The Value of Chanderpaul
(Jamaica Observer)
Okay. So West Indies didn't dominate Zimbabwe to the extent we all hoped. But to listen to some people talk you'd think West Indies lost the Test and one-day series.
The fact is that they won both series. And I don't see the point in arguing that Zimbabwe are rated second from bottom in Test cricket ratings and therefore the Caribbean side's "scrape-through" win is of no consequence. Remember, our beloved team is rated third from bottom, in the 10-team Test Match table.
For me, the most disappointing aspect of the short tour was not simply that West Indies came within one wicket of losing the first Test or that they could only take the one-day series 3-2.
What hurt me most was that when Brian Lara's men got to Zimbabwe and even after they should have learnt hard lessons, they were often in cruise mode and very guilty of taking things for granted.
What seemed obvious to me is that while the Zimbabweans played to their potential or pretty close to it most of the time, the West Indies were rarely anywhere near their peak.
That, I suppose, can be interpreted as a good sign as we go into the South Africa tour. Having not played very well in the "warm-up" tour, maybe our boys can get it all together for the "real thing" in South Africa.
And if they could beat Zimbabwe while not playing consistently well, maybe they can give the powerful South Africans a real run playing at their best. It's a nice thought!
It's pretty much taken for granted that Lara will have to score heavily for West Indies to match the South Africans to whom they lost so embarassingly in '99/2000. But also, a key man will be 'Mister Dependable' Shivnarine Chanderpaul. If he is as consistent as he can be and holds the flairy but unpredictable batting together, we could have reason for celebration. In that regard Chanderpaul's double century in the opening first-class game is truly great news.
Young pacer Fidel Edwards apart, the West Indies bowling in Zimbabwe didn't amount to a lot. Hopefully, the 21-year-old Barbadian speed merchant can stay fit, Mervyn Dillon bowls to his potential and the 'old soldier' Vasbert Drakes finds the stamina and fitness to keep pegging away.
I like the decision by the Viv Richards-led selection panel to go for the left-arm, back-of-the hand spin of Dave Mohammed as replacement for the injured pacer Jerome Taylor. South African batsmen are not known for their expertise against spin, and who knows, the unorthodox servings of the young Trinidadian could prove their undoing.