The Coming Tide
Recent events in the World Cup and India have shown that the West Indies are on the rise again, carried by a tide of powerful batsmen. Three “old faces” are still there: Hooper, Lara and Chanderpaul. Along with them though is the new brigade, consisting of Gayle, Wavell Hinds, Sarwan and Samuels.
One knows, however, that it takes more than one set of good players to hold control after taking it. Does the West Indies have the depth to stay at the top after getting there? Let's take a look at the coming tide.
Several opening batsmen are making the news, namely Devon Smith, Darren Ganga, and to a lesser extent Azeemul Hanif. Smith has a voracious appetite when in good nick, and the stylish Ganga is finally becoming consistent.
Several young fast bowlers are getting better all the time. These include Jermaine Lawson, Ravi Rampaul, Andrew Richardson, and Tino Best. In addition, Ian Bradshaw and Reon King seem to be recapturing their strength to lend assistance.
David Bernard has demonstrated considerable skill with the ball, and can bat in the middle order. Such pacer all-rounders (like Bernard and Bradshaw) can be very useful in international cricket.
Spinners too have been standing up to be counted. Orlanzo Jackson, leg spinner and middle order batsman, has been performing well with the ball, and also with the bat to a lesser extent. To complement Jackson there is Omari Banks, an off spinner who can bat a bit too.
Despite the positives though, there are several negatives.
New middle order batsmen are still in short supply. Fortunately for the West Indies though, Chanderpaul, Sarwan and Samuels are still quite young, and even Lara may have about five more years of batting in him. Ricardo Powell seems to be establishing himself as a dependable one-day player, but still has a lot to prove in the traditional game.
Good wicketkeepers too are still in short supply. Carlton Baugh is skillful and stylish, but can make costly mistakes while showboating. In addition, Junior Murray and Courtney Browne continue to hang around, despite having already demonstrated their inability to succeed in Test cricket. As a result two new keepers won't get to hone their skills.
Several current fast bowlers seem to be on the way out. Franklyn Rose and Colin Stuart are struggling to make their territorial teams, and Cameron Cuffy might not be far behind them. Even relatively new fast bowlers like Darren Powell and Adam Sanford have not yet delivered on expectations.
Furthermore, spinners like Ramnarine, Nagamootoo, and McGarrell seem unable to establish themselves internationally and will probably fade away in the near future. Rawl Lewis too might soon be making way for new blood.
It's hard to say why we are still seeing batsmen like Stuart Williams, Philo Wallace, Sherwin Campbell and Floyd Reifer around, but we still are. One supposes they are there to ensure that the new players don't earn selection too easily – which is fine. One hopes, however, that the new players will get their chances readily.
Overall it appears that we still don't have the talent to get to the top of Test cricket, because that requires outstanding bowlers. One day internationals, however, is a different matter. Good batting will win those, even if supported by mediocre bowling.
In a couple of years though, it might be a very different matter. Once again the tide is starting to wash those bottles with the genies in them up on our beaches.