garage flower
State Vice-Captain
As a West Indies fan, this series has obviously been profoundly dissapointing for me, but I have to cling to the vastly improved bowling performances as a significant positive to take from the debacle.
Even without the likes of Lawson, Taylor, Rampaul, Powell, Richardson, Thomas, Nurse and any other contenders I've forgotten, the Windies have put together an attack that, on the helpful pitches encountered in this series, has been very effective.
Encouragingly, the fact that two of the bowlers have genuine express pace, two can swing the ball fairly consistently and one is able to hit the seam and maintain a consistent line and length, suggests that this quartet may be effective in less helpful conditions.
I could never have imagined that the batting would be this bad. The lively pitches and disciplined bowling have exposed dodgy techniques and temperaments alike and I see no immediate solution.
There are no young batsmen demanding, or even politely asking for, inclusion.
Daren Ganga, who from memory was dismissed or dropped 17 times in the 1 test match, should now be banished for good and Dwayne Smith should join him until he can be introduced to the concept of shot selection.
The apparent progress made by Gayle and Sarwan during the South African tour was clearly misleading - they've both got serious flaws to iron out - but there is still no real case for dropping them because they are the best available.
Chanderpaul and Lara, the two proven world class batsmen, have been particulary disappointing, but it's to be hoped that that this is largely a question of poor form as both remain absolutely fundamental to hopes of a quick turnaround in fortunes.
Even without the likes of Lawson, Taylor, Rampaul, Powell, Richardson, Thomas, Nurse and any other contenders I've forgotten, the Windies have put together an attack that, on the helpful pitches encountered in this series, has been very effective.
Encouragingly, the fact that two of the bowlers have genuine express pace, two can swing the ball fairly consistently and one is able to hit the seam and maintain a consistent line and length, suggests that this quartet may be effective in less helpful conditions.
I could never have imagined that the batting would be this bad. The lively pitches and disciplined bowling have exposed dodgy techniques and temperaments alike and I see no immediate solution.
There are no young batsmen demanding, or even politely asking for, inclusion.
Daren Ganga, who from memory was dismissed or dropped 17 times in the 1 test match, should now be banished for good and Dwayne Smith should join him until he can be introduced to the concept of shot selection.
The apparent progress made by Gayle and Sarwan during the South African tour was clearly misleading - they've both got serious flaws to iron out - but there is still no real case for dropping them because they are the best available.
Chanderpaul and Lara, the two proven world class batsmen, have been particulary disappointing, but it's to be hoped that that this is largely a question of poor form as both remain absolutely fundamental to hopes of a quick turnaround in fortunes.
