Back to basics for West Indies batsmen (2 December 1998)

2 December 1998

Back to basics for West Indies batsmen

Tony Becca

There is a consensus among cricketers that bowlers win matches. They also, however, need something to bowl at, and the West Indies lost the first Test against South Africa simply because their batsmen gave their bowlers almost nothing to bowl at - not once but twice.

In the first innings, after winning the toss, the West Indies fell for a mere 261 and their bowlers, led by Courtney Walsh, kept them in the game by dismissing South Africa for 268. In the second innings, they crashed for 170, and although they made a brave attempt, the runs, on a good pitch, were not enough for the bowlers to win the match.

Sounding like a stuck record, captain Brian Lara said after the defeat that his batsmen did not bat well. He did not need to say it.

Everyone who watched the game knew it. But for Shivnarine Chanderpaul in the first innings, and a plucky Ridley Jacobs in the second, all the batsmen, including Lara, demonstrated either poor technique or a lack of discipline, and between now and the start of the second Test on December 10 in Port Elizabeth, coach Malcolm Marshall and manager Clive Lloyd need to do something about it.

Not much, at this stage, can be done about the technique of Clayton Lambert and Philo Wallace or Stuart Williams' lack of capacity to perform, and because of that, Marshall may be wasting his time.

Something, however, can be done about their indisciplined batting, something can be done to instill some pride in the batsmen and Lloyd, rated as one of the great leaders of the game, has to do something about that.

Lara, for example, has to lead from the front and, as gifted as he is, the only way to do so is to be more responsible - to stop batting as if he invented the art and can do whatever he pleases. The world record holder needs to go back to basics - to look in the mirror and see, whenever the ball pitches around off stump, where his bat is coming from and that he is not moving his feet in an effort to get close to the ball.

The time has come too for Carl Hooper, although he was injured this time around, to deliver - not brilliantly once or twice in a series, but consistently. Hooper, despite his rating and his experience, continues to cut his throat just when he seems set to play a decisive innings.

Sir Gary Sobers and now Sir Conrad Hunte were on spot during all five days of the Test and Sobers, himself a left-hander and once the world record holder, must have been amazed to see how Lara's batting has deteriorated - and for no other reason than arrogance, while Hunte, one of the great opening batsmen of all time, constantly muttered his disbelief not only at the number of times the openers played at the ball when they should have left it alone, but also when he saw Lambert squaring up and looking out of his depth and Wallace playing across the line.

There is a whole lot of work to be done, technically and psychologically, between now and the 10th, the time may be too short and the tour management may simply have to make a change.

Williams, despite his magnificent catch at midwicket to get rid of Daryll Cullinan off Nixon McLean in the second innings, should go, but that is unlikely.

The powers that be believe that one day Williams will deliver and although Chanderpaul performed as a 19-year-old when he was called to action, no one appears willing to give Darren Ganga a chance.

The change, therefore, should come in the order. Lara is batting too carelessly and, if he continues in the same vein, once he comes in early against the new ball, he will pay the price against a set of pace bowlers who swing and cut the ball and who, 90 per cent of the time, are on the spot.

If Williams retains his place, maybe he should come in at number three, with Lara at number four, Hooper at number five and Chanderpaul at number six. If, however, he loses it, as he should, Chanderpaul should be moved up to number three - followed by Lara, Hooper and Ganga in that order.

The West Indies may have been a bit unlucky. The Wanderers pitch has a history of breaking up towards the end of a match, and if it did, maybe Walsh, Ambrose and company would have pulled it off. This time, probably because of the rain on day three and day four, it did not, and South Africa, who were fretting when they lost the toss and were sentenced to bat last, grabbed the early lead in the five-match series.

As good as the pitch was, the performance of the bowlers suggested that had the batsmen come up with another 50 or so runs, the West Indies could have won the match.

What is important now is that they do what they are paid to do - score runs. The bowlers have demonstrated that they can deal with South Africa's batsmen. What they need is for their batsmen to give them a chance to win the series.

Source :: The Jamaica Gleaner (https://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/)