By David Jackson
The West Indies, once cricket world champions have been
struggling for over two decades to get back to the top of Test
cricket. This has been a long and arduous journey, resulting
in numerous defeats, some quite embarrassing, for a team
that was such a dominant force on the International scene.
At present, West Indies is ranked no. 7 in the ICC Test Rankings. That
welcomed Test Series victory against Bangladesh in February this year,
followed by a drawn series against Sri Lanka in March, enabled the West
Indies to rise to position seven in the test rankings. Later, in June, West
Indies was rather surprisingly and comprehensively defeated 2-0 in a
Test series by South Africa, but they managed to draw the Test series with
Pakistan 1-1, in August, to maintain their number 7 ranking. West Indies
recent good fortune in Test, including that remarkable Test series, win in
Bangladesh was due mainly to the performances of their bowlers.
The bowling unit is beginning to show great promise, and this is a very good sign.
The form and fitness level of Shannon Gabriel has fallen away somewhat
and he was excluded from the squad in the most recent test series against
Pakistan, but Kemar Roach who spearheads the attack, continues to
put in exceptionally good performances. He is being ably assisted by
Jason Holder and new sensation Hayden Seales, who has grabbed the
opportunity granted to him with both hands. Seales put in some creditable
performances in his first test series against Pakistan, even earning the
award for Player of the Match in the first Test.
In addition to these three bowlers, there is Alzarri Joseph (who just needs to tighten up on his ‘line
and length’ to be more effective) and the very promising Chemar Roach
who should be able to sharpen his skills even more by his participation in
County Cricket in England. And of course, there is still Shannon Gabriel to
look forward to for future series. The two main spinners vying for places
in the X1 are Cornwall and Warrican. The bowling does look encouraging.
There is hope, it seems, for West Indies in this area, as they look to the
future. My one main criticism of our bowlers though, is what appears to be
the general lack of that ‘killer instinct’ to finish off teams when they have
them on the ropes.
The major concern, however, for West Indies on a whole is the batting.
The batsmen continue to fail and are often failing miserably. There are
clear areas of weaknesses in batting. The present crop of West Indies
batsmen has major technical flaws, appear to lose concentration easily, and
seem to lack the mental strength, grit, and determination to produce good
scores, on a consistent basis. As a fan who has followed the development
and later demise of the West Indies, my memory goes back to the days
when the West Indies possessed batsmen of remarkable ability, coupled
with a great desire to occupy the crease for extended periods of time.
I want to mention just four of the past great batsmen, as an example to
show how the right approach could enable our present crop of batsmen
to improve and produce. The past players I have decided to mention are
the legends: Everton Weekes, Gary Sobers, Viv Richards and Brian Lara.
Everton Weekes was before my time, but what I have read about him or
seen in video images of him batting in tests, is sufficient for me to make a
valued assessment of his ability and skills as a batsman. The other three
batsmen I have had the opportunity to see live in action.
One of the technical deficiencies of
our present batsmen is their poor foot
movement. Many seem to be rooted to the
crease and often get trapped LBW. Weekes
had a sound technique. He picked the length
of deliveries early and seemed to know
exactly how to place his feet, his bat and
his body. He got into a near-perfect position
and had impeccable balance. In so doing he
often had several options to the deliveries he
faced.
Richards had lightning-fast reflexes
and great eye and body coordination. He
got into position so quickly that he was
able to dispatch deliveries bad or good to
the boundary. He was a joy to watch and
his destructive batting put great fear into
many bowlers.
Gary Sobers who began his
cricketing career more as a bowler than
a batsman, became one of the greatest
batsmen of all times. He was naturally gifted
with a flair and discipline to his batting which
was often unmatched by many of his era.
And of course there is Brian Lara whose
wizardry and sheer style of batting made
him such a magnificent batsman, with such
an outstanding career, including a number
of record-breaking achievements. His high
back-lift was effective against both spin
and pace. What impressed me the most
about all four batsmen was their hunger
for run. These batsmen put in consistently
good performances with the bat and each
concluded his Test career with an average of
over 50.
We do not expect that the present West
Indies batsmen to be as talented or as gifted
as these former greats, but it would be good
to see them putting greater effort in their
batting so that the West Indies can become
competitive against ALL International teams.
West Indies next Test series is expected to
be a two-test series against Sri Lanka in Sri
Lanka, followed by a home series against
England in March next year, where they will
play three Tests. Both series are expected
to be quite challenging. Sri Lanka who is
ranked one place above West Indies will
have the home advantage. England is ranked
no. 4 and will be a force to reckon with,
despite West Indies successes against
them in recent years.
The selectors will have some major decisions to
make regarding some batsmen in
the present squad. Kieran Powell
may be in danger of losing his
opening spot, but the question
is; who is there to replace
him? Would the selectors
consider going back to John
Campbell? I think not.
With the suspension of First Class cricket,
due to Covid-19 concerns, there is no way to know what kind of
form Campbell is in at present. Powell may well get another
opportunity to partner Kraigg Brathwaite at the top of the
order. Shai Hope remains a major concern for the West
Indies. His form in tests is troubling. He needs to get his
confidence up and work out those areas of weaknesses
which makes him so susceptible to fast bowling early
in his innings. Decisions will also have to be made
regarding Nkrumah Bonner and Kyle Mayers. Is
the ‘honeymoon period’ coming to an end with
these two players who performed so well in
Bangladesh, warming the hearts of fans across
the region and enabling West Indies to win
that series? Both have been struggling for
form since that tour of Bangladesh. Roston
Chase may well find himself back in the
team and Blackwood is expected to be
given another opportunity to show
his worth, though he too has not
impressed lately. Interesting times
lie ahead, with Darren Bravo
and Shamarh Brooks waiting
for the opportunity also to
claim places in the team.