Hitting out: Mind that technique

There was a time when I used to play cricket seriously. These days, I just play the odd friendly match. If however, I came up against a bowling attack that included colleagues Harry Mayers, Hayden Boyce and Barry Alleyne, I'd fancy my chances of scoring a century.

If, on the other hand, I met a team with the likes of national fast bowlers Corey Collymore, Hendy Bryan, Ian Bradshaw and Pedro Collins, it would only be a matter of time before I would be dismissed.

The point is clear. When I play against those with superior technical skills, it is almost certain they will get the better of me.

That brings us to the current issue at hand.

While the consensus is that the West Indies team in Australia is in dire need of psychological assistance, we must concede that the opponents are far more competent in mastering the technical skills of the game.

There was enough evidence in Brisbane to suggest that the technical side let us down as badly as the mental aspect.

It was not the case that the majority of batsmen were out to loose, irresponsible strokes. They were simply unable to negotiate deliveries of varying quality.

Sherwin Campbell, for instance, fell to catches off the defensive outside edge.

Ridley Jacobs was twice unable to cope with balls that moved across him and he edged catches to second slip. Shivnarine Chanderpaul fell the same way in the first innings, while captain Jimmy Adams was caught in so many minds in the second innings that by the time he decided to pull his bat away, the ball had already clipped the edge on the way to the keeper.

Daren Ganga played solidly in both innings, but showed that his range of strokes was limited. His second innings dismissal when he moved down the pitch and the ball spun away from his defensive prod was another clear example of someone outfoxed by his competitor.

Skipper Adams said after the match he would urge management to seek psychological assistance and many of us believe that once Dr. Rudi Webster steps on a plane and heads to Australia, all will dramatically turn around.

Dr. Webster should have been there from the start, given our outrageous record on overseas tours in recent years. Once, however, a decision was made that he was not going to be part of the set-up, I do not agree that we should press the panic button and send as SOS.

It would be like trying to catch the horse after it has bolted.

The majority of the West Indies players in Australia have worked closely with Dr. Webster in the recent past. Surely they can still draw inspiration from what he said to them a few, short months ago.

All of us have at some stage in our life had to deal with adversity and there was no quick solution to the problem. It is often a test of character and the players we have in Australia have previously transformed crisis into celebration. Remember Brian Lara's phenomenal series against the same opponents last year when there was the possibility that he would lose the captaincy.

Even if Dr. Webster ends up in Australia, we can only maintain our pride if our players significantly lift the technical level of their game.