By Tony Cozier At the ICC World Cup in DELHI
The West Indies resume their World Cup campaign at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium here today, appreciably weakened and forced into a change of strategy for the remainder by the loss of the player coach Ottis Gibson calls their “energizer.”
As they take on the lightly rated but potentially dangerous Netherlands, Dwayne Bravo, their dynamic all-rounder, is thousands of miles away getting ready for treatment on the left knee so badly injured in Thursday’s opening match against South Africa that he won’t play again for at least a month.
His absence compels a shift in the balance of the 11 emphatically beaten by South Africa by seven wickets with 43 balls to spare in their opening match at the same venue last Thursday.
An additional bowler in now required to cover for Bravo’s medium-pace, either one of seamers Ravi Rampaul and Andre Russell or left-arm spinner Nikita Miller, who were reserves on Thursday.
There is now also additional responsibility on captain Darren Sammy and Kieron Pollard, the remaining all-rounders, who both contributed nothing with the bat and little with the ball against South Africa.
Sammy, a capable if not outstanding cricketer, has had a dismal time since thrust into the captaincy last November after the incumbent Chris Gayle and then vice-captain Bravo chose not to sign West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) contracts.
Prior to the South Africa opener, he had scored just 65 runs and taken four wickets as captain in three Tests and three ODIs in series against Sri Lanka and in two practice matches leading into the World Cup.
Predictably, his right to a place on the team is being increasingly questioned.
The best way to answer it is through performance and the best place to start is against the Netherlands.
Pollard, who has an immense reputation in India for his Twenty20 power-hitting in the Indian Premier League (IPL), has also gone through a rough patch with the bat in the lead-up to the Cup with scores of 4 and 4 in the ODI series in Sri Lanka and a first ball 0 on Thursday.
Each time he has fallen to quality pace – in Sri Lanka bowled by Lalith Malinga, against South Africa lbw to Dale Steyn.
He is now likely to fill Bravo’s batting position at No.6, a promotion that would allow him more time to build an innings than when kept back for the closing stages of an innings, as he was at No.8 on Thursday. Against strong bowling in the ODI series in Australia just over a year ago, he was the leading West Indies run-scorer with170 runs at an average of 42.5, batting between No.4 and 7.
Ironically, Bravo’s misfortune could give him the opportunity he needs to repeat such performances, supplemented by his medium-pace bowling and keen fielding.
The change of strategy brought about by the loss of Bravo should extend to the use of the five overs of the batting power-play.
The West Indies are not the only team still to figure out the most profitable stage to use it.
On Thursday, it was a waste, called for at the 44th over when eight wickets were down. Earlier in the day, New Zealand were also guilty of such an error, similarly leaving theirs until the 44th over with eight wickets down for 188.
The regulation permits the bowling team only three fielders outside the inner ring for the block of five overs. Generally, the batting team regards it as a method to maximise scoring in the closing overs, a tactic that repeatedly fails.
Most coaches and captains are gradually coming round to the view that the most appropriate time to use it is between the 36th and 40th over, just after the white ball is changed and therefore harder.
It can be a very beneficial device but, as in everything, its timing is critical.
The Dutch are one of the four associate teams in the tournament. There are only 5,000 registered cricketers in a country where sport is dominated by football and hockey and they include only four professionals who play outside the country (its other members are accountants, insurance salesmen and the like).
Their only victory over a full ICC member to date was against Bangladesh.
In their only previous match, in a triangular series in Ireland in 2007, the West Indies bowled them out for 80 and romped home by 10 wickets.
For all that, they showed they cannot be underestimated by running England close in their opening match.
South Africa born Ryan ten Doeschate, a pro with Essex in England, Tasmania in Australia and Canterbury in New Zealand, compiled a brilliant 119 in a total of 292 for six but they couldn’t quite hold off the experienced Englishmen.
It was sufficient proof that the West Indies would have to be at their best against them, tactically as much as anything.
TEAMS: West Indies (from): Darren Sammy (captain), Chris Gayle, Darren Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Devon Smith, Sulieman Benn, Nikita Miller, Devon Thomas, Andre Russell, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Shiv Chanderpaul, Kirk Edwards.
Netherlands (from): Peter Borren (captain), Wesley Baresi, Mudassar Bukhari, Atse Buurman, Tom Cooper, Tom de Grooth, Alexei Kervezee, Bradley Kruger, Bernard Loots, Adeel Raja, Pieter Seelaar, Eric Szwarczynski, Ryan ten Doeschate, Berend Westdijk, Bas Zuiderent.
Umpires: Amish Saheba, Simon Taufel; Television umpire: Richard Kettleborough;
Fourth official: Asoka de Silva; ICC Match referee: Jeff Crowe.
