Cricket aficionados and general sports enthusiasts will be heartened by the news that the West Indies tour of South Africa will be televised live by the National Communica-tions Network (NCN).
General manager of the state-owned company, Mohammed Sattaur, yesterday confirmed that the matches will be televised by the station (Channel 11) via the Jamaican sports network Sportsmax.
This is the type of cheer that should lift the spirits of those who were ruing the fact that they were unable to see a ball bowled in the preceding One-Day series between the West Indies and Zimbabwe which the West Indies won by a 3-1 margin with one game washed out.
And while the West Indies will not be in action on Christmas Day, they will be in action on Boxing Day, the scheduled start of the first test in Port Elizabeth.
That match ends on Old Year’s Day.
But there are several factors that could impact on whether cricket lovers would have an enjoyable festive season now that it is known that the tour of South Africa will be broadcast, and that eminent writer Tony Cozier will be covering the matches for Stabroek Sport beginning with Sunday’s opening Twenty20 fixture.
One of those factors which could prevent cricket lovers from following the series is the electricity situation and one would hope that there will be an improvement in this area.
Another factor would undoubtedly be the performance of the West Indies team.
While it is all well and good to have the cricket televised, the performance of the West Indies team could put a damper on the yuletide spirit, especially since all the matches would be starting very early in the morning at around 2am.
Those who love the game enough to lose their night’s rest by getting up in the early hours of the morning to watch the games (on Sportsmax that would be Sports) would prefer to be greeted by the `Wonderful Windies’ instead of their alter ego `Woeful Windies’ nothwithstanding captain Chris Gayle’s “We don’t fear them,” comment.
“We respect the South Africans but we don’t fear them,” Gayle said after his side touched down at the OR Airport in South Africa on Monday night.
One can understand that Gayle would be optimistic about this present South African Safari, but he should not let the recent series win over Zimbabwe and whatever confidence he might have gained with that triumph go to his head.
While one would hope that the West Indies would be able to win the series of three Tests and five ODIs, history is against them.
The 1998-99 tour of South Africa under Brian Lara is a tour most would like to forget but can’t.
The West Indies were whitewashed in the five test matches and beaten 6-1 in the seven ODIs winning the second ODI only through centuries from Guyanese Carl Hooper, the then vice-captain and Shivnarine Chanderpaul.
On the next full tour of South Africa the West Indies fared no better losing the four test series by a 0-3 and the One-day Series 1-3.
So with history not on their side, with a West Indies team missing Brian Lara, who has retired and is battling in the ICL league in India, Ramnaresh Sarwan who is out with injury, maybe, just maybe it would be a bit premature to celebrate the fact that there will be international cricket this Christmas.
For should the West Indies performance be in any way depressing, one just might wish for that blackout after all.
Itinerary
December 16 Twenty20 International
December 26-31 First test Port Elizabeth
January 2-6 Second test, cape Town
January 10-14 Third test Durban
January 18 Twenty20 Johannesburg
January 20 First ODI centurion
Januay 25 Second ODI Cape Town
January 27 Third ODI Port Elizabeth
February 1 Fourth ODI Durban
February 3 Fifth ODI Johannesburg
