Collymore is WI Best Since Walsh

With all the rain, it has been difficult to stay focused on cricket. Our Jamaican cricketers, who for the second year in a row, must shake off their puzzling below par regional limited overs performance will be more than a little concerned about the rain-enforced lack of practice ahead of the campaign to defend their Carib Beer crowns.

For those who may have forgotten, the four-day regional season starts in less than two weeks with Jamaica facing Leeward Islands at Kensington Park in east Kingston, November 11-14. It's the first time since inter colonial cricket in the early 1960s that the first-class version of the game is being played in the Caribbean this time of year.

For most of us though, eyes are down under in Australia where Shivnarine Chanderpaul's re-united men are getting ready to face the aging but still mighty home side.

I don't expect the West Indies to beat Australia. My hope is that their performance will be such as to assure us that they are making strides.

All aspects of their cricket will be important, but West Indies fast bowling will be crucial. Can the bowlers maintain the kind of consistency in length and line that will keep in check and undermine the authoritative Aussie batting line up? If they can't, the West Indies will be steam rolled.

I am heartened by the performance of Daren Powell in the first innings of the warm-up game against Queensland. But for me, the key Caribbean bowler will be Corey Collymore. Any doubt that the Barbadian is the natural leader of this West Indies bowling attack should have been put to rest by his 11-wicket match performance in a losing cause against Pakistan at Sabina Park in May/June.

Maintaining a consistent three-quarter length at good pace on offstump and finding bounce and seam movement, Collymore looked who I believe him to be - the best seam bowler available to the West Indies since the departure of Courtney Walsh.

His Achilles heel has been unfitness and like most other current West Indies fast bowlers, an extreme susceptibility to injury.

We will all recall that back problems threatened his career early on. Since his recovery, he has, time and again, had to deal with other injury problems. And of course he missed the Sri Lanka tour this year because of that still unsolved contracts dispute.

Hopefully, Collymore - assisted by the fitness regime enforced by the Bennett King team - will come through this Australian tour injury free. If he does, we may well be holding our heads high when it's all over.

* In association with Jamaica Observer.