Speaking about a nation that holds the World T20 crown, one would usually tend to be generous with superlatives. But then, West Indies cricket hardly abides by any usual notions. They are atypical, almost anomalous – an aberrant group of islanders fighting to hold on to their once mighty legacy.
The touch of negativity that inevitably seeps into columns dedicated to the Jason Holders in relation to the longest format of the game speaks volumes about the state of West Indies cricket. A staggering rank difference between the Test (ranked 8th) and T20 (ranked 3rd) teams provides further food for thought.
While the T20 team can claim to be the best in the world today, the Test squad probably cannot be any worse than it is currently. The recent series against Australia provides a case in point.
For a cricket romantic who has witnessed the ups and downs of the Calypso Kings, it’s strange to think that the men who walk out in white apparels with the Caribbean logo on their breast are merely vestiges of what used to be an invincible cricketing nation in the 20th century.
THE ABSOLUTE DEARTH OF MOTIVATION
Is the future bright for West Indian cricket?
If it is any consolation at all, the talent in the Caribbean islands is abundant and easily available. The recent World Cup triumph by the Under-19s exemplifies that. But what, one wonders, would motivate the young lads to gruel it out at the highest stage in a poorly-paid format while the lucrative franchise market and rewarding colours of the limited overs teams beckon them?
Optimism has long ceased to exist in West Indies cricket in relation to Tests. Their authoritative display of muscles that bails them out in the shorter forms of the game ends up almost always ringing their death knell in Test cricket.
The players lack consistency and perseverance. Patience seems to be an obsolete term. Suited exclusively to ODIs and T20s, the West Indies brand of cricket is found wanting in more than one department. Predictably, once the lack of technique is exposed, it is exploited by the opposition – a routine that the islanders have now grown accustomed to.
The unremitting unhappiness between players and the Board hasn’t helped either. That skipper Darren Sammy minced no words in accusing the WICB for “disrespecting” the players, right after their World T20 victory says a lot about the discontent brewing between the two camps.
While the off-field issues failed to affect the results of the T20 team, the same, however, cannot be guaranteed in Tests. The throughout-the-year scouting for cash-rich leagues like IPL and BBL provide the kind of impetus in shorter formats of the game which players exclusive to Test cricket will never experience.
The likes of Kieron Pollard have hugely benefited from playing in the BBL.
Somewhere down the road, this lack of incentive undeniably fails to spur an uninspired group of young men to perform in the arduous format with nothing but humiliation at every turn.
THE WEAKNESSES OF THE SQUAD
Marlon Samuels and Kraigg Brathwaite stand out among the current crop of players for quite a few reasons. Earmarked for Test cricket, they exude the much sought-after old world charm of serene dominance. Composed and enduring, they excel at what their team-mates don’t – playing the waiting game.
It is here that the inexperience of the team comes into focus. A couple of known faces aside, the West Indies squad for the India series comprises mostly raw talent. Left-hander Leon Johnson and Jermaine Blackwood complete the middle-order with uncapped Roston Chase, while newcomer Shane Dowrich finds himself behind the stumps in absence of Denesh Ramdin.
The bowling department too cuts a sorry figure with Shannon Gabriel being the sole specialist pacer in the 12-man squad. On the spinning front, leggie Devendra Bishoo remains the only specialist slow bowler.
Samuels has been Windies cricket’s lone bright spot lately.
While West Indies’ heavy reliance on their all-rounders has been their undoing more often than not, the reason behind their fondness of slotting in someone who can bat and bowl instead of a full-time bowler is understandable. As Carlos Brathwaite admitted the other day, the Caribbeans’ struggles against spin have now reached such an extent that they can longer be cast away as a non-issue.
Is it plausible to expect Phil Simmons, the head coach, to have ironed out the shortcomings ahead of the India series? The Ashwins and Amit Mishras will answer that, come 21 July.
