the days in Test cricket are long and hard and Ramdin will quickly learn that he must stay mentally in the game for every delivery. Towards the end of day one, his waning concentration led to sloppiness.
In front of the stumps, he displayed a straight bat and a sharp brain, shepherding the tail for valuable runs in the first. It is a pity the tail starts behind him or the West Indies might have put up a fighting first innings total.
GRADE: C
DAREN POWELL
Powell brought a hip injury into this game but still worked hard through 20 first innings overs. He benefited from Collymore's accuracy to pick up three wickets but, like Lawson and Edwards, there were too many no-balls and wides.
Powell only bowled 5 second innings overs, raising legitimate questions about his health status for the rest of the tour.
GRADE: D
FIDEL EDWARDS
For once, Edwards stayed fit for the duration of a Test. Sadly, it really didn't matter. He was wild and wayward in stretches, never really threatening any of the Aussie batsmen.
Ten no-balls and two wides in the first innings only added to a disappointing bowling performance. He did bowl well in tandem with Collymore but didn't seem capable of putting the bowl in one spot consistently.
GRADE: F
COREY COLLYMORE
Proving there's more to bowling than raw pace, Collymore was the lone bright spot in the West Indies attack. In the first innings, he was McGrathesque, nipping the ball in and out at will.
He deserved much more than the 4-72 first innings haul. When he was bowling, it always seemed the West Indies were in with a chance of taking a wicket. It's a pity his partners didn't hold up their end of the bargain.
It there was one knock on Collymore, it appeared he was going through the motions when Hayden and Ponting were dominating the second innings.
GRADE: B
JERMAINE LAWSON
To be fair, Lawson should not have been on this tour, let alone this match. He was badly underprepared, and it showed.
To the naked eye, his action appeared clean but the bowler billed as the fastest in a four-prong attack was listless throughout.
Like Edwards, his rhythm was missing, accounting for 14 no-balls and two wides in just 20 overs. Is was quite fitting that when a West Indian fielder finally held a catch at slip, Lawson had overstepped yet again.
GRADE: F