It was a bad beating! What next?
Colin E. Croft
Former West Indies fast bowler
Guyana Chronicle
April 2, 2007
IT was no April Fool’s Day joke. The simple reality was that Sri Lanka gave the West Indies a comprehensive beating, one more complete than they have had for a long time. It was terrible and like all West Indian supporters and former players, this hurts terribly.
I never like to say that I told you so, but, folks, I am very seldom incorrect when it comes to West Indian cricket. I did tell you that Sri Lanka were very tough and that it would take something special to beat them. I do not think that the West Indies has anything special about them now. I cannot remember seeing a team look so poorly on the field of play.
I am terribly disappointed for the more than 12 000 people who braved the threatening inclement weather, to come to the new Guyana National Stadium at Providence, to see their beloved West Indies being thrashed, for want of a better, unprintable word, by the really rampaging Sri Lankans.
I was even more embarrassed, not by the result, a loss by 113 runs, but more by the way this defeat had been effected. It was a bad beating!
Times are now decidedly desperate for the West Indies cricket team, and this has nothing to do with the ICC CWC 2007.
The West Indies cricket team, based on what I saw yesterday, is in a very bad state overall. There is no good part to their cricket at all. As I recently asked: Could someone please tell me what is the exact role of the coaches?
To be honest, if you are a really objective observer, there were no redeeming traits, so please do not tell me that it was good to see both Shiv Chanderpaul and Ronnie Sarwan get some runs as the home team tried to get the required 304 to win.
Getting runs, regularly, is exactly what the so-called batsmen of this team are supposed to do!
I was more disappointed at the fielding efforts, the lack of understanding as to what to bowl and where to bowl, and the obvious lack of a batting plan.
Maybe shake-ups and even mix-ups are fine for longer games, but to allow Dwayne Bravo the experimentation to open the batting, was immediately an inordinately confused thought. It made no sense. It probably would have made more sense to have captain Brian Lara himself open the batting, since I still believe that he is one of, if not indeed, the best batsman on the team.
After having Sri Lanka at 35-2 after nine overs, it was the West Indies who wilted. The bowling efforts then became so laborious, that any spectator could see what would soon come.
Sanath Jayasuriya and Mahela Jayawardene were absolutely brilliant, but they were certainly helped by some atrocious body language and lack of confidence from the West Indies, and just plain bad bowling. This was a very heart-breaking performance.
Dwayne Bravo and Dwayne Smith were very expensive; giving away 8.4 and 7.5 runs per over respectively, while Ian Bradshaw was out of his depth - simply cannon fodder. Only Jerome Taylor and Daren Powell seemed to know anything at all about where to bowl, while Chris Gayle seemed so listless that he looked strangely like a living corpse.
The West Indies fieldsmen must have let at least 30 runs through their hands and with the 18 bowler-extras - 13 wides and five no-balls - you could actually add another 25 runs that Sri Lanka should not have had. Effectively, they should have made about 250-260.
When the West Indies batted, it was obvious that Gayle would not last long, while the excellence of Kumar Sangakkara, as the wicketkeeper was enough to put paid to the efforts of Brian Lara and Ramnaresh Sarwan.
Had Chanders not persevered as he normally does, when all else is falling around him, the embarrassment would have been much more acute. Surely this cannot continue. Something must be done immediately.
The Sri Lankans were almost overpowering with their out-fielding alone. Opal Tharanga, Chamara Silva, Tillekeratne Dilshan and Russel Arnold must have saved between them almost 50 runs. To look at Sri Lanka play was to see a team emerging to greatness!
It is very obvious that the West Indies players are either not reacting positively to the captain, Lara, or that they are not as good as the people that have selected them think they are, or, perhaps they are just not suited as a unit.
I do not know all of the answers, but I will tell you that, like everyone else, I can recognise when there are problems.
I cannot tell you what happens next either. The competition does not allow for my choice - to select a new team - to happen.
I do know that I do not feel well represented when I see cricket like this as portrayed by the present West Indies cricket.
Seven million and I deserve more than that. Certainly, for all of what is supposed to be the perks, the West Indies looked so very poor!
Now they have about ten days to rest until the next game, against South Africa.
They do have a chance to go to the semi-finals, if they win all three of their remaining games, and another team helps them out, but here is my question:
Do you think they have played well enough in this competition to have any result except to be sent ‘home’? I do not think so!