Resurgent Windies braced for tough Tests

Some would dispute a description of this West Indies side as resurgent. Their last Test victory over higher ranked opposition was against England in February 2009, and they recently succumbed to a 2-0 defeat at the hands of a fairly mediocre Australia side. But compared to where they were three years ago, when they last toured England under Chris Gayle’s captaincy, progress has been made. During that disastrous tour the commitment of the team’s leadership and players to the cause was questioned. Easy chances were shelled with regularity, the batsmen offered little resistance to a then inexperienced seam attack containing debutants Tim Bresnan and Graham Onions, and the bowlers could not have been more of a contrast to the wonderful West Indian pack of the 1970s, ‘80s and early ‘90s.

However, since taking over the captaincy almost by default 18 months ago Darren Sammy has instilled spirit in his men that the teams of Clive Lloyd and Viv Richards would have been proud of. Some of the often underperforming star names have been culled. Chris Gayle, who is likely to return to ODI duty in June, and Ramnaresh Sarwan have been conspicuous by their absence. Dwayne Bravo and Jerome Taylor have also drifted away from the Test side. It would be wrong to say that West Indies are a better side without them. But the likes of Kirk Edwards, Darren Bravo, Kemar Roach and Ravi Rampaul have been allowed to prosper. Edwards and Rampaul, now both 27, looked likely to be unfulfilled talents. However, under Sammy and coach Ottis Gibson, Edwards, an imposing Barbadian with an unorthodox stance and a preference for the off side, has averaged over 50 from his first seven Tests, and has been hastily promoted to vice-captain. Meanwhile, until a recent injury Rampaul had become the mainstay of the West Indies bowling attack, getting prestigious movement with the new ball.

More column inches are likely to focus on Roach and the younger Bravo. Roach, who had struggled for consistency early in his career, found it against Australia last month, and will be expected to cause the England top-order considerable difficulty. The 23 year-old’s next challenge is to make a case for being mentioned in the same breath as James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel among the global fast bowling elite. Bravo had a more difficult series against Australia. However, the Lara-like elegance of his batting, and his superb showing on a tour of Bangladesh and India at the back end of last year suggests that he too is destined for greatness. No England batsman came close to Bravo’s record on their own sub-continental tour this winter.

Despite these young talents, much will still rest on Shiv Chanderpaul. Chanderpaul has considerable experience of English conditions, both for the West Indies and in county cricket. Recent evidence suggests he is far from done yet, and is still hungry to climb further up the list of Test cricket’s highest Test run scorers which he joined when he passed 10,000 against Australia. If he comes close to matching the 772 runs he scored against Australia, West Indies can at least hope to avoid a 3-0 series whitewash.

However, reversing a pattern of progressively more heavy beatings on the last four tours of England - in 2000, 2004, 2007 and 2009 - is probably the best which Sammy’s team can hope for. The lack of experience at the top of order remains an issue with Anderson and Broad sure to expose Adrian Barath and Kieran Powell, neither of whom have convinced anybody that they are yet ready for Test cricket and average the wrong side of 25. The plethora of left-handers will be expected to struggle against Graeme Swann, who tends to dismiss them with similar frequency as Premier League clubs dismiss their managers. And, although Gibson believes that match practice is not important in England, the lack of exertion in the warm-up matches will be a worry. The defeat to the England Lions showed their frailties in these conditions, and cannot be a good omen ahead of three matches against a motivated number one team in the world. Nevertheless, a good showing here could help propel this talented West Indies side back to the top table of world cricket.

Everyone had the WI as their 2nd favorit side during their glory days. So I won't begrudge a decent showing from them.
However, all these talk of Sammy infusing a Lloyd like sprit in the WI side, and the WI losing every test match by the 3rd day before the coming of the 'Captain Superb' is absolutely nonsensical.
As I wrote in another thread, under Gayle's captaincy, the WI did have their fair share of onfield moments, including a pretty well fought out series against the Australians, a test series win against England at home and an ODI series win against the same opposition away. The players did respond to Gayle's leadership, and it was the WICB with their absolute stupidity that created most of the problems. Many people may not even remember the circumstances of the WI playing that often mentioned series in England. They came in as a last minute replacement for Zimbabwe, and for this off the FTP tour, the players didn't even had a propper contract.
Sammy doesn't even deserve a place in the side for that matter, placing him in the all-rounder category has to be a terrible joke!. He's just an average bowler who can slog a bit and drop plenty of catchs, but of course he can talk a fine game, and has great ability to say YES to whatever the WICB would order!.
I don't have a gregers v KP like problem with Sammy, but all these downgrading of other deserving players being insulted in the name of nothingness that he achieved is something I just can't take.

I agree with each and everything MSP has said. One of the best posts I have read on this matter.

Thanks Shanky!.
Sammy might just take 7 wickets and score a ton from number 8, just to embarrass us, for all that you know!!.
But seriously, all these talk is just getting to me, and even close followers of the game often work with a pretty short memory on this issue.
Chris Gayle is the WI's 2nd best batsman after Shiv, and if the WI is not able to make use of his tallent, then that obviously is the failure of the captain, and more importantly, that of the coach.
Gibbson is working with a useless ego and destroying such a tallent in the context of the side.
All the talk of competing, he has to shut up and do his real job, rather than trying to play a Guru Greg kind of role.

Could not agree more with msp. On another thread I've said "where are the results" in relation to this mythical improvement under Sammy and its good to see that others agree. He shouldn't be in the team, that's the bottom line and his inspirational leadership has led the Windies to such achievements as "not doing quite as badly as expected against Australia".

Dwaine Bravo is a much better batsman, and fielder than Sammy is, and his bowling is a bit better than that of Sammy. Andre Russell is a bettr bat and bowl than Sammy already, and he hasn't had any free chance coming his way again unlike the case with Sammy.
Even Jerome Taylor, based on his way better bowling abilities, could come in at number 8, and provide a few lower order runs.
Idealy, the WI side should be on these lines.
Chris Gayle
Kieran Powell
Kirk Edwards (Captain)
Darren Bravo
Shivnarine Chanderpaul
Dwaine Bravo
Denesh Ramdin (WK, not entirely convinced by him, but doesn't seem to be the case that there are major options otherwise)
Andre Russell
Ravi Rampaul
Kemar Roach
Shane Shillingford/Devendra Bishoo/Sunil Narine.
Additional players.
Kraigg Brathwaite and Narsingh Deonarine as batting backup, Fidel Edwards as fast bowling backup.
With the elder Bravo in there, the WI could go for 2 spinners. Sunil Narine is showing good signs, but a judgement has to be held back, as we have already seen Ajantha Mendis of Sri Lanka after all. Bishoo, regardless of his recent dip in form, is the one for me, along with Narine.
Adrian Barath has talent, but has to attain greater consistency.

I dont think Narine will turn out to be another Mendis because unlike Ajantha, this kid is a big turner of the ball. And his high arm action enables him to get bounce. So even if the batsmen start reading him, he has got enough conventional skills to help him do well IMO.

I like the look of Lendl Simmons and would like to see him given a good run in the side opening alonside Gayle.
Powell is a very talented player, as is Barath but both need one more season of domestic FC cricket to fine tune their game IMHO.

Yeah Shanky, Simmons showed lots of skill at the ODI level, and consistency as well. He never took the limited chances that he got at the test level though.
I thik he does deserve another at the highest level. And to add to his batting, he could bowl a bit, and even keep wickets. The WI top order since Gayle was ousted, hasn't really produced much of substance, and may be one last opportunity for Simmons would give them some answers.

Gayle
Simmons
Kirk
Darren
Shiv
Deo
Ramdin(c and wk)
Russell/Bishoo(depending upon the pitch)
Rampaul
Narine
Roach

Looks a much better side without Captain Superb.

can we please avoid turning every thread into a Sammy-bashing exercise?

WI's main problem is their batting just isn't good enough: they currently have one test-class batsman (Shiv), another who looks quality (Edwards), and another who looks like he could be quality one day once he gets his head screwed on (Bravo).

Barath is way too loose to play tests at the mo, Powell again looks loose, Simmons has a gaping weakness outside off stump, Brathwaite just doesn't have enough scoring shots, Deonarine doesn't look like he'll score big runs at test level, etc. etc.

As for Narine, he does turn the ball more than Mendis, but the big challenge for him will be when people start reading him. He'd also clearly rather play the IPL than for his country, which is a shame.

WI would certainly look a better side with Dwayne Bravo at 6 though, something like

Simmons
Powell
Edwards
Chanderpaul
Bravo
Bravo
Ramdin
Roach
Narine/Bishoo
two other seamers

Narine comes from a poor family background and given how unreliable the WICB is, you cant really blame a poor guy for wanting to have a secure future for his family.

I don't blame him for it, but equally if you put cash before your country, you can't expect said country to pick you when you make yourself available.

Ideally they would line-up Gayle, Sarwan, K. Edwards, Darren Bravo, Chanderpaul, Dwayne Bravo, Baugh/Ramdin (neither is that good!), Sammy, Shillingford/Bishoo, Rampaul, Roach

The criticism of Sammy is undeserved. He is a good tryer with the ball, contributes with the bat and has made a big difference as captain.

However, as I hinted in the article commitment is the biggest improvement. Anybody who watched their tour of England in '09 or their home series against SA in 2010 will see that things have changed. Even in that odd series at home v England in '09 there was a lack of fighting spirit. Results will follow soon, and I fully expect them to dominate v New Zealand.

He has made a big difference as a captain? In which parallel universe?

msp83 wrote:Everyone had the WI as their 2nd favorit side during their glory days.

Really? Even after their behaviour in New-Zealand in (I think) 1980? Frankly I get fed-up when people put the West Indies side on a pedestal and then have a go at the recent Australian side for not playing the game in the right spirit etc. Anyway, this is besides the point.

Shelsey writes that this Australian side is "mediocre" with which I disagree: I think they have moved past mediocre to reasonable. They won in Sl don't forget, and matched England against India.

MfC writes about Narine and the IPL but when he signed the IPL contract he wasn't really in the test frame at all (Bishoo was doing well, and Narine was seen as a short-game specialist) so you can't really blame him for signing the contract. Once he'd signed it I presume either he or the board would have had to buy it out for him to play against Aus, and neither could afford to. I would certainly pick him ahead of the (marginally above average but not a world beater by any means) Shillingford.

In any case, I think it IS a better West Indies side than we've seen in the recent past, but don't think it'll be enough to beat England...

[quote="Mike Selig"]

Mike Selig wrote:

Shelsey writes that this Australian side is "mediocre" with which I disagree: I think they have moved past mediocre to reasonable. They won in Sl don't forget, and matched England against India.

For me, the current Australian attack have been good in just about every series before and after the 2010/11 Ashes. Remember that they won every game (apart from a drawn Test v WI and a rained off ODI v WI) in their 2009/10 home summer. But I really don't think the batting has improved, other than Clarke being in better knick since last winter.

Mie the WI behavior in NZ has had a background, don't think they practiced the art of mental disintegration, which is nothing but roudy behavior that would get back pretty much in kind elsewhere.
Anyways, that is not the point here.
The WI cricket authorities have mismanaged the side pretty badly indeed, and after a point the players, human beings they are, of course reacted, and although at times the players have been pretty unreasonable, the greater blaim rests with the WICB.
So what have they done? they picked a side of mostly 'Yes Men', led by an absolute Yes Man who otherwise just wouldn't have made it to the side.
And most of us are congratulating the WICB and Sammy for a job well done!. I just can't get at all.

msp83 wrote:Mie the WI behavior in NZ has had a background, don't think they practiced the art of mental disintegration, which is nothing but roudy behavior that would get back pretty much in kind elsewhere.
Anyways, that is not the point here.
The WI cricket authorities have mismanaged the side pretty badly indeed, and after a point the players, human beings they are, of course reacted, and although at times the players have been pretty unreasonable, the greater blaim rests with the WICB.
So what have they done? they picked a side of mostly 'Yes Men', led by an absolute Yes Man who otherwise just wouldn't have made it to the side.
And most of us are congratulating the WICB and Sammy for a job well done!. I just can't get at all.

Don't underestimate Sammy as a cricketer. He gets decent swing, bats pretty well, particularly of late, and does a great job in demonstrating to the team the virtues of hard work. He is far from a gentleman captain!

Shelsy, Sammy did manage to get away with a few well connected knocks against Australia. Averaging under 20 for an all-rounder certainly can't be pretty good batting.
And its not that there are no better options, there is the elder Bravo, there is Russell, for starters as all-rounders, there is one of Edwards, Roach and Rampaul one of who mostly have to sit out to free up a place for Sammy. Then there is Jerome Tayler when fit can be very very good, there is Pascal who could bowl quick, and they have 3 pretty decent spin options in Devendra Bishoo, Sunil Narine and Shane Shillingford, all of whom I believe are better than Sammy with the ball.

"If captaincy was all about character Nelson Mandela would have opened the batting for South Africa and Mother Teresa the bowling for India."
Think this from cricinfo's George Dobell just says it all, about West Indies' 'Captain Superb'.

http://v2journal.com/resurgent-windies-braced-for-tough-tests.html