Spare Some Ink for Omari Banks

Jermaine Lawson will hog the news headlines -- deservedly -- for his astonishing seven-wicket burst that broke the backs of the champion Aussies in Antigua on Friday. In a 19-ball span after Tea, Lawson's barefaced intimidation of the Australian tailenders put a temporary 'ooomph' back into West Indies cricket.

When the story of the day's play is told, the sheer drama of Lawson's heroics will overshadow the work of 20-year-old Omari Banks, the wet-behind-the-ears off-spinner from Anguilla who bounced back from a forgettable debut in Barbados to remind us that the four-pronged strategy should be tossed into the Caribbean Sea.

Truth be told, Banks really should not be in this side ahead of the likes of Gareth Breese, Suliemann Benn or Dave Mohammed. Drafted into the side on the strength of a decent 2003 Carib Beer season (25 wickets at 36.40 and 270 runs), Banks plugged away relentlessly on an unhelpful Barbados track and impressed many with his athleticism and, more importantly, his ability to hold a straight bat to lengthen the tail.

He would not have written home to boast about his figures of 40-2-204-3 but there was a certain spunk on display at Kensington that won me over as a fan of Banks.

There was a telling moment in that match, when he had Bichel caught by Lara when Australia's score was 568 and the West Indies team was going through the motions, hoping for Waugh to declare. But Banks' enthusiasm could not be dampened by the score or the situation. He ran around like a kid in a candy store, looking for the nearest teammate to high-five. It was comical, but sweet.

In Antigua on Friday, things would be different. When Lara summoned him to bowl the 22nd over, Martin Love was already middling everything, just like Ricky Ponting, the man he replaced in the number three slot. That first over to Love set the stage for a brilliant display of off-spin bowling.

The second ball was given air and Love aimed to drive. It bounced, turned and even surprised Ridley Jacobs behind the wicket. Two balls later, another one was tossed up and Love pushed forward with an expansive drive, only to look back to see the edged ball rolling towards the stumps. Love hurriedly blocked that one but Banks had already won the war.

On either side of Tea, Banks did his thing. He was not afraid to loop the ball. The spinning seam wasn't perfect but there was enough drift to go along with the bounce and turn to befuddle the batsmen. Steve Waugh, in his 160th Test and one of the greatest batsmen of this era, looked lost at times as Banks looked like he would get a wicket in every one of his 20 overs.

He only got the wicket of Love, finishing with 1-62 but there were so many dropped catches off his bowling, you got the feeling he used up all his luck in being selected. Twice, Chanderpaul let catches slip through his fingers at backward short-leg, sparing both Love and Waugh. There were five dropped catches in all, four off Banks, including a tough one-handed caught and bowled chance that he himself grassed.

Banks is still raw around the edges but Lara's 'out-with-the-old, in-with-the-new' strategy means he will be around for a while. This kid has the talent to stick around. It is up to the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) to nurture it in a meaningful way.

Gus Logie, the interim head coach who has adopted an open-door policy on ex-players who can help with the coaching, should reach out to the likes of Lance Gibbs, Rangy Nanan and Clyde Butts and put Banks in their care. Those one-week training camps, while encouraging, are hardly enough to adequately prepare the youngsters for the rigours of international cricket.

I don't mind sounding like a broken record. This team desperately needs a specialist bowling coach. It doesn't matter if it's Eldine Baptiste, Kenny Benjamin or a even a foreigner. Logie cannot do it alone with this team full of twenty-somethings.

Omari Banks partnered with Lawson today to show why specialist coaching can go a long way towards making us competitive again.

Today was a good day in West Indies cricket. It was a day that belonged entirely to Lawson. Well, almost.