First Test Highlighted W.I Problems

The loss of this First Test to England continues to highlight the fact that our team is a struggling one. We are struggling with the ball and we struggle with the bat, except for a few bright spots.

If there is no gradual change we will continue to struggle. And here I am talking about "internal" changes in the players -- to do better while fielding, bowling and batting. This is different from the kinds of chasnges we want and expect from the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB).

In this game we failed to take 20 English wickets -- Problem Number One. Then, we failed to bat for over 125 overs in any inning -- Problem Number Two. We simply cannot expect to win like that.

From DAY ONE we were behind with a display of the most crappy bowling EVER. And England managed to score 391 runs on the first day. We had some reprieve, and good spells by Collins and Bravo to limit England to 567.

Batting on day two saw us off to a reasonable start ? and "no thanks" to umpire Harper we were shut down with the loss of Gayle after making 66. Then, the really poor decision to give Lara OUT really punched a major hole in our defence.

Still we got to 208/4, as it was up to Chanderpaul, Bravo to see us through. On a new day Chanderpaul, playing a great, gutsy, and "Tiger-like" (scratching and clawing and roaring) innings of 128*, and Banks, saw us make a beleaguered attempt to close the gap ? we DID NOT, and were 151 or so behind.

By the end of Day 3, our bowlers were a little more effective to start and limited England to 71/0, but LOST the early initiative on DAY 4 ? allowing Vaughn and Flintoff to hit them all-round the park.

By then with 478 to WIN ? our batsmen were up against it ? and lost Smith and Sarwan (having problems) early. Gayle, as if trying to single-handedly win the game, set about spanking the bowlers around, but in time, and has we have come to expect, lost his wicket ? yorked by Harmison. It was a good, but not responsible knock. Chris Gayle needs to plan better to last longer at the wicket.

Shiv, as only Shiv does so well, mounted a rear-guard action of offense and defense and attempted to preserve his and WI pride, by protecting the lower order as much as he could. However, some of these batsmen MUST now learn to protect themselves better. Best must learn to apply common-sense to batting at that stage of the game, and so too must Edwards (though he tried). The lower order should take a page out of Pedro Collins' book on staying at the crease.

We lost the game after another great batting display by Chanderpaul, who was denied a level of immortality (at Lord's) that only few cricketers can claim. Our batting let us down ? apart from Gayle and Chanderpaul in both innings, and Smith, Bravo and Banks in the first, and also Lara's 44, in the second innings. Consistent, common-sense batting, and application to the situation at hand, is required from all batsmen, 1-11.

From our 4 or 5 bowlers we expect much. But do they have much to give? At this level ? line, length is expected ? then the bowler can apply his pace with variation, or his ability to swing and move the ball. We can do without the endless no-balls, endless wides, endless short pitched bowling that is not effective, and we can do without that many 4-balls per over.

Pedro did OK ? but not good. Bravo tried ? but I do not think we got his best effort yet -- he is a good "prospective work in progress". I have nothing to say about Fidel Edwards, except, that he looked very ordinary. The bottom line is that out bowling is in "limbo" too often. It may start good ? then just go into a lull for too long, almost forever.

A couple of closing points:

1. Lara should have batted when WI won the toss. I am no Ms. Cleo type ? but we must play to out "assumed advantage" ? our batting. Use that momentum to set the pace. However I will not say that that decision to field first COST us the match.

2. Sarwan needs to sort out his proneness to a weird LBW.

3. Gayle must plan to bat on by making the choice to temper his exuberance with a look at the status of the game.

4. Our main bowlers suck!!!