Hooper Should Have Taken Control

I can't put into words the disappointment I feel with this last-ball loss in the ICC Champions Trophy tournament game against the number two rated South Africa. Sir Carl, if you are reading this, I need to have a few words with Chanderpaul and Dillon; preferably together. See if you can arrange that for me. Thanks. One hour should be fine.

For the folks who say look on the bright side, I say buzz off. I'm mad as hell. You only get so much opportunities in a lifetime. Hopefully we can erase the bitter memory of this loss by winning the first game against South Africa in the World Cup.

People with low expectations and weak personalities are happy with losing.

We have been down this road before. Remember the 1983 World Cup Dinal loss to India? Viv just couldn't slow down and see us to victory. He wanted to change the color of the ball, his shots were that vicious. 33 runs with 7 fours. What happened next? Kapil extinguished his light with that catch.

Remember Walsh in the World Cup final? He called back the batsman rather than run him out in the final over. Last ball, Qadir hit him for a six to win the game. So much for being "nice".

And now the Dillion fiasco. If you love West Indies cricket as much as I do, these things stay with you for a lifetime. No amount of "feel-good" mumbo-jumbo is going to change the outcome or the pain. If we're blase about these results, they will happen again. We need to set higher standards and pick people who are finishers, people with guts, people with a plan, strong people. The weak-minded should not play this game for it's not for the faint of heart.

Pat Riley, former coach of the New York Knicks, wrote a book about the "winner within". You either have it or you don't. It can't be taught. Some people are just natural born winners. We need these people in the West Indies team.

Hooper is responsible for the players under him. He should know everything about them, for it's his job. He should know their favourite movie, their best friend, their mental makeup, what makes them tick, etc.

Being captain is extremely difficult. It's not just a game to you. It's war. Kill or be killed. Strike first blood or bear the consequences.

With 13 runs to go he has to tell Dillon where to bowl the ball, no questions asked. If he wavers or is unsure of himself, give the ball to someone else. Any bowler worth his salt would have gone into that final over with a plan and taken care to execute it. You bowl yorkers in that instance, slow ones. Make sure you hit the right spot.

Bowling the same length ball for your entire spell is plain foolishness. The batsmen already know where the ball is coming and can get a headstart on that swing.

Even the first ball six could have been forgiven if he had not bowled that wide. For those who question whether we have quality bowlers to finish games; hope this clears it up for you.

Recently I spoke to a prominent poster here on the CC message board and he said plain and simple we're missing the forest for the trees. You win with quality bowlers. We don't have any!

While insularity rears it's ugly head and we fight over Devon, Sarwan, Ganga and Ryan Hinds, keep this in mind: The numbers 1, 2 and 3 teams in the world are balanced. Those teams would have defended 238, because they have winners for bowlers. Not just fast, swinging etc...but smart bowlers too.

We're much closer to being a good team than people think.. A few good bowlers will definitely change our fortunes.

Only time will tell if some of us forget these losses. For me I'm not so sure I'll ever forget these heartbreaks.

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