By Tony Cozier in ST.JOHN’S
Sabina provided just enough evidence to confirm what the preceding few months had hinted.
Further corroboration is awaited over the coming days in the debut Test of the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.
The opening Test established, as India’s preceding series in Australia had done, the inevitable effect the retirements of Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Justin Langer and Adam Gilchrist would have on the world champions.
They were serious setbacks compounded by the absence on compassionate leave of Michael Clarke and the damaged Achilles tendon that denied them Matthew Hayden, an injury that has now eliminated him from the remainder of the tour.
Only the huge gap between their No.1 ICC ranking and the West Indies at No.8 made the closeness of the contest unexpected.
Even though they depended heavily on four performances – captain Ricky Ponting’s first innings 158, Andrew Symonds double of 70 not out and 70 and the bowling of Stuart Clark and Brett Lee – there was still enough experience, quality and self-belief for them to overcome the challenge of opponents gradually shedding the insecurity created by prolonged decline.
Indeed, in spite of their defeat, the West Indies could take more comfort from Sabina than Australia.
They managed so manfully without the injured Chris Gayle and Jerome Taylor and the suspended Marlon Samuels that the Australian coach, Tim Nielsen, was moved to observe that they could soon climb as high as No.3 or 4 on the ICC standings.
The Test victories over No.2 South Africa and No.5 Sri Lanka in the preceding series hinted as much.
Now, as Nielsen noted, the improvement has to be maintained.
“Test cricket is definitely about talent … but in the end it is the ability to execute your skills and reproduce them over and over again,” he said. “That’s probably the difference in the two sides at the moment. If the West Indies can do that, they’ll definitely jump up the ladder.”
The match that starts at the Caribbean’s newest Test venue today and the third that follows at the oldest, Kensington Oval, two weeks hence will indicate more conclusively whether Australia are on their way down from their lofty perch and the West Indies moving in the opposite direction from the depths.
The return of Gayle and Taylor give the home team a decided boost. Hayden’s departure for Brisbane, leaving an untested opening pair behind, will further test Australia’s resilience, even with Clarke’s arrival.
It is impossible to know what conditions the new stadium will provide. Remarkably, it has not staged a single first-class match since last year’s World Cup so there is no reliable information to go by.
Named in honour of one of the greatest batsmen the game has known would suggest more of the glut of records and runs for which its predecessor, the Antigua Recreation Ground, was famous – or, as the case may be, infamous. The ARG, the compressed, charismatic site in the heart of St.John’s, was the setting for Brian Lara’s two Test record scores, Richards’ fastest Test hundred, two West Indies’ totals over 700, an unprecedented eight individual hundreds in a Test and much else besides to break bowlers’ spirits and guarantee drawn matches.
More of that and it would be a meaningless guide as to the present status of the two teams.
