Dear Editor,
Senior team Coach Phil Simmons had argued that he needed someone more technical as his bowling coach. As a result, legendary fast bowler Sir Curtly Ambrose was relieved of that role. I am of the firm conviction also that Simmons needs a technical batting coach as well. Further, there has also been the appointment of former WI wicket keeper Courtney Browne as the new Convener of Selectors, replacing the iconic Clive Lloyd who will now serve as a Special Ambassador to the WICB. These transitional developments occurred simultaneously and in a context which should lead to the inevitable restructuring of the West Indies team.
With Barbadian Roderick Estwick as the new bowling coach, he must begin the process of grooming a cadre of young and ambitious fast bowlers, including under 19 sensation, Alzarri Joseph. The key to their sustained success however will be their ability to remain constantly fit, absorb the rigorous challenges of competitiveness at the international level, and most importantly secure the intimate knowledge of bowling that will gain results in any conditions. This will involve long hours of technical work, high levels of motivation and determination and the capacity to achieve intended goals within a specific time frame. Unfortunately such qualities have been little in evidence given the selection of a group of fast bowlers whose returns have rarely been impressive. The current crop seems unimaginative, even jaded at times, especially on unresponsive pitches that do not appeal to their appetite for bounce and movement through the air. In such cases their returns on pitches in Guyana, Antigua or even Trinidad have been minuscule while the same thing has occurred in India, Sri-Lanka and Bangladesh.
This phenomenon has to change, whereby the use of reverse-swing, variations including producing movements off the pitch should form part of the armoury of the new batches. Most of the other world class fast bowlers possesses those skills, including England’s James Anderson, South Africa’s Dale Stein and New Zealand’s Trent Boult, to name a few. I am therefore concluding that Phil Simmons’ need for a more technical bowling coach suggests that he wants results from his fast bowlers regardless of the nature of the pitches, but I believe he will only achieve this with a new band of charges.
Additionally the batting must go beyond Gayle, Fletcher, Charles and Ramdin. Thinking processes are lacking, especially on the part of Fletcher and Charles whilst opening. They will continue to struggle on variable pitches, since their fluency is based on the predictable bounce of pitches, rather than the willingness to construct an innings, especially in testing circumstances and on wearing pitches. In such cases they take too long to adjust, given their penchant for the T20 format. Christopher Gayle is indeed in a class of his own in all formats of the game. However the age of players, recurring injuries and excessive T20 engagements around the globe will not benefit the WI in the long term. Gayle’s continued participation therefore needs to be conceptualized so that they can gain from his experience and expertise without any animosity arising should he have to exit in the manner that Chanderpaul was forced to accept. Quite frustratingly the batting has been a source of concern and generally the losses were in large part due to batting failures. I therefore suggest that our players start seeking individual batting mentors in the form of former players such as Desmond Haynes, Gordon Greenidge, Viv Richards, Rohan Kanhai, and Chanderpaul, among others. Such practice has been a huge success for many outstanding sportsmen and women around the world, including England’s Test captain and leading run scorer Alastair Cook, whose mentor is another batting great, Graham Gooch. Do our batsmen ever seek professional help? I still remember that amateurish and triumphalist note from Dinesh Ramdin, ‘Talk nah Viv’. However it is Ramdin who needs to talk or walk since he is the least accomplished of the wicket-keeper/batsmen among the major cricketing countries. He bats at a very important position of balance within the team, yet he cannot be considered an accomplished batsman, even with the considerable experience he has accumulated over a decade.
Some players were forced to quit a particular format of the game while others are misfits.
The WI selectors are yet to seek a clear vision for the team and Clive Lloyd’s platform of exposing more youths did not gain momentum beyond the flash of a few, frustration for others and the recycling of most who had already been tested and failed. I am therefore convinced that the new selectors will seek the restructuring of the team by moving beyond the shadows of players past. They must now build on players’ ability to be creative and adaptive, whose thinking and work ethic will not be subject to attrition. Let the restructuring process begin immediately.
Yours faithfully,
Elroy Stephney
