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West Indies played like kids

Sunday, March 2 2003

KENYA severed another strand of the West Indies' threadbare World Cup lifeline yesterday leaving only one, even flimsier thread - and that is set to snap tomorrow.
The Kenyans defeated Bangladesh by 32 runs at the Wanderers ground in Johannesburg to claim one of the three group places in the Super Sixes for the first time in their third World Cup.


It means that the West Indies' only hope of joining them as one of the three teams from their group in the last six is a victory by the winless amateurs of Canada over New Zealand in Benoni tomorrow.


That is an eventuality that would prompt immediate action by the highly-paid detectives of the International Cricket Council (ICC) anti-corruption unit and not even a repeat of the rain that denied the West Indies a chance of full four points against Bangladesh in the same town earlier in the tournament would suffice.


The identity of the third team will be known after South Africa's day-night match against Sri Lanka in Durban tomorrow. Nothing less than victory will suffice to send the host team through, a reality that has its expectant public in a state of some anxiety.


The West Indies will be no more than interested bystanders as the drama unfolds for the others. They should be back in the Caribbean by Friday, perhaps just in time for some to switch their game to the Carib Beer Series and ready themselves for the daunting prospect of the Australian Test series next month.


The plain truth is that Carl Hooper and his players had to accept the inevitable from the moment Ramnaresh Sarwan's gallant attempt to secure an unlikely win over Sri Lanka failed at Newlands here on Thursday night.


They must also acknowledge, as Hooper has done, that, by the way they played in the two matches that mattered, against New Zealand and Sri Lanka, they do not merit a place among the game's elite.


Kenya's presence in the Super Sixes can be questioned on the grounds that they were given four unearned points by New Zealand whose fear of terrorism caused them to forfeit this fixture in Nairobi.


But the Kenyans, from a small cricketing community with little international experience and not even a full ICC member, played above themselves to defeat Sri Lanka and have shown commitment, enthusiasm and enjoyment in all their games.


These are attributes the West Indies have generally lacked. The Kenyans are their last opponents, in Kimberley on Tuesday, and, even if they gain an expected consolation victory, they should learn something from the approach and attitude of the happy Africans.


There are several reasons why the West Indies, diligently prepared at their camp in Antigua and filled with confidence after their triumph over South Africa in the tournament's opener, find themselves their present predicament.


The most obvious is that they were let down by their batsmen, and more to the point, their premier batsmen, in what Hooper calls "the crunch games."
In addition, their ground fielding was shabby, especially against Sri Lanka, their throwing abysmal, their catching faulty (nine missed in five matches), their bowling unable to finish off opponents once they were down and their tactics lacking imagination or aggression.


Lara's brilliant 116 set up the triumph against South Africa but he managed only two against New Zealand, when he was undone by a sensational run out, and one against Sri Lanka.


Hooper contributed three against New Zealand, when he was in the middle of a crippling slump of five wickets for 12 runs that effectively lost the match. Needed at a crucial stage against Sri Lanka, at 62 for two with Ramnaresh Sarwan heading to hospital, he was out first ball.
The highest of five partnerships between the openers, Chris Gayle and Wavell Hinds, who were so devastating in the series in India last November, was 34. Repeatedly they perished to loose strokes.


Such unrealiability placed a heavy burden on Sarwan who enhanced his already burgeoning reputation with a succession of mature, high class innings that brought him 209 runs at an average of 101 and the phenomenal strike rate of 95.87.


Those against the big three were all under pressure, no more so than on Friday against Sri Lanka when he came back from a stunning blow to the helmet from Dilhara Fernando's bouncer to play the innings of the match.


Ricardo Powell's phenomenal rate of six-hitting that startled South Africa and Bangladesh, and his athletic fielding, kept him in the eleven as a dangerous No.7. But his weakness against the moving or turning ball was exposed by medium-pacer Jacob Oram for New Zealand and off-spinner Muttiah Muralitheran for Sri Lanka.


Powell secured the place that would have been Marlon Samuels' had he arrived in time for the opening match against South Africa. Once he did his stuff first up (40 not out off 18 balls) there was no room for Samuels who will have to wait for Tuesday's last meaningless match to expose his class to the World Cup's global viewership.
It was understandable but it was a pity.


Except for a brief period when they were mugged by Canada's rampant John Davison at the start of his record-time hundred, Merv Dillon and Vasbert Drakes bowled intelligently and consistently. But they lacked support in an eleven with the bias towards batting.
Pedro Collins lacked rhythm and confidence and was expensive. Nixon McLean's only chance might well be his last.


The team balance goes back to last season's home series against New Zealand and is prompted by the lack of a credible all-rounder anywhere in the West Indies.
It meant that Hooper had to share 20 overs between the uncomplicated off-spin of himself and Gayle and the slow-medium swing of Hinds.


Hinds proved a useful addition to the bowling mix but the absence of genuine fire power once through to the opposition's lower order proved costly. New Zealand's eighth wicket put on 53 off the last 29 and Sri Lanka's seventh wicket belted 50 off the last 42 balls when Dillon and Drakes had both used up their quota.


Hooper once more showed himself to be a conservative, if not timid, tactician who is often one step behind the game.
Regardless of the situation or the conditions, he generally preferred the safe, designated option. It was typical on Friday when he placed a third slip only after Sanath Jayasuriya snicked his fourth ball through the vacant position and a short-leg only when Jayasuriya and Hashan Tillekeratne had fended Dillon uncomfortably in that direction.


By choice, he does not possess the most penetrative bowling in the tournament. That is reason enough to give it the necessary support with aggressive field-placing when it is clearly merited.


According to Hooper, it's now back to the drawing board yet again. There are four years to try and get it right by the time the next World Cup comes around, before the uncompromising public of the Caribbean

Posted by Orin