It is difficult to come to an assessment of the outcome of the latest sojourn by the Floyd Reifer-led West Indies team to the Champions Trophy tournament in South Africa if one were to do a thorough analysis.
Did they or didn’t they show any improvement?
That question would probably be answered by how one assessed the three games that the West Indies played. That the West Indies team would fail to advance to the semi-final round of the competition was probably known from the start and the fact that India, Sri Lanka and England also failed is hardly comforting.
What is more pertinent is that unlike those three teams the West Indies team failed to win a single game. From the outset it was difficult to see the team reaching the semi-finals, grouped as they were with defending champions Australia and Pakistan and India.
Performance
Certainly, a West Indies second string team, in only its second One-Day International Series (following their 0-3 defeat to Bangladesh earlier in the year) could hardly have been expected to topple such traditional giants of the game. Of the three matches the team’s defeat against India at the Wanderers Ground was probably the team’s biggest loss of the tournament.
The West Indies were skittled-out for a paltry 129 after slumping to 31-4 before India romped home by seven wickets on the back of a second-wicket stand of 92 from Dinesh Karthik who made 34 and Virat Kohli who made 79.
It was a similar situation in the team’s opening game against Pakistan again at the Wanderers, with the West Indies slumping to 47-7 after Reifer had won the toss and surprisingly, elected to bat. Much like the India game it was the fast bowlers who put the skids under the West Indies. That time it was Mohammad Aamer and Umar Gul who shared six wickets.
That the West Indies reached 133 was due to spirited lower order resistance from Nikita Miller and Darren Sammy. Miller scored 51, his maiden one day international half century and Sammy, 25 but the eventual total was simply too small. However, fast bowler Gavin Tonge bowled impressively to help the Windies make a game of it.
Tonge clean bowled Imran Nazir with his first delivery and then added the wickets of Kamran Akmal, Shoaib Malik and the prized scalp of Mohammad Yousuf while David Bernard Jr added the wicket of Misbah ul Haq as Pakistan slumped to 76-5.
At that stage it was anybody’s game, a tribute to Reifer’s men, or maybe that should be Reifer’s bowlers. But 19-year-old Umar Akmal played a steady hand of 41 with six fours as Pakistan reached the target for the same five wickets.
The team’s best showing was undoubtedly against defending champions, World Cup champions and eventually repeat champions Australia, whom they lost to by 50 runs. Batting first Australia reached 275-8 but were indebted to Mitchell Johnson’s 73 and 79 from Ricky Ponting. There was some controversy when Johnson was given not-out when on eight to a catch at the wicket. Had he been given out as he rightfully should have been, the outcome of the game could certainly have been different.
When the West Indies batted Travis Dowlin and Andre Fletcher scored half centuries, the pair adding 86 runs for the second wicket. But once separated the innings subsided and in the end the West Indies, batting one man short because of injury to regular opener Dale Richards, fell short by 50 runs ending on 225-9.
So did the West Indies show any improvement at the Champions Trophy tournament? The answer would be, certainly! There was an improvement of sorts. But there were also some disappointments. The batting remains a cause for worry and the out-fielding could use some improvement.
In the bowling department, Gavin Tonge and Kemar Roach impressed along with the spinner Nikita Miller. These players performance make them strong contenders for the upcoming tour of Australia which places the West Indies selectors in a quandary.
Captaincy confusion
The upcoming regional one-dayers in Guyana could possibly provide the selectors with a way out of their dilemma. The biggest question facing the selectors though is not the composition of the squad but rather a question concerning the captaincy. It is the view of many that Chris Gayle by his actions is no longer the preferred choice. Gayle, rightly or wrongly has challenged the authority of the West Indies Cricket Board on more than one occasion. While those actions might have endeared him to his fellow players and to certain sections of the West Indian society, it is not proper for the West Indies captain to be so openly critical of the organization that he, in fact, represents.
More recently, Gayle and a number of players boycotted West Indies cricket again over a number of issues which led to a second string team being forced to take on first Bangladesh and then to play in the Champions Trophy tournament. It must be pointed out that instead of the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) fighting the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) over the issues such as retainer contracts and fees for tests and limited over matches the organization had in fact used the players to achieve its own ends at the expense of West Indies cricket.
West Indies cricket was being held to ransom by the WIPA through the players. There was absolutely no reason for the players to strike. There were other ways in which the WIPA could have addressed the players’ grievances. So the WICB will be understandably wary of naming Gayle as captain simply because there is absolutely no guarantee that this leader would not call his troops off the field at some stage be it at the instigation of the WIPA or some other reason.
Certainly the WICB would be looking for someone with more of a commitment to the cause of what West Indies cricket means to the Region than those who are wont to be seen as nothing more than mercenaries selling their skills to the highest bidder. That said though, Gayle remains a logical choice if only because of the paucity of contenders and the fact that the players seem to rally behind him more than any other captain in recent times.
It must be pointed out though that Trinidad’s Daren Ganga showed the necessary leadership qualities in the just-concluded tournament and certainly the WICB selectors cannot ignore Ganga when it comes to choosing a captain. Despite the fact that pre-tournament and games plans probably contributed to the team’s success Ganga was confident, positive, assertive and shrewd in his leadership of the Trinidad team – qualities the next West Indies captain should certainly possess.
Favourites Trinidad
and Tobago
For the tournament which starts tomorrow the Trinidadians despite their late arrival, will certainly start as favourites if only based on their tremendous showing in the Twenty20 Champions League tournament where they lost in the final. Their closest rivals should be the Gayle-led Jamaica team with almost all of the other teams except the U-19s having a chance of reaching the semi-finals.
In the context of Caribbean cricket the performance of the Guyana team will certainly be closely watched. It was almost heart wrenching to note the performance of this once proud regional side earlier this year in the four-day competition and with the home court advantage an opportunity to vault back to the top of the regional cricket ladder should certainly not be missed.
Although places are undoubtedly up for grabs for the upcoming tour of Australia by the West Indies team it is teamwork as shown by Trinidad at the Champions League tournament that is the recipe for success and not selfish individual performances.
Let the games begin.
