West Indies Need a Simple Plan

Before going into a complex strategic plan, let's do the simple. First, we publicly sack Carl Hooper. Make a statement for the future. We do not reward mediocrity.

Secondly, you make forward thinking statements with intent. Vasbert Drakes is appointed interim captain, until Ramnaresh Sarwan takes over for the England tour. Ridley Jacobs will be understudied by Carlton Baugh Jr (or whoever) as this is his final season.

Devon Smith will partner Marlon Samuels at the top of the order. Chris Gayle will be dropped to number 6. Ryan Hurley will be played as an off-spinning all-rounder. He can bowl exactly what the Australians don't like and is an impressive young cricketer.

The team for Australia:

Devon Smith
Marlon Samuels
Ramnaresh Sarwan (Wavell Hinds if Sarwan is injured)
Brian Lara
Shiv Chanderpaul
Chris Gayle
Ridley Jacobs
Ryan Hurley
Vasbert Drakes (captain)
Merv Dillon
Jermaine Lawson

Reserves:

Kerry Jeremy
Daren Ganga
Ian Bradshaw

The key to this team is that you don't throw away someone like Gayle who is one of the few young regional players with an outstanding record, and you make sure that Samuels stays focused by exposing him to high pressure. It's still early but Samuels gives the impression that he will be another Hooper. We must not allow him to be too comfortable and settle into the team on his terms.

Devon Smith is a logical pick, and the left/right combination at the top will also cause problems for opposing attacks.

In the bowling, Jermaine Lawson, if fit, is the fastest and most enthusiastic bowler on our current crop. He also has the pedigree. Give him the new ball.

The cutass applied by Stuart Williams, and the fact that someone like Patterson Thompson took wickets regionally without being able to bowl straight at international level gives me reason to hold back Tino Best.

Like Samuels, Dillon needs to be given a comfort zone warning. Too many series, we have seen him smile his way through losing matches or speak out of turn. He needs to do more than simply topping the West Indies bowling averages. He needs to be a leader, or be cast aside for not wanting to be more. We have dispensed with better bowlers with similar averages and the paucity of the stocks shouldn't lower our standards any further. He should also avoid staring too hard at Gilchrist or Ponting. They'll make him pay. Dearly.

Ryan Hurley is interesting. A former West Indies Under-19 player, he was good enough to be best player in many people's opinion during a tough tour of Pakistan at the U-19 level. He was also disciplined during that tour and that started a chain of setbacks for this young man. However, back in the team and playing with spirit, Hurley is a genuine bowling all-rounder. More than that, with an eye to the current series, he is an off-spinner. He needs to be good though. Australia will tackle Hurley mentally as much as in turning the ball.

Drakes is included for the same reason Hooper was initially kept. Because he is one of the only real 'professionals' actually wearing West Indies colours. Except this time, with a plan and a schedule more pressing than 'medium term' he can play the role until Sarwan steps into the role for the England tour.

For Drakes, losing out on a set contract in South Africa is bound to concentrate his mind. If it doesn't, knowing that his captaincy role will end in a year and that there are younger men firing for his pick should as well. The legacy of Hooper should be that the comfort zone is slim and the consequence of repeated failure, clear.

With the reserves you keep Kerry Jeremy in sight. Terry Alderman and Adam Dale did not get wickets in state cricket bowling lightning quick. Neither did Colin Miller or Andy Bichel. Jeremy is a wicket to wicket medium pacer who is pretty much the most intelligent of the young bowlers in the Caribbean. Of the outsiders, Fernix thomas was hampered by the Windwards selectors and had a disappointing season. Jerome Taylor might have the shock factor on his side. Remember Ambrose? Sometimes a new bowler can carry their energy into the team. It may be too early though to expose a schoolboy to the hardened Aussies.

Daren Ganga is an enigma. One of the few technically correct batsman in the Caribbean, he never inspires confidence in his ability to dominate. And unlike even a Campbell or Chanderpaul, he gives hints of being prettier than dour. But he must come good playing shots or he will be relegated to regional bully by fans and selectors alike. As it is, he deserves -- at his age and with his performance this year -- to be in the squad.

My last pick, Ian Bradshaw, bowls left-handed medium pace, but more importantly, he can bat. This year, an effort must be made to shore up the paltry contribution from the West Indies lower order.

So there you have it. A plan. Of sorts. Dispense with the dispensable. Give clear and public targets to players, and watch them perform or fail the criteria as set. That is the only way to get results even from losing.

Let us be clear though. The talent stocks may be filling up again, but unrealised talent is not going to help West Indies recover its glory. And West Indies cricket is full of unrealised talent.

* Editor's note: Equal space available for differing opinions. Only submissions with real names will be considered for publication. E-mail submissions to ryan@caribbeancricket.com.