Day of decision (22 February 1999)

22 February 1999

Day of decision

Tony Becca

The West Indies Cricket Board's special meeting in Antigua today will discuss a number of items pertaining to the development of West Indies cricket.

Following the disastrous tour of South Africa, however, top of the agenda will be the reports of captain Brian Lara, manager Clive Lloyd, and coach Malcolm Marshall and the selection of the captain for the home series against Australia.

Based on what happened in South Africa, on and off the field, there should be a new captain.

Apart from what to many were tactical blunders as far as field-placing, the use of his bowlers and the batting order were concerned, Lara not only failed to motivate his players, but also contributed to the low morale of the players throughout the tour.

As a leader, Lara failed miserably, and there can be no excuse, neither should there be any excuse for the attitude and the behaviour, the arrogance which, along with the rift which stemmed from the strike in London, destroyed the spirit of the team, and which, combined with the general weakness of the team, made the West Indies easy pickings for a well drilled and disciplined South African team.

West Indies cricket is at a stage where it needs a captain who is committed to West Indies cricket. It needs a captain with the ability to unite the players, a captain who is not so arrogant that he forgets that team spirit is key to success, a captain who respects the players - all the players, and one who in return will be respected by the players - all the players.

The question is who should that be.

The candidates, it appears, are Carl Hooper, James Adams, and Ian Bishop.

Hooper, the vice-captain to South Africa, an experienced player, and one who, despite his many disappointing performances as a batsman, is good enough to make the team, should be the logical choice.

Apart from the impression that he is not one to motivate either himself or the players, Hooper, however, has shown little loyalty to either Guyana or West Indies cricket, and should not be considered.

Adams, who was in the squad in South Africa but returned home due to injury, is likely to be in the team and is a better bet than Hooper. Adams, however, has not impressed while leading Jamaica. On top of that, and for whatever reason, he is not popular with the players, and although he respects them, he may have a problem winning their respect.

Bishop, respected by many, appears the one with the best credentials. There are, however, two strikes against him.

As a bowler, Bishop today would not be in contention for a place in the team, his failure to bowl much for Trinidad and Tobago in the Busta Cup suggests that he has not fully recovered from the injuries which affected his promising career, and it probably would be unwise to select him into a team which, from every indication, will also include the 36-year-old Courtney Walsh and the 35-year-old Curtly Ambrose who have been nursing injuries.

Looking at all three, the West Indies Board may have no alternative but to give the job to Adams and hope for the best. To give it to Bishop, who, along with Walsh, Ambrose, and one other, would have to be one of the four bowlers, would be asking for trouble.

Apart from adding to the team one more player who cannot throw the ball, apart from finding somewhere to put Bishop in the field, the risk of ending up not with one, but with two or even three of the four bowlers in the pavilion is too great to take.

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