Windies outclass England
"Oh, what a night. Late December back in ‘63 was a special time for me". The Four Seasons (an American rock and pop band) brought back real memories as Saturday was so special I changed the words to: “Oh what a day back in February when the West Indies mauled England and the Red Force tamed the Guyana Jaguars."
I planned not to write about the England tour until the series was over as I honestly expected an England backlash after the hammering they took with the first Test defeat. How this West Indies team has performed is beyond anyone’s wildest dreams.
They have exceeded expectations. Let us forget about England and their No 3 ranking as I am not interested in whether England’s preparation was sub-par and if they were too complacent because at the end of the day, they were slaughtered by a team that was well prepared; a team that was together; a team that wanted to win and by a team that was well led.
To be honest Jason Holder was a revelation. I believed he was handed the West Indies captaincy too early in his career and it affected his performances. Tactically, I felt he was too defensive and on many occasions, he allowed the opposition off the hook because he was afraid to take a bold step and attack and put pressure on the opposing batsmen. More often than not, we turned potentially winning positions into either losing or drawing a game.
In the last year, his performances have escalated and he has reached heights that few could have imagined. His rankings as an all-rounder in world cricket have shot up tremendously and this has given him the boost to lead the West Indies with a maturity that was lacking before this England series. His entire demeanor has changed; he looks more confident on the field leading the team both with bat and ball. He simply oozes confidence that we have not seen before.
I planned not to write about the England tour until the series was over as I honestly expected an England backlash after the hammering they took with the first Test defeat. How this West Indies team has performed is beyond anyone’s wildest dreams.
They have exceeded expectations. Let us forget about England and their No 3 ranking as I am not interested in whether England’s preparation was sub-par and if they were too complacent because at the end of the day, they were slaughtered by a team that was well prepared; a team that was together; a team that wanted to win and by a team that was well led.
To be honest Jason Holder was a revelation. I believed he was handed the West Indies captaincy too early in his career and it affected his performances. Tactically, I felt he was too defensive and on many occasions, he allowed the opposition off the hook because he was afraid to take a bold step and attack and put pressure on the opposing batsmen. More often than not, we turned potentially winning positions into either losing or drawing a game.
In the last year, his performances have escalated and he has reached heights that few could have imagined. His rankings as an all-rounder in world cricket have shot up tremendously and this has given him the boost to lead the West Indies with a maturity that was lacking before this England series. His entire demeanor has changed; he looks more confident on the field leading the team both with bat and ball. He simply oozes confidence that we have not seen before.
Link Text
