By Tony Cozier
At the ICC World Cup
In DELHI
For an hour and half on Thursday afternoon, the young left-hander rapidly developing into the next in the long line of great West Indian batsmen lit up the overcast Feroz Shah Kotla stadium here with an array of strokes uncannily reminiscent of his immediate predecessor and, as it happens, blood relation.
Once Darren Bravo’s dazzling display was ended by Johan Botha, an off-spinner with an action stretching legality beyond even its relaxed limits, a familiar anti-climax followed for the West Indies.
The younger of the two Bravo’s main scoring shots in 73 off 82 balls were a dismissive, one-handed six over long-on from debutant leg-spinner Imran Tahir and seven fours in all directions. Jacques Kallis’ aging medium-pace was the main target of his attack but no bowler was spared.
The subsequent decline was created by a repetition of the careless cricket that has brought the West Indies to its present lowly state and led to an opening
World Cup loss to South Africa even more comprehensive than had been feared.
It was the kind of performance that, if repeated in their remaining five matches, even against the Netherlands, Bangladesh and Ireland, threaten their progress from the group into the quarter-finals.
Their task became greater yesterday when an injury to Dwayne Bravo’s left knee, resulting from a tumble on his follow-through in his third over, was revealed yesterday to be serious enough to keephim inactive for at least a month. It has put their leading all-rounder out of the tournament, a massive setback.
What followed the younger Bravo’s earlier dismissal was a betrayal of his brilliance.
The remaining West Indies wickets tumbled as they have done so often over the past 10 years or so, the last eight for 100, the last five for 13.
Their problems extended to the neglect of the batting power play until the last five overs (perhaps they forgot in the confusion) and even then, they failed to complete them, dismissed for 222. It was patently undefendable with their limited bowling resources on a true pitch against superior opponents.
Strangely, they sent Kieron Pollard at No.8, a potentially dangerous striker, even after the new young wicket-keeper Devon Thomas.
His reputation in these parts, established through his immense six-hitting in the Indian Premier League (IPL), was clear when his arrival was greeted by the 10,000 or so in the stands as they would Sachin Tendulkar or MS Dhoni – or as those at Kensington once hailed Carl Hooper.
Pollard lasted one ball, lbw on the back foot to Dale Steyn, but by then the innings was in disarray.
In the tumbling of wickets, four were taken by Tahir, an accurate Pakistan-born leg-spinner on debut for his adopted country, the last three by Steyn, the direct pace of the present game’s premier fast bowler.
None was more damaging than the outrageous, game-changing run out that took care of Dwayne Bravo, just when he was putting the innings back on track for a total in excess of 250.
Missed fourth ball on a return catch by Tahir, he gradually found the middle of the bat, hoisting three sixes off the spinners in gathering 40 off 37 deliveries.
He was threatening more mayhem when Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who had pottered around for 51 balls for 31 but had added 58 for the fifth wicket, ventured a reverse sweep. The connection was sweet but the direction was straight to Morne Morkel at backward point.
Even so, Chanderpaul charged down the pitch. Bravo unselfishly responded, committing himself to certain suicide.
For a player of such immense experience, Chanderpaul’s was an inexcusable lapse, compounded by his own dismissal, a lofted catch into long-off’s lap with as many as 7.2 overs remaining with just the new young wicket-keeper Thomas and the unreliable all-rounders, captain Darren Sammy among them, left.
The troubles had, in fact, started earlier.
Devon Smith had provided Bravo with solid support in their second wicket stand of 111 off 23.4 overs. His role was then to consolidate, to ensure South Africa were denied the implosion so endemic to West Indies of late.
His namesake, the South African captain, immediately offered him the bait of Tahir, summoning him for a second spell. Smith fell for it, tapping back a tame return catch fourth ball.
Ramnaresh Sarwan took the first ball of Tahir’s next over on an uncertain front paid, asked for a review of Taufel’s raised finger to the lbw appeal and lost. A secure 111 for one had become 120 for four in the twinkling of an eye.
It was the prelude to disaster.
