'Lara Like he is a Blight'
I ain't telling no lie, I did feel like crying. I now understand what the women does be talking ?bout when them got them expectations real high after hearing the fellow bragging, but when the fellow get there he ain?t last a minute good. Disappointed. That is how I feel ?bout the West Indies? exit from the Cricket World Cup.
Up to now I still believe the team is a good team and we should be in the final six this morning. And what got me feel even worse is when I look round and see a poo-pah monkey team like Kenya in there before we, that we beat so bad the other morning. And I know my one ain?t the only body that feel so.
We could talk ?bout had not for the rain messing we up against Bangladesh, a team we know we wouldda beat bad, we would be in. But at the end of the day, although we had to share points with Bangladesh because of the rain, I still feel that the fellows got themselves to blame. You can?t stop the rain from falling but you could do something bout your own performance.
We shouldda beat New Zealand and we shouldda beat Sri Lanka, if not all two at least one, and that would have made all the difference. So I don?t want to hear ?bout if the rain didn?t fall against Bangladesh and that kinda thing.
For the love of all that is good, how on earth can you have the third fastest bowler in the world in your team and wait ?till the last match to give him a play? After seeing how the Jamaican boy Lawson perform in the last One-Day against India last year on them dead wickets, there is no way that he shouldn?t have been in the final 11 from day one in this world cup. Apart from Vasbert Drakes, none of the so-called front line bowlers didn?t look like them would get nobody out. So waiting so late to play the youngster was mistake number one.
Mistake number two. From the time we realise that the two openers didn?t getting the job done we shouldda do something ?bout it. Either drop one and play the boy Samuels that them had so much controversy ?bout, or let Chanderpaul open the batting and let one of the other openers bat lower down. We was too predictable and not adventurous enough.
Mistakes number three, four and five was the captain. Now I ain?t got nothing against Hooper per se, but I don?t think he is a pressure player. Some players have it and some just don?t.
I can?t play no sports in the true sense of the word but I does follow sports all round the world so I know ?bout pressure players. If you follow basketball, with the game on the line, a couple seconds to go and his team behind by a point, Michael Jordan would step up and say ?get the ball to me!?.
And you could bet, that so long as that ball reaches Jordan, nine times out of ten he will win the game with one shot. That is a pressure player.
So for all of his so-called talent, Hooper is not a pressure player. Whenever it is time for him to step up and be counted and play a captain?s innings, he does catch the nerves. I believe he heart does be beating like a tuk band and he two knees knocking when he come out to bat and we in trouble. I have never seen the West Indies in trouble and Hooper step up and win a match for we.
Against New Zealand with the team in trouble, Hooper come in and crack under pressure, same thing happen against Sri lanka, all two was key matches that wouldda certainly assure we a spot in the Super Six.
At the after matches Press talks, you would hear Hooper complaining ?bout the number of drop catches, but check and see who drop the most catches in the team. Hooper. You would hear him complaining that the batsmen ain?t scoring no runs. Check and see who really didn?t scoring no runs and who got nearly the lowest average among the batsmen. Hooper. He done with a average of 19.80. In the six matches that he play he only muster 99 runs. Even Vasbert Drakes had a better average. With your captain who suppose to be the leader and setting the example, performing like that, tell me what you really expect.
Plus as my friend Donald does say, Lara like he is a blight. Whenever Lara in the team we does can?t win nothing at all. Anyhow, we out and we can only blame we self. But if I feel so bad and at the end of the day we early exit from the World Cup ain?t really surprise the rest of the cricket world. Just think how them South Africans mussee feel. After all, great things were expected of them. Them was second favourite behind Australia to win the cup, and look how them and we in the same boat.
Yes I know what you saying; misery love company, and you ain?t lie. See ya.
* Eric Lewis is a columnist for the Barbados Advocate, where this article first appeared. He can be reached via email at madderic@hotmail.com