West Indies Third Test Grades
The third and final test between the West Indies and India dragged to a tame draw after Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman contrived to bat the West Indies out of the match. The West Indies encountered some ups-and-downs in this game and although the more optimistic fans were hoping for a consolation victory, there were some very positive things coming out of this match.
The batting, especially, thrived in this game after the
embarrassments of the previous two Tests and the emergence of
Marlon Samuels, after being censured by tour management, was
significant. Samuels demonstrated a single-mindedness of purpose,
making the the intervention of Wes Hall look like a touch of pure
genius. Shiv Chanderpaul, Wavell Hinds, Chris Gayle also enjoyed
the limelight.
I would also like to level some criticisms at the incompetent
umpiring suffered by both sides throughout the series, especially
from the 'elite' Ashoka Da Silva. If the object of this article was
to grade the umpires I would have no choice but to give them both
failing grades, and hopefully the ICC is paying attention to this
problem. However, that is all I am going to say about the umpires,
as the players grade is where I want to focus my attention:
CHRIS GAYLE:
Gayle finally displayed the grit and focus necessary for limited
players to be successful at the Test level, especially when the
conditions are not ideal for their style of batting. His one
blemish being that he did not complete a third Test century, being
undone by one of the "Spitting Cobra" deliveries that Harbajan is
able to produce with regularity on Indian pitches. Prior to that,
he displayed admirable restraint in controlling his natural
attacking tendencies, and admirably supporting Wavell Hinds who did
get his century. Gayle managed to win over more fans with this
inning than he did with his two previous knocks of 204 and 175.
GRADE: B+
WAVELL HINDS:
Hinds proved why he is considered one of the finest young Jamaican
batsmen around by scoring his third test century in this match. He
played exceedingly well and, with Gayle, posted a new West Indies
opening partnership record of 172. The only fly in the ointment is
that when Hinds had the bowling at his mercy and should have gone
on, end the day undefeated, he contrived to get out by sweeping
Harbajan hard and
straight to square leg.
GRADE: A-
RAMNARESH SARWAN:
Sarwan coming in with the score at 172 and with Harbajan smelling
blood, was stumped when he didn't pick the top-spinner. With all
the other young batsmen currently in the team having scored a Test
hundred, it has to be weighing heavily on Sarwan's mind that he has
yet to post a three-figure score. Having not solidified himself as
the number three batsman, maybe the time has come for Sarwan to go
down the order and reorganize his game.
GRADE: F
SHIVNARINE CHANDERPAUL:
Chanderpaul returned to his customary position of being the
backbone of the West Indies batting lineup, with a sublime effort
in the West Indies' only inning. Coming in at a difficult time when
the West Indies had slipped from 172 without loss to 186 for 3,
Chanders saw out the evening and on the resumption, with Marlon
Samuels, laid waste to the Indian bowling, equalling his Test best
140. It was West Indian batting at its most exciting, and at this
point, Chanderpaul must be considered the most important batsman,
if not the best, in this young side.
GRADE: A
CARL HOOPER:
Carl Hooper's lean run with the bat continued, and he again
displayed that maddening habit of getting out when seemingly
well-set. Even though he fell victim to a great catch by the noisy
Indian wicketkeeper, Hooper seemed to want to get a big score in
this match. His captaincy in this game continued to show flashes of
inspiration -- the placement of Chanderpaul in the leg slip
position, when the dangerous Sehwag was batting against Dillon in
the second -- and head scratching decisions, e.g. when he took
himself out of the attack on the final morning, when Tendulkar and
Laxman were clearly uncomfortable playing him. Hooper bowled well
and is clearly the best spinner in the West Indies team, which is
certainly not a ringing endorsement of the spinners chosen by the
selectors. Hopefully, the performance of the batsmen in this match
signals the long-awaited turnaround that all West Indies fans pray
for.
GRADE: C
MARLON SAMUELS:
In this match, Samuels demonstrated why he is considered to be one
of the best young talents around. Having previously demonstrated an
unflappable demeanor when he was thrust into the ill-fated tour of
Australia, he again showed tremendous confidence, when only hours
removed from almost being ignominiously dismissed from this tour
for disciplinary reasons, and undoubtedly under enormous pressure,
Samuels declared he that he "was dying to bat against the Indian
spinners" and then proceeded to rise to the occasion. Looking not
like a batsman with a handful of innings under his belt, but a
seasoned professional with many years battling in these exacting
conditions, Samuels displayed a large repertoire of strokes, and
each ball was played on its merit. There was nary a false stroke
until he fell to one that bounced and turned from Harbajan. If
Samuels continues in this vein he will be one of the greats.
GRADE: A
RIDLEY JACOBS:
Ridley Jacobs looked much better in this match, and actually is
tied with Alan Gilchrist for the most dismissals for calendar year
2002. He batted well at the bottom of the order and was
instrumental in helping to push the West Indian score close to the
500 mark.
GRADE: B
MERV DILLON:
Dillon again suffered from lack of support, or it may be that
Dillon himself is a mere support bowler. That said, it was
refreshing to see Dillon attack Sehwag's body in the second innings
when he noticed that he wasn't handling the short fast-rising
delivery to the ribs very well. Hooper gave him the leg slip and he
was able to direct the ball where he needed to produce the desired
result. At times, he seemed disinterested and that must have caused
Hooper some headaches. One would hope that instead of Cuffy or
Collins sharing the new ball with Dillon, we would see a Reon King
or a Franklyn Rose thus adding more teeth to the West Indies new
ball attack.
GRADE: B-
DARREN POWELL:
Darren Powell showed his inexperience in that he was not able to
keep the batsmen under sustained pressure. Two many deliveries were
misdirected either far outside the off or down the leg-side. He did
pick up three wickets in the match, which is really all we should
expected of a bowler of his experience, and given the nature of the
wicket, he still tried to bowl as fast as possible.
GRADE: B-
JERMAINE LAWSON:
Lawson again bowled with good pace albeit without the unerring
control needed at this level. Even though the pitch was flat,
Lawson, like Powell, showed a willingness to bend his back and use
the short ball in an attempt to rattle the Indian batsmen. As he
gains more experience, he should fulfill the enormous potential.
GRADE: B-
CAMERON CUFFY:
Hopefully this will be the last time, at least in Tests, that we
will be subjected to Cuffy's brand of "line and nothing else"
bowling. In fact, on the TV commentatary, Michael holding was heard
to remark (off camera but loudly enough) that Cuffy should be
removed from the attack because he "couldn't bowl". It was
embarrassing to see Srinath hit him all over the ground, and Cuffy
continue to bowl delivery after delivery into his wheel house.
Where was the pride? Where was the venom? Any fast bowler worth his
salt would have made Srinath show whether he really knew how to use
the bat. Sadly, Hooper had to resort to hiding Cuffy.
GRADE: F
*
Click here for first and second Test report cards by Lawrence
Romeo.