It has been less than a month since Pakistan inflicted a crushing defeat on the West Indies when the touring team lost all 10 wickets for a mere score of 113 on the board and on the other hand failing to strike even a single time. Of course, even England lost the match to Sri Lanka by 10 wickets despite England putting up a total in excess of 200 in the quarter finals. May be, had the West Indies scored above 200, a Pakistani wicket would have made it to the score card. That was just another loss for West Indies and nothing more.
With that apart, news and schedule has it that Pakistan is set to tour West Indies or are already in the country that is facing a lot of trouble in cricket. No prices for guessing the result of the series for even a kid can claim that West Indies are set to lose the series or worst come, may end the tournament without even a single win in both test as well as one day cricket. Couple of days back, news had its say that Gayle may be unavailable for the series, with the current West Indian squad speaking otherwise.
One can see the names of Chanderapaul and Sarwan along with Gayle. In addition to the presence of Chris Gayle and co, one can expect the return of Marlon Samuels for people who are familiar with the name and a chance for people who don't to get to know who this average cricketer is. Since Samuels is not some Mohammed Asif or Shane Warne, his return would hardly bother anyone-not even the WICB. But, the million dollar question is whether Pakistan will go ahead with a full fledged team to face the enemy or will they experiment with their players?
Had I been the Pakistani selector, I would have rested some or most of the key players from the tour though the series is away from home. Teams like Zimbabwe and West Indies (but rarely Bangladesh) can prove to be of some use to viewers only when key players and inform players take a break. Than, one can see a balanced match wherein both teams fight it out on the field. I remember Dhoni resting Schin Tendulkar in one of the games to see how things work with the absence of a star player. That was the reason for Australia to dominate the world cricket for so many years.
Showing posts with label Shivnarine Chanderapaul. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shivnarine Chanderapaul. Show all posts
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Bangladesh would have been a better opposition
Bringing all my frustrations in, I totally reject the West Indies team that not only fared so badly but also made the competition so boring. If not the Pakistani players, there would be no 2nd player who would be happy with the way the West Indies team played in the 1st quarter finals of the world cup yesterday. Had I been the person in charge, I would have stripped the West Indies team of its test status. Not even the Bangladesh team made me go mad with their bad performance. This I fear is the worst defeat for any team in the world cup knock out stage.
It has to be some bloody miracle that bought the West Indies team into the 2nd round of the competition with Bangladesh standing an equal chance of making it there. If one can go through the points table, it would be evident that both Bangladesh and West Indies had three wins against them. West Indies had wins against Bangladesh, Holland and Ireland while Bangladesh had a win against Ireland in addition to wins against Netherlands and Ireland. But, it was the net run rate that all made the difference for both the teams. At least Bangladesh had a win against England.
But, the West Indies didn't manage even one victory against a major opposition. They could have won their games against India and England after the former lost all their ten wickets and the latter piling up only 243 on the board. Any team that can better this record can be only a non test playing nation like Kenya, Zimbabwe, Ireland etc in case by chance they manage to do so. With such a daring start against England if the West Indians could not win, a thorough scrutiny of their test status is necessary I suppose. Despite India losing 7 wickets for 41 runs, a target of 270 proved too much for the West Indies.
I can't just recall when last West Indies put up a decent performance in world cups. In 2007, the only match worth mentioning for West Indies was against Pakistan which was the 1st match of the tournament. That was followed by losses against Australia, Sri Lanka, England, New Zealand and South Africa. In 2003, they won against South Africa by 3 runs with the South African innings reduced to 49 overs owing to slow over rate. That was followed by losses to Sri Lanka and New Zealand but was somewhat bearable compared to their present post-Lara era. Had Bangladesh qualified, there would have been 4 sub-continent teams in the quarter-finals.
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It has to be some bloody miracle that bought the West Indies team into the 2nd round of the competition with Bangladesh standing an equal chance of making it there. If one can go through the points table, it would be evident that both Bangladesh and West Indies had three wins against them. West Indies had wins against Bangladesh, Holland and Ireland while Bangladesh had a win against Ireland in addition to wins against Netherlands and Ireland. But, it was the net run rate that all made the difference for both the teams. At least Bangladesh had a win against England.
But, the West Indies didn't manage even one victory against a major opposition. They could have won their games against India and England after the former lost all their ten wickets and the latter piling up only 243 on the board. Any team that can better this record can be only a non test playing nation like Kenya, Zimbabwe, Ireland etc in case by chance they manage to do so. With such a daring start against England if the West Indians could not win, a thorough scrutiny of their test status is necessary I suppose. Despite India losing 7 wickets for 41 runs, a target of 270 proved too much for the West Indies.
I can't just recall when last West Indies put up a decent performance in world cups. In 2007, the only match worth mentioning for West Indies was against Pakistan which was the 1st match of the tournament. That was followed by losses against Australia, Sri Lanka, England, New Zealand and South Africa. In 2003, they won against South Africa by 3 runs with the South African innings reduced to 49 overs owing to slow over rate. That was followed by losses to Sri Lanka and New Zealand but was somewhat bearable compared to their present post-Lara era. Had Bangladesh qualified, there would have been 4 sub-continent teams in the quarter-finals.
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Monday, January 31, 2011
Sarwan should have been the obvious choice
Well with the current West Indies team facing an acute crisis for talent in terms of both players in form and without it, maintaining the current players who are at least with good class if not in form is quintessential for the West Indies team. The current West Indies team has fellow players like Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderapaul and Dwayne Bravo who can save some face for their team with decent if not extraordinary batting performances. If not for Brian Lara - who retired after the world cup in 2007, none of the players in the current West Indian team have been given the axe.
Now, with the inclusion of Ramnaresh Sarwan, another partial boost to their batting line up can be thought of provided Sarwan is well inform and is included in the playing XI. If not for Nikita Miller and Carlton Baugh, some of the remaining West Indian players seem to be the same with others seeming not so promising like Andre Rusell, Ravi Rampaul and Kemar Roach. None of these players' names have been ever heard in international cricket news be it for the good reasons or for the bad. West Indies has big hitting batsmen like Gayle, Sarwan, Chanderapaul and Kieron Pollard off late.
With the schedule of the world cup being so liberal, it would come as no surprise that West Indies will surely make it to the quarter finals even if they manage wins against Bangladesh, Ireland and Netherlands considering their losses against India, South Africa and England. Coming to Sarwan's case, Sarwan should be the obvious choice rather than tossing a coin before deciding his inclusion or omission from the squad. If Ramnaresh Sarwan's name has to be dropped, then the West Indies team will have to fly to the subcontinent with only 14 players who can officially represent their team.
The 15th member will only be filling the vacancy left over by Sarwan.One can sense the lack of real life thoughts with the West Indies cricket board naming Darren Sammy as the captain of the world cup touring squad but, I guess should be a positive move which on one hand gives Chris Gayle an opportunity to concentrate on his batting. WICB is believed to have learned their lessons when Brian Lara was made the captain which in turn affected his batting to a little extent though not as much as Sachin Tendulkar. However, in case by chance West Indies manage to make a mark in the quarter finals like they did in 1996, that would be relished for their fans for a long period.
Now, with the inclusion of Ramnaresh Sarwan, another partial boost to their batting line up can be thought of provided Sarwan is well inform and is included in the playing XI. If not for Nikita Miller and Carlton Baugh, some of the remaining West Indian players seem to be the same with others seeming not so promising like Andre Rusell, Ravi Rampaul and Kemar Roach. None of these players' names have been ever heard in international cricket news be it for the good reasons or for the bad. West Indies has big hitting batsmen like Gayle, Sarwan, Chanderapaul and Kieron Pollard off late.
With the schedule of the world cup being so liberal, it would come as no surprise that West Indies will surely make it to the quarter finals even if they manage wins against Bangladesh, Ireland and Netherlands considering their losses against India, South Africa and England. Coming to Sarwan's case, Sarwan should be the obvious choice rather than tossing a coin before deciding his inclusion or omission from the squad. If Ramnaresh Sarwan's name has to be dropped, then the West Indies team will have to fly to the subcontinent with only 14 players who can officially represent their team.
The 15th member will only be filling the vacancy left over by Sarwan.One can sense the lack of real life thoughts with the West Indies cricket board naming Darren Sammy as the captain of the world cup touring squad but, I guess should be a positive move which on one hand gives Chris Gayle an opportunity to concentrate on his batting. WICB is believed to have learned their lessons when Brian Lara was made the captain which in turn affected his batting to a little extent though not as much as Sachin Tendulkar. However, in case by chance West Indies manage to make a mark in the quarter finals like they did in 1996, that would be relished for their fans for a long period.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Four more days left for RSA to take an unassailable lead
Well none of you readers need to be told specially that South Africa have begun their campaign in their second test against the West Indies Basseterre successfully after Graeme Smith scored a hundred for, all of you guys are aware of the one and the only site that is solely dedicated to the game of cricket - cricinfo. But, some things based on my point of view needs to be given a consideration atleast in the scope of this blog. Needless to be said, the South African captain Graeme Smith scored 132 on the first day's play against the West Indies which was more than one third of the total score of 296 on the board.
This has to be considered as their path to an unbeatable lead in the series with them already 1-0 up in the series after they won the first test in Antigua last week by 163 runs after they were reduced to 352 in their first innings. But, how should and how does that matter when victory is already granted rather than a possibility? A score of even 200 is enough to see the West Indies home and that too against South Africa. A score of 200 by South Africa would mean that the West Indies will collapse for a score may be just above 100 on the board.
People would have gone sick of me writing the West Indies' down to earth performance on the field, with every match well in front of them. It is more than a possibility that the West Indies will lose to any opposition they face in today's cricket. One need not think twice before having their bet on Bangladesh when they play the West Indies. In case the West Indies are hosting Bangladesh, still the chances of a West Indies win is slightly above 50%. It is fascinating to see Graeme Smith still going in for a full fledged South African team to tackle the West Indies.
On the other hand, the West Indies are found to rest some of their key players like Ramnaresh Sarwan for reasons best known to the West Indies Cricket Board selection panel. South Africa can afford to declare their first innings now itself which can give the cricket lovers a fantastic match. Likewise, South Africa are the team which is making matches involving the West Indies more interesting when they come close to losing the game and end up winning the same. Wow! How poetic it is! By the way, Smith is expected to experiment with his team in matches against West Indies which can prove worth.
This has to be considered as their path to an unbeatable lead in the series with them already 1-0 up in the series after they won the first test in Antigua last week by 163 runs after they were reduced to 352 in their first innings. But, how should and how does that matter when victory is already granted rather than a possibility? A score of even 200 is enough to see the West Indies home and that too against South Africa. A score of 200 by South Africa would mean that the West Indies will collapse for a score may be just above 100 on the board.
People would have gone sick of me writing the West Indies' down to earth performance on the field, with every match well in front of them. It is more than a possibility that the West Indies will lose to any opposition they face in today's cricket. One need not think twice before having their bet on Bangladesh when they play the West Indies. In case the West Indies are hosting Bangladesh, still the chances of a West Indies win is slightly above 50%. It is fascinating to see Graeme Smith still going in for a full fledged South African team to tackle the West Indies.
On the other hand, the West Indies are found to rest some of their key players like Ramnaresh Sarwan for reasons best known to the West Indies Cricket Board selection panel. South Africa can afford to declare their first innings now itself which can give the cricket lovers a fantastic match. Likewise, South Africa are the team which is making matches involving the West Indies more interesting when they come close to losing the game and end up winning the same. Wow! How poetic it is! By the way, Smith is expected to experiment with his team in matches against West Indies which can prove worth.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Pitch aided the WI bowling
Well, disputing someone's statement has always been the trademark of this blog whatsoever and we think it is just healthy one and we are sorry if it is not. Coming to the matter which involves the West Indies captain - Chris Gayle's statement after his team's another expected and crushing defeat at the hands of the Proteas, when he says that his team's batting let them down, one has to acknowledge the fact that the West Indies didn't have any frontline bowlers to tackle the South African batsmen. On the otherhand, the South Africans were equipped with bowlers of the ranks of Morkel & Steyn.
The captaincy of Graeme Smith and the experience of Jacques Kallis is more than enough for the West Indies' batsmen to run for cover. A score of 352 was more than enough not only by South Africa against West Indies but also on a pitch that started with low bounce that gave the batsmen very little room for scoring. The bowling from the West Indies' part was also not that satisfactory if Chris Gayle's words are anything to go by. They should not have been carried off by the way three quick wickets fell on the South African side on the first day itself.
That was a truncated day with just 34 overs being able to be bowled. Had there been a complete day's play, the things would have been different as per West Indies point of view, with some compromises made with the West Indian bowlers continuing their good work with the ball. The West Indies' bowlers had got enough rhythm on the first day which was spoilt by rain. Whatever happens, the result would not have been any different for the West Indies. They would have lost in any circumstances. One has to appreciate Sulieman Benn for being successful with both the bat as well as the ball.
Benn picked up eight out of the 12 South African wickets and scored 42 runs which was his highest individual score in test cricket and more importantly, was from a batsman who would enter into the crease at number eight who are referred to as tail enders. If the West Indian squad is considered, the team has more depth in batting that involves the likes of Chris Gayle, Shivanarine Chandrapaul and Narsingh Deonarine. On the otherhand, their bowling consisted of Dwayne Bravo and Sulieman Benn who stand nowhere when it comes to international test rankings for bowlers. It was slowness of the track at Port of Spain that aided the bowlers and the same slowness that proved trouble for the batsmen when they took to the crease.
The captaincy of Graeme Smith and the experience of Jacques Kallis is more than enough for the West Indies' batsmen to run for cover. A score of 352 was more than enough not only by South Africa against West Indies but also on a pitch that started with low bounce that gave the batsmen very little room for scoring. The bowling from the West Indies' part was also not that satisfactory if Chris Gayle's words are anything to go by. They should not have been carried off by the way three quick wickets fell on the South African side on the first day itself.
That was a truncated day with just 34 overs being able to be bowled. Had there been a complete day's play, the things would have been different as per West Indies point of view, with some compromises made with the West Indian bowlers continuing their good work with the ball. The West Indies' bowlers had got enough rhythm on the first day which was spoilt by rain. Whatever happens, the result would not have been any different for the West Indies. They would have lost in any circumstances. One has to appreciate Sulieman Benn for being successful with both the bat as well as the ball.
Benn picked up eight out of the 12 South African wickets and scored 42 runs which was his highest individual score in test cricket and more importantly, was from a batsman who would enter into the crease at number eight who are referred to as tail enders. If the West Indian squad is considered, the team has more depth in batting that involves the likes of Chris Gayle, Shivanarine Chandrapaul and Narsingh Deonarine. On the otherhand, their bowling consisted of Dwayne Bravo and Sulieman Benn who stand nowhere when it comes to international test rankings for bowlers. It was slowness of the track at Port of Spain that aided the bowlers and the same slowness that proved trouble for the batsmen when they took to the crease.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
The expected happens
Well if one could go through yesterday's post where I had written about the high possibility of the West Indies' batting collapsing owing to depth in the South African bowling that involves Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel, that was what exactly happened when the entire West Indian batting was shattered by the same two for a score just above hundred. One has to notice the coincidence when the South African batsmen fell for the West Indies for a score of just two runs above 350 and the very next day the West Indies team fell for the Proteas' bowling for just two runs more than 100.
Anyways, such coincidences appear in large in the game of cricket and this is nothing special whatsoever. However, coming back to the third day's lay between West Indies and South Africa, it is fascinating to see the home team crashing towards the touring country and that too by a margin of more than 200 runs. The margin happened to be a mammoth 240 runs with the West Indies being able to put up just 102 runs on the board despite having the like of Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderapaul and Dwayne Bravo. The Proteas would have enforced a follow on had there been a little bit of courage from the South African captain.
May be the fact that they were the touring nation made the South African captain - Graeme Smith to decide against enforcing follow on the West Indies. The entire West Indies innings saw just three batsmen crossing double digit mark with Chandrapaul, Deonarine and Ramdin scoring 26, 29 and 25 respectively. The trio contributed a total of 80 runs out of the 102 put up on the board by the entire team. Including the extras bowled by the South African bowlers, the contribution from the rest of the West Indian batsmen come up to be 88. Meaning the trio put up 80% of the total score.
This should have been anticipated before hand itself when a bowler - less West Indian squad could contain the entire South African squad in a single day when they saw the Proteas end their first innings scoring just 352 on board. Then, one can imagine the case when a full fledged South African team with bowlers of the ranks of Dale Steyn and Morkel would bowl and that too on a pitch that would have got a bit slower compared to what it was a day ago. Not only did the West Inidies innings end at 102 but, they could not play for more than 47 overs meaning, the innings lasted just 2 sessions. Anyways, that was far more than expected.
Anyways, such coincidences appear in large in the game of cricket and this is nothing special whatsoever. However, coming back to the third day's lay between West Indies and South Africa, it is fascinating to see the home team crashing towards the touring country and that too by a margin of more than 200 runs. The margin happened to be a mammoth 240 runs with the West Indies being able to put up just 102 runs on the board despite having the like of Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderapaul and Dwayne Bravo. The Proteas would have enforced a follow on had there been a little bit of courage from the South African captain.
May be the fact that they were the touring nation made the South African captain - Graeme Smith to decide against enforcing follow on the West Indies. The entire West Indies innings saw just three batsmen crossing double digit mark with Chandrapaul, Deonarine and Ramdin scoring 26, 29 and 25 respectively. The trio contributed a total of 80 runs out of the 102 put up on the board by the entire team. Including the extras bowled by the South African bowlers, the contribution from the rest of the West Indian batsmen come up to be 88. Meaning the trio put up 80% of the total score.
This should have been anticipated before hand itself when a bowler - less West Indian squad could contain the entire South African squad in a single day when they saw the Proteas end their first innings scoring just 352 on board. Then, one can imagine the case when a full fledged South African team with bowlers of the ranks of Dale Steyn and Morkel would bowl and that too on a pitch that would have got a bit slower compared to what it was a day ago. Not only did the West Inidies innings end at 102 but, they could not play for more than 47 overs meaning, the innings lasted just 2 sessions. Anyways, that was far more than expected.
Friday, June 11, 2010
How long will the domination continue?
Well very rarely one comes across the news that the West Indies are dominating their opposition and this time, the fans of West Indies cricket are quite lucky when the first day at Trinidad against South Africa in the 1st test belonged to the West Indies. At the end of day 1, the South Africans were reduced to 70 runs for the loss of three wickets and that too quick ones. This included the price wicket of Hashim Amla who was awarded the man of the series in the recently concluded one day series. All these happening in just 34 overs of the day's play.
This once again proves the bad luck the West Indies are facing, for the day was patented by the West Indies who would have made up their mind to strike it this time in tests after their whitewash in the one dayers and T20s. Had the day went on smoothly, the West Indies would have surely cashed in on the initial breakthrough given by the spinners Sulieman Benn and Shane Shillingford who reduced the South African top order like never before. This could have been the most spectacular event in today's West Indian cricket where the West Indies are found to be satisfied with even a decent defeat.
I still remember the VB series 2005 that involved West Indies, Pakistan and Australia (of course) where in one of the games between West Indies and Australia, the Aussies consisting of the famous 2003 champions namely Adam Gilchrist, Mathew Hayden and others were made to reel at 41/5 by the West Indies, who until then had just one victory against Pakistan in the series . When all thought that the West Indies have had all within them and a rare Aussie defeat is on the cards, rain came as a spoilsport for the West Indies who were forced to be satisfied with a point.
However, though the West Indies have the first day's play, the next big question is how long will their dominance continue against the Proteas? The match needless to be said is scheduled for 5 days and the West Indies team has hardly any substance in them to continue good work of any sort against any team barring Bangladesh. No doubt that the West Indies team consists of decent batsmen like Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chandrapaul who can save some face for their team. But, when will the world see the West Indies team win matches like it was doing some 30 years back?
This once again proves the bad luck the West Indies are facing, for the day was patented by the West Indies who would have made up their mind to strike it this time in tests after their whitewash in the one dayers and T20s. Had the day went on smoothly, the West Indies would have surely cashed in on the initial breakthrough given by the spinners Sulieman Benn and Shane Shillingford who reduced the South African top order like never before. This could have been the most spectacular event in today's West Indian cricket where the West Indies are found to be satisfied with even a decent defeat.
I still remember the VB series 2005 that involved West Indies, Pakistan and Australia (of course) where in one of the games between West Indies and Australia, the Aussies consisting of the famous 2003 champions namely Adam Gilchrist, Mathew Hayden and others were made to reel at 41/5 by the West Indies, who until then had just one victory against Pakistan in the series . When all thought that the West Indies have had all within them and a rare Aussie defeat is on the cards, rain came as a spoilsport for the West Indies who were forced to be satisfied with a point.
However, though the West Indies have the first day's play, the next big question is how long will their dominance continue against the Proteas? The match needless to be said is scheduled for 5 days and the West Indies team has hardly any substance in them to continue good work of any sort against any team barring Bangladesh. No doubt that the West Indies team consists of decent batsmen like Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chandrapaul who can save some face for their team. But, when will the world see the West Indies team win matches like it was doing some 30 years back?
Friday, June 4, 2010
Crap the West Indies!
Well as expected, Chris Gayle's team had a sound ending to the bilateral series against South Africa which they finally lost by a 5-0 margin. This was the 3rd time that the West Indies team was whitewashed by the Proteas. But, I can assure you that this would not be the last time that the West indies are whitewashed be it by South Africa or by any other team. Except Bangladesh, no other team in the world can ever hope of losing a bilateral series against the West Indies. Much to anybody's amazement, this was yet another thrilling finish when the Proteas had lost 9 wickets.
This is the fourth time the matches between the two teams had ended in a tight finish and anyone who would have seen the series thoroughly would no longer want to see another high drama like this atleast in the near future. For the second time in this tournament, the West Indies put up a score in excess of 250 but, not even once or not even a single score could see them through any of the 5 games played. Initially, the South Africans had a bit of problems when their captain Graeme Smith was forced to change the hands of the ball 7 times which finally paid off though not well.
There were just two South African bowlers in Raelof van der Merwe and Johan Botha who bowled their complete quota of ten overs though there were the likes of Jacques Kallis, Charles Langeveldt who could have done so, with the former having a vast experience and the latter making a name for himself as a striking bowler atleast in the current South African squad. The West Indies did well to reach 250+ score by not losing wickets at regular intervals which showed that they were taking atleast this game quite seriously. And, this would have made Gayle satisfied for having shown a better performance.
This was a better performance from the West Indian batsmen compared to their previous match where they posted a 300+ total yet ended up losing. That was not a match where the West Indies' batsmen took time and played cautiously like this time. The West Indians had a tough time facing the wrath of every South African bowler though not fierce but fierce at the same time as far as the caliber of the West Indies team is considered. This should have seen the West Indies winning provided their bowling provided the much needed caliber. The West Indies' bowling is all gone with the Walsh - Ambrose - Bishop trio I suppose.
This is the fourth time the matches between the two teams had ended in a tight finish and anyone who would have seen the series thoroughly would no longer want to see another high drama like this atleast in the near future. For the second time in this tournament, the West Indies put up a score in excess of 250 but, not even once or not even a single score could see them through any of the 5 games played. Initially, the South Africans had a bit of problems when their captain Graeme Smith was forced to change the hands of the ball 7 times which finally paid off though not well.
There were just two South African bowlers in Raelof van der Merwe and Johan Botha who bowled their complete quota of ten overs though there were the likes of Jacques Kallis, Charles Langeveldt who could have done so, with the former having a vast experience and the latter making a name for himself as a striking bowler atleast in the current South African squad. The West Indies did well to reach 250+ score by not losing wickets at regular intervals which showed that they were taking atleast this game quite seriously. And, this would have made Gayle satisfied for having shown a better performance.
This was a better performance from the West Indian batsmen compared to their previous match where they posted a 300+ total yet ended up losing. That was not a match where the West Indies' batsmen took time and played cautiously like this time. The West Indians had a tough time facing the wrath of every South African bowler though not fierce but fierce at the same time as far as the caliber of the West Indies team is considered. This should have seen the West Indies winning provided their bowling provided the much needed caliber. The West Indies' bowling is all gone with the Walsh - Ambrose - Bishop trio I suppose.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Better but not enough from WI
Well since the start of the bilateral series between the West Indies and South Africa, there has always been an improvement from the West Indies from match to match which has seen them lose rather less miserably compared to hat had happened to them in the earlier match. And, this time as well in the fourth one day match between the two nations mentioned, the West Indies for the first time in this tournament posted a total in excess of 300 but to no avail when they still lost the match to the Proteas by 7 wickets thus making it four in a row.
Atleast after their loss in the third one day, the West Indies were expected to bounce back and save some face by winning the remaining two inconsequential match against South Africa. But, one of them has already been lost by the West Indies and there is one more to go which still favors the Proteas than the West Indians. The match reached the ultimate delivery of the match which the West indies team could have still cashed in upon. But, that never seemed so for the West indies who can only win against any non test playing nation or worst come Bangladesh.
On the other side of the cricketing world, the Zimbabwe team which loses matches against even Bangladesh is seen beating India despite India posting a total of 289 on the board. With the present day West Indies team being so hungry to lose, the remaining teams can well reserve all their experimenting with the West Indies rather than Bangladesh or any other non test playing nation. One has to imagine how come the West Indies managed a win against India in the super eights of the world T20 held in their home a couple of weeks back! Is it their home team advantage that gave them the edge?
In the previous game, which was the last chance for the West Indies to save the series, they had bowled the South Africans to a below par total of 224 but failed to chase down the same when they lost all their wickets for a score less than 175. And this time, despite posting a total in excess of 300, they failed to defend it. So, one has to imagine where on earth does the West Indies go wrong? They fail to defend a huge total when batting first and also fail to chase a mere total when bowling first. Forget about defending the total, they could not take more than three South African wickets.
Such improvement does not guarantee a place for the teammates. Is Chris Gayle there?
Atleast after their loss in the third one day, the West Indies were expected to bounce back and save some face by winning the remaining two inconsequential match against South Africa. But, one of them has already been lost by the West Indies and there is one more to go which still favors the Proteas than the West Indians. The match reached the ultimate delivery of the match which the West indies team could have still cashed in upon. But, that never seemed so for the West indies who can only win against any non test playing nation or worst come Bangladesh.
On the other side of the cricketing world, the Zimbabwe team which loses matches against even Bangladesh is seen beating India despite India posting a total of 289 on the board. With the present day West Indies team being so hungry to lose, the remaining teams can well reserve all their experimenting with the West Indies rather than Bangladesh or any other non test playing nation. One has to imagine how come the West Indies managed a win against India in the super eights of the world T20 held in their home a couple of weeks back! Is it their home team advantage that gave them the edge?
In the previous game, which was the last chance for the West Indies to save the series, they had bowled the South Africans to a below par total of 224 but failed to chase down the same when they lost all their wickets for a score less than 175. And this time, despite posting a total in excess of 300, they failed to defend it. So, one has to imagine where on earth does the West Indies go wrong? They fail to defend a huge total when batting first and also fail to chase a mere total when bowling first. Forget about defending the total, they could not take more than three South African wickets.
Such improvement does not guarantee a place for the teammates. Is Chris Gayle there?
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Unnecessary!
This is with regard to the only one dayer played between the West Indies and Canada yesterday which obviously was won by West Indies by 208 runs. No one could see this ODI between the West Indies and Canada in the ICC's FTP earlier. One has to think as to what on earth makes the ICC have such matches played and that too just one off game wherein one team or both of them are expected to fly to some other country just for that one game which is absolutely unnecessary! Is it so that the West Indies get a practice match before going into the world T20 scheduled there from April 30th onwards?
More than half of the players from the West Indies international team are busy playing in the 3rd edition of the Indian Premier League that includes their captain Chris Gayle. One has to indeed appreciate the West Indies Cricket Board for not forcing their players to fly back home to play this one useless one dayer against a team that is yet to attain test status in cricket. There was a match between the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Chennai Superkings wherein players like Chris Gayle who was playing for the Kolkata Knight Riders and on the other side, there was Kieon Pollard and Dwayne Bravo who featured in the match between the Mumbai and Delhi.
May be, this is the first time players from one particular team were playing simultaneously for three different teams and for two different tournaments though the one off match between Canada and West Indies cannot be called as a tournament. Likewise, even Chandrapaul was supposed to be playing for the Royal Challengers which forms a different issue here. This was also the first instance where two West Indian players are awarded the man of the match, first when Kieron Pollard hit a 13 ball 45 runs to see Mumbai Indians win yet another encounter against Delhi Daredevils and on the other side, Chanderpaul hit a century to see his team beat Canada.
And, if one takes pains to go through the scorecard of the match between West Indies and Canada, it was once again a combined effort of Chanderpaul, Darren Bravo and Sarwan who form the senior lot. A little bit of brains from the WICB should have seen them giving young players a chance to showcase their skills especially when they were playing Canada on their home ground. Forget that! When there were senior players in the team, the total should have gone well past 350 atleast. But no. May be the WICB was missing the services of their inform players like Dwayne Bravo and Chris Gayle who are playing in the IPL.
More than half of the players from the West Indies international team are busy playing in the 3rd edition of the Indian Premier League that includes their captain Chris Gayle. One has to indeed appreciate the West Indies Cricket Board for not forcing their players to fly back home to play this one useless one dayer against a team that is yet to attain test status in cricket. There was a match between the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Chennai Superkings wherein players like Chris Gayle who was playing for the Kolkata Knight Riders and on the other side, there was Kieon Pollard and Dwayne Bravo who featured in the match between the Mumbai and Delhi.
May be, this is the first time players from one particular team were playing simultaneously for three different teams and for two different tournaments though the one off match between Canada and West Indies cannot be called as a tournament. Likewise, even Chandrapaul was supposed to be playing for the Royal Challengers which forms a different issue here. This was also the first instance where two West Indian players are awarded the man of the match, first when Kieron Pollard hit a 13 ball 45 runs to see Mumbai Indians win yet another encounter against Delhi Daredevils and on the other side, Chanderpaul hit a century to see his team beat Canada.
And, if one takes pains to go through the scorecard of the match between West Indies and Canada, it was once again a combined effort of Chanderpaul, Darren Bravo and Sarwan who form the senior lot. A little bit of brains from the WICB should have seen them giving young players a chance to showcase their skills especially when they were playing Canada on their home ground. Forget that! When there were senior players in the team, the total should have gone well past 350 atleast. But no. May be the WICB was missing the services of their inform players like Dwayne Bravo and Chris Gayle who are playing in the IPL.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Chris Gayle's words come true in the Zimbabwe series
Well the world would not have forgotten the West Indies' captain - Chris Gayle's words when he was found predicting a 4-1 victory for his team ahead of the 5 match one day series that they played last month. This no doubt would have obviously made some people laugh and other ignore Gayle's words. However, Chris Gayle's words were found coming true in the 5 match one day series against Zimbabwe when his team crushed Zimbabwe by a 4-1 margin yesterday after West Indies won the fifth one dayer by 4 wickets. This was the third 4 wicket victory that the West Indies had in this tournament.
The 4-1 victory prediction that Gayle had predicted ahead of the West Indies - Australia bilateral series didn't even turn out to be 1-4 in favor of the West Indies and moreover, it would have been a 5-0 loss had the third one dayer been taken off smoothly which finally had to be abandoned. Anyways, if the series between the West Indies and Zimbabwe is considered, though it would not have been a great guess for anyone who'd have bet on the West Indies, the converse also had an equal share, taking into account their poor performance since the retirement of the bowling trio Ambrose-Walsh-Bishop a decade ago.
Added to that was the fact that West Indies lost the only T20 game earlier where they failed to even chase down 105 runs and then in the first one dayer at Guyana West Indies lost the game by 2 runs which added another unwanted feather in their cap. And though since that game the West Indies have never dared to look back, the victory was hardly enough to silenceall even a little bit of critics. It was only the Kingston one dayer which the West Indies won by 141 runs that could draw some appreciation. And, when it comes to the remaining three matches, if not for the win, no other way can anyone be convinced with the performance of the West Indies team.
Being the home team and having a last laugh against a non testing team against Zimbabwe speaks for itself about the caliber the West Indies team have in them off late. Chasing a target of just above 150 or 200 should have seen them lose not more than 3 wickets or at the most 5 wickets. So should have been the overs they needed to go past the Zimbabwean total which saw them crawl upto the late 40s to reach the target. If a team like the West Indies has such a bad fate, one can think of another Zimbabwe when no one bets on the West Indies. If the cricketing world loses a test team like the WI, there would be just 6 teams playing decent cricket with Bangladesh & WI crashing out.
The 4-1 victory prediction that Gayle had predicted ahead of the West Indies - Australia bilateral series didn't even turn out to be 1-4 in favor of the West Indies and moreover, it would have been a 5-0 loss had the third one dayer been taken off smoothly which finally had to be abandoned. Anyways, if the series between the West Indies and Zimbabwe is considered, though it would not have been a great guess for anyone who'd have bet on the West Indies, the converse also had an equal share, taking into account their poor performance since the retirement of the bowling trio Ambrose-Walsh-Bishop a decade ago.
Added to that was the fact that West Indies lost the only T20 game earlier where they failed to even chase down 105 runs and then in the first one dayer at Guyana West Indies lost the game by 2 runs which added another unwanted feather in their cap. And though since that game the West Indies have never dared to look back, the victory was hardly enough to silence
Being the home team and having a last laugh against a non testing team against Zimbabwe speaks for itself about the caliber the West Indies team have in them off late. Chasing a target of just above 150 or 200 should have seen them lose not more than 3 wickets or at the most 5 wickets. So should have been the overs they needed to go past the Zimbabwean total which saw them crawl upto the late 40s to reach the target. If a team like the West Indies has such a bad fate, one can think of another Zimbabwe when no one bets on the West Indies. If the cricketing world loses a test team like the WI, there would be just 6 teams playing decent cricket with Bangladesh & WI crashing out.
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