By Tony Cozier
In BRIDGETOWN
After years of spluttering along, frequently breaking down along the way, the West Indies’ cricket engine has started to function a little more smoothly.
More consistent sparks have come from the fast bowling, always the key to thrust, and there has been less tinkering with the moving parts that, as a result, appear to be more closely aligned to each other.
Yet close examination under the bonnet reveals that it is still propelled on too few cylinders.
The most critical has been Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s batting that has hardly missed a beat over the past year.
It was prominent in the two rare Test victories over South Africa in Port Elizabeth last December and Sri Lanka in Port-of-Spain in April, in the hard-fought draw against Australia in Antigua nine days ago and in avoiding even heavier losses to England, South Africa and Australia.
In England last summer, Chanderpaul was all alone. In South Africa, he found notable support from Marlon Samuels. Now that suspension from the International Cricket Council (ICC) has eliminated Samuels from the current home series, Ramnaresh Sarwan, missing in England and South Africa through a spate of injuries, has returned to help Chanderpaul maintain the momentum.
But that is as far as it goes. The public optimism entering the final Test of the series against Australia at Kensington Oval this morning simply cannot be sustained on the back of two batsmen. It is time for others picked to make runs to do so.
Statistics tell the story. Chanderpaul’s last 10 Tests have brought him 1,136 runs and five hundreds at an average of 103. Samuels compiled 314, one hundred and an average 52, in the three Tests in South Africa.
Sarwan’s four Tests since his return have yielded 523 runs at 65.37 and two hundreds. No one else has managed a three-figure innings.
In the Port Elizabeth win over South Africa, Chanderpaul scored 104 in the first innings, Samuels 94 and 40.
In Port-of-Spain, Sarwan, with 102, and Chanderpaul, unbeaten 86, carried West Indies to their taxing winning target of 254 against Sri Lanka with a partnership of 157. In Antigua, the same pair batted through most of the final day to seal the draw, adding 143, Sarwan 128, Chanderpaul 77.
In the current series, the West Indies have been three down for 68, 60, 105 and 84 when Chanderpaul has waddled to the wicket. At the fall of the fifth wicket, the last six toppled for 52 in the first innings at Sabina and for 38 (even if Tiffin induced) at the Sir Viv Richards Stadium.
In other words, there has been little at the top and less at the bottom, just Chanderpaul and Sarwan in the middle.
Devon Smith has again been jettisoned and Runako Morton, a bully at regional level, has technical deficiencies that are exposed at the highest level.
As obviously talented as Xavier Marshall is, he is still wet behind the ears. He is yet to score a first-class hundred – and a Test against even this weakened Australia attack is hardly the place to start.
Sewnarine Chattergoon, the like-for-like left-handed replacement for Smith, is limited in experience and in recent opportunities (he hasn’t played since the last ODI against Sri Lanka two months ago).
Which leaves Chris Gayle, reportedly fit again at last following his two-month layoff with a groin strain, Dwayne Bravo and Denesh Ramdin of the regulars to up their game.
This will be Gayle’s 73rd Test and, if his average of 38 is moderate, he is a devastating striker capable of dismantling most attacks. Yet his last three-figure innings, in either Tests or first-class matches, was his 317 against South Africa at the lamented ARG in Antigua three years and 42 Test innings ago.
Bravo enters his 31st Test this morning, Ramdin his 27th. Their batting potential was obvious since they were teenagers and emphasized in their partnership of 182 at Hobart in November, 2005, against a stronger Australian attack (McGrath, Lee, Symonds, Warne, MacGill) than that they face today.
Yet Bravo’s 117, 40 innings back, was his last hundred in Tests or first-class matches and Ramdin’s 71 remains his highest Test score.
Against opponents who have amassed over 400 in their first innings in both Tests (now making it nine in their last 10 against the West Indies), more runs are required from those best equipped to make them – not Chanderpaul and Sarwan alone.
It is the best, if not the only, hope of realizing the dream of defeating the world champions for the first time since that epic record second innings 418 for seven at the ARG in 2003 – when, by the way, there were hundreds from Sarwan and Chanderpaul.
