By Tony (McWatt) and Reds (Perreira)
What a week of roller-coaster emotions this past one has been. The joy of an unexpected West Indies Women’s World Cup opening match victory, bookended by the sudden and untimely passing of two Australian cricket legends within hours of each other and just days after that of our own West Indian legend Sonny Ramadhin.
On March 3, West Indian cricket fans awoke to the very sad news of the passing of Rodney Marsh, aged 74. Later that same evening, many such fans abandoned their beds to watch televised coverage of the West Indies Women’s opening match of their 2022 World Cup campaign, against tournament hosts New Zealand.
It was sleep well worth missing. The West Indies Women fashioned an exciting three-run, last over victory over the Kiwis.
The joy experienced from that wonderful win was, however, quickly erased by yet another very harsh reminder of the frailties of life. Mere hours after Marsh’s passing, there was the even more shocking news of the demise of Shane Warne at the very young age of 52.
As West Indies cricket fans try to come to grips with the sadness that would have been caused by the passing of two much admired and greatly respected Australian foes, their attention will be turned towards the forthcoming Test three-match series against England, which bowls off on Tuesday at Antigua’s Sir Vivian Richards Stadium. For all that will be at stake during its three matches, the forthcoming series could now arguably be one of the most important ever played by the West Indies in recent times.
There will be much at stake during the series in terms of the continuation of several careers, from those of the coaches, to a few of the West Indies players. Even the recently appointed Chairman of Selectors, the Rt. Honorable Desmond Haynes and his Panel, will also be under some degree of scrutiny. Particularly with regards to their choice of John Campbell as Kraigg Brathwaite’s first Test opening batting partner.
“A single swallow does not a summer make!”
It was just one match and there are still some even more challenging matches to be played. However, the West Indies Women’s exciting World Cup opening match victory couldn’t have presented a more telling view of the contrasting fortunes of Courtney Walsh and Phil Simmons, as the respective Head Coaches of our Women’s and Men’s teams. It’s been less than two years since Walsh’s October 2020 appointment as the West Indies Women’s Head Coach. Yet, in that relatively short period, Walsh has built a very balanced team and fashioned a healthy culture among his players. Sufficiently so as to have them publicly singing his praises. The World Cup tournament opener victory is merely the latest example of the fighting spirit, most admirable camaraderie, and willingness to play for each other that Walsh and his Coaching staff have installed among their charges.
By contrast, the West Indies team under Simmons and his coaching cadre, have had a rough time on the field of late. As defending champions, the West Indies failed to reach the knockout round of the Twenty20 World Cup last October-November, and one of its many poor results was a home loss to Ireland in an ODI series recently. They also suffered a recent 6-0 whitewash (three ODIs and three Twenty20 Internationals) at the hands of their Indian hosts. Indeed, under Simmons, the West Indies have even been reduced to the status of Qualifiers for this year’s T20 World Cup. The team’s supposedly most favored and strongest format. Such dismal results have raised the ire of Sir Andy Roberts, the legendary, former West Indies fast bowling great. Sir Andy has most recently joined the ever-growing list of those publicly calling for Simmons’ head.
“I don’t know if he should have got the job in the first place. I don’t think he has done anything that is working to keep him in his job. You first give him for two years and then assess his performance. He has been there for four years,” Roberts, one cricket’s all-time greats, recently said.
Simmons can now list the legendary Sir Andy Roberts among those publicly clamouring for his head. As such, nothing short of a resounding series victory might now be sufficient to delay, albeit temporarily, the seemingly almost inevitable receipt of their respective pink slips by Simmons and his coaching cadre.
There will also be much at stake during the series in terms of the continuance of the careers of a few players. Particularly John Campbell and Kyle Mayers among the batsmen, and even possibly that of Kemar Roach as leader of the West Indies seam attack.
Campbell will be seeking to justify the faith that has been expressed in his abilities by the Selection Panel. He is yet to score a century in his 15 Test matches played and 30 innings batted thus far. An anomaly he should be seeking to address during the series.
Mayers, for his part will be under even greater pressure. Since his outstanding double century (210*) in the second innings of his debut Test against Bangladesh a year ago, he has registered just two half-centuries in his 18 subsequent innings. Eight of those 18 innings have produced scores of under 10, including as many as four ducks!
Mayers’ fellow Bajan, Raymon Reifer, has just recently reminded the selectors of his own batting capabilities with a timely century (106) for the President’s XI in the four-day Warm Up match against England. Reifer’s more than useful left-arm seam would also provide the West Indies bowling attack, with much greater variation than Mayer’s dibbly-dobbly right-arm medium pacers.
As the undisputed head of the West Indies seam attack, the soon-to-be 34-year-old Kemar Roach could also find himself under some degree of “production pressure” during the series. In the 18 Tests he’s played for the West Indies since January 2019, Roach has produced match figures of five or more wickets in seven of those appearances.
More immediately, within the past two years, however, he has had only two such five wickets-plus hauls in 11 matches played. A somewhat worrying indication of declining productivity, in terms of his wicket-taking abilities.
Three much younger and quicker seamers, Alzarri Joseph, Anderson Phillip and Jayden Seales, along with the all-rounder Jason Holder, have also been included in the West Indies squad for the first Test. Roach could, therefore, be under some degree of pressure to perform at his very best during the series.
On the same day that the series gets underway the West Indies Women will also be clashing with their English opponents in their second match of the 2022 World Cup. Hopefully, the results from both that match, as well as the first Test, will be sufficiently joyous as to provide some comforting relief from the still prevailing sadness caused by the sudden passing of Rodney Marsh and Shane Warne!
About The Writers:
Guyana-born, Toronto-based, Tony McWatt is the Publisher of both the WI Wickets and Wickets monthly online cricket magazines that are respectively targeted towards Caribbean and Canadian readers. He is also the only son of the former Guyana and West Indies wicket-keeper batsman the late Clifford “Baby Boy” McWatt.
Guyana-born Reds (Perreira) has served as a world-recognized West Indies Cricket Commentator for well over fifty years. Reds made his broadcasting debut during the 1971 West Indies-India Test Series and has commentated on hundreds of matches since then!