The Independent Voice of West Indies Cricket
One day after writing off the West Indies as a mediocre team
left for dead, former Indian batting mainstay Sanjay Manjrekar
believes the SG ball used in the series has given sudden life to
the visiting pace bowlers.
In a column for Wisden Online
(paid subscription required), Manjrekar said it was a welcome
change to finally to see some inspired performances from the West
Indians.
The 2003 regional cricket season, which is expected to start in
January, may well be without a major sponsor. This is because Busta
has ended its relationship with the regional competition, after
choosing to not renew its contract with the West Indies Cricket
Board (WICB).
The Trinidad and Tobago-based S.M. Jaleel Limited, makers of Busta
soft drink, had sponsored the Busta Cup for the past four years,
having committed themselves to this period. The four-year
sponsorship deal with the giant soft drink manufacturer expired
earlier this year and because of the huge cost factor, they decided
not to renew it.
Roger Harper was one of the finest fielders in the West Indies
side during the 80s. He bowled off-spin without much purchase in
Test cricket but he got his rewards in one-day internationals where
his restrictive bowling fetched him 100 wickets.
He reinvented himself as an effective coach and after a stint with
the 'A' team, is now the senior team coach. Stepping into the shoes
of his predecessors such as Malcolm Marshall, Clive Lloyd and Sir
Vivian Richards is never easy, but the 39-year old Harper remains
unruffled. In an extensive interview With The SportStar the Guyanese
talks about West Indian cricket and its future...
Former Trinidad and Tobago and West Indies fast bowler Ian
Bishop is to be replaced as chairman of the senior selection panel
for the 2002/2003 cricket season.
The Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board of Control (T&TCBC) plans
to name a replacement for Bisthop at its annual general meeting,
scheduled for October 26.
The first test at Mumbai saw the West Indies sink to an abysmal
defeat, even by the deplorable standards they have set for
themselves lately. Needing to make 300 runs to make India bat
again, not a single batsman showed the resolve to play the Indian
spinners. The only batsmen who could be forgiven to some extent
being Wavell Hinds, Chris Gayle and Chanderpaul, the first two for
their relative inexperience in this part of the world.
As the West Indies move to Chennai for the second test, it would be
prudent for them to ponder whether their tactics, as much as
India's invulnerability at home, led to their defeat. The West
Indian tactic of persisting with players who have failed time and
again has to be questioned. The team selection for the last Test,
and those
chosen for the next one, makes one wonder if there is an
identity crisis within the team management.