The Man Amongst Boys

"Cricket is a team game" goes the old clich?. It was an apt one nonetheless and, as the West Indies entered the final day of the Port of Spain Test, only a supreme team effort could effect a result other than a West Indian defeat.

They could count on Brian Lara to produce the goods, his genius intensifies when these Australians come visiting. However, for the team to succeed, the other batsmen would have to provide him support at the other end and be prepared to carry the torch if he fell with the finish line in sight.

Deprived of the reliable presence of Shivnarine Chanderpaul and the old war-horse Ridley Jacobs through injury, Lara would have to rely for support on the two young colts Samuels and Sarwan, and the debutantes, Bernard and Baugh.

For the two hours of the opening session it all seemed to be going wonderfully to plan. Sarwan mixed studious defense with the odd luxurious drive through the off-side. Lara, at a level to which his contemporaries can only aspire, took on the brunt of the Australian attack and ripped them to shreds. His only hint of hesitancy was caused by a combination of a supreme spell of fast bowling by Brett Lee and the impending arrival of his first Test century at his beloved home-ground, nestled as it is in the foothills beneath his sumptuous Port-of-Spain mansion.

Already hit on the body by a Jason Gillespie bouncer, Lara was subjected to a hostile examination by Brett Lee. Never comfortable with the variable bounce of the short ball, Lara whipped his head back to avoid one that reared up at him, and took another which kept a bit low, on his body. Yet two pulls of the same bowler took him within sight of his personal landmark. Then, to the obvious relief of not only Lara, but to the masses at the Queens Park Oval, he dispatched McGill to the boundary to bring up his elusive personal milestone. This was grand theatre, Test cricket at its best!

In the hour after the resumption, it all went sickeningly wrong. With Gillespie and Lee conserving their efforts for the new ball, it seemed as if the WI would have an opportunity to consolidate their position before that challenge would have to be faced. Lara took over where he had left off, another sumptuous cover drive whistling down to the boundary.

Then disaster!

Sarwan perished, as oft times before, mistiming a pull off the medium pace of Bichel. The young man's stock has been rising steadily, as evidenced by his promotion to vice-captain, but surely the time has come for him to seriously consider shelving that particular shot. As Sarwan trudged dejectedly off, a rejuvenated Australian side stepped up their attack.

Marlon Samuels gave the impression that he was willing to fight, before he made the twin mistakes of going back and playing across the line, only to be trapped in front. Bernard edged a Bichel out-swinger to the gleeful Mattie Hayden in the slips. In the space of three overs, the underrated Andy Bichel had destroyed the castle that Lara had so skillfully and painstakingly constructed.

The great man was still there at the other end, watching aghast as his hapless teammates departed both figuratively and literally a man amongst boys. Still his will was not broken, and he set about trying to shepherd the tail. Then, on the fifth ball of a Stuart McGill over, Lara tried to guide one wide of slip, for the single that would allow him to retain the strike. He just failed to get enough on the ball and Hayden, diving full length to his left, plucked out a tremendous catch.

Any lingering hopes of holding out for a draw, left with Lara, his departure triggering an exodus of WI fans from the oval. The diminutive keeper Baugh played the type of stroke that fully matched his appearance in its obvious immaturity. It was left to the other "man" in the side, Vasbert Drakes, to demonstrate what is required of a professional sportsman, as he moved the West Indies total towards the 300 mark. The new ball was then taken, in the end somewhat anti-climactically. The Australian pacers summarily dispatched Dillon and Collins, to take a well-deserved victory, thereby ensuring their retention of the Frank Worrell Trophy.

Ricky Ponting was awarded the Man of the Match honors for his double century against a friendly West Indian attack. His award was in keeping with the tradition of being awarded to someone from the winning side. However, in my view there was only one Man of the Match: The one who provided hope where there should have been none, the one who illuminated the Queens Park Oval with a rare genius, the man amongst boys.