Windies' Bowling Bane

THE way 50-overs cricket is going, pretty soon a score of 400 won't be safe!! I guess the basic principle is that 'anything you can do, I can do better'.

Batsmen are growing far more inventive/innovative and adventurous in their strokeplay and are riding their luck with abandon. That approach has helped to make life a virtual nightmare for fielders and bowlers on pitches that are often so batsmen-friendly, they make the best bowlers look ordinary.

But from a narrowly Caribbean perspective, the thing that has hit me hardest about the last two Indian run-chase victories over the West Indies is the appalling inability of our bowlers to consistently bowl one side of the stumps.

Even our top bowler, Mervyn Dillon, and 'senior pro', Vasbert Drakes, when given an offside field by the captain, seem incapable of holding the offstump line for longer than a few balls at a time.

Against the world's top batsmen, not least the Asians, straying unto the pads is just asking for bloody murder. And that's what our bowlers have been asking for, all series.

There's been a fair degree of criticism of the selectors' decision to call up Bajan pacer, Corey Collymore, and retain Cameron Cuffy for the one-day series, while sending home the promising Jamaican pacers, Jermaine Lawson and Darren Powell.

As it has turned out, Cuffy has again broken down and is being replaced by Lawson. And Collymore was a huge disappointment in his only game so far.

I sympathise with the selectors. Both Cuffy and Collymore have in the recent past bowled with real efficiency in one-day cricket. Both Powell and Lawson, with real potential as match-winners in the longer version of the game, are short on experience in high-pressure one-day cricket.

Clearly, the selectors have been harbouring plans to take a fairly experienced bowling unit to the World Cup which is just three months ago, hence their tactics.

My presumption is that the original plan was for both Jamaican's to be recalled for the two Test matches in Bangladesh following the rash of one-dayers. I would have had no quarrel with that.

But with Cuffy apparently unable to stand up to extended work and left-arm pacer, Collins, complaining of back problems, the selectors will probably have to change tack.

Ian Bradshaw. Ever heard of that name? He is the Barbadian left-arm pacer and very useful lower-order batsman who had a telling spell with the new ball against Jamaica in the Red Stripe Bowl final a few months ago. Bradshaw is a batsman good enough to have scored a first-class century. As a bowler, he seems to be just about as effective as those we have on show now.

I am told his throwing arm is very weak because of shoulder trouble. But even with that, he looks a far better fielder than some. Surely, he should be playing one-day cricket for the West Indies.

Now we know why Carl Hooper was so reluctant to bowl in the Test series. His knees are gone. The 35-year-old is definitely on his way out but the West Indies will need him in the World Cup. Hopefully, the corrective surgery won't end up ruling him out of the tournament.

So, who should lead the side in Bangladesh in Hooper's absence? I hear most Jamaican's saying, "Wavell Hinds", and that's reasonable. The only trouble is that he has had no experience as captain at the first-class level. As Tony Cozier said last week, selectors of Caribbean teams have been at fault in not choosing captains with an eye to the regional job.

The Ruddy Williams-led Jamaica selection panel should sit up and take note.

SOURCE: Jamaica Observer.