New year, new rules (2 January 1999)

2 January 1999

New year, new rules

By Brian Lara

CAPE TOWN - This is a new year and the guys are looking to turn around the team's performance.

We have faced the fact that we have already lost the series but it is important to remember that we are representing the West Indies.

We have supporters coming out from home to cheer on the team. Only yesterday 75 Barbadian fans arrived to lend their support to our efforts. We will be doing our best for the West Indies.

We are not here on our own time but as representatives of the West Indies and we will be positive for the remaining games.

What has surprised me is that we have a lot of support here from all sorts of South Africans and we do not intend to disappoint them any further.

It is the first time I have played in a series where we have lost with two Tests, seven One-Day Internationals and five weeks still to go.

It has been and will continue to be tough for us with so many injuries.

I am not offering that as an excuse, but acknowledge that it has hampered our performance and I am thankful the West Indies Cricket Board has allowed us the opportunity to use Ottis Gibson since Franklyn Rose has a shoulder injury.

We are convinced - the statistics support the fact - that the South Africans are not better than our players, but that they are playing well as a team and that gave them a big edge in the first three Tests.

Clive Lloyd has been working to get us all focused on the positives and to play with some of the freedom and confidence that had deserted us in the earlier matches.

We have a team where several batsmen can match anything the South Africans can do, but so far we have not done it.

I want the guys to play as though the team depends on them. No one player must be expected to score all the runs.

My own goal is to start 1999 with a couple of Test centuries and, if all the others pull well, we can turn this around.

I will concentrate on batting for a good score on this wicket which is said to be as good as the Kingsmead strip.

The problem with the top order has not been solved, and, while several people have been critical of Junior Murray opening the batting for the West Indies, we must be fair to him.

He came into a difficult, unusual situation and did fairly well. He saw off the new ball, though the scores were not large and he deserves another try.

Carl Hooper's string of low scores has been a big worry but he has been working hard. He started well in the last innings but was unfortunate.

The umpire never gave him out and he walked thinking that he was out.

Daren Ganga has shown that he is a player with a sound future and he will probably be kept in that position at number six.

We will most likely play with the same batting order as this wicket has the reputation of being a sound, good cricket wicket.

Unfortunately, Rose has an injury so we are left with Ambrose, Dillon and McLean.

It is time that the young fast bowlers take the load from the older players and this is the ideal time for them to step up.

We have included Gibson to leave us the option of either three quicks and a spinner or four quicks, depending on the state of the wicket.

I have not had the chance to see it as it was covered because of the overcast conditions here all day yesterday. We even practised indoors.

The team will be chosen from: Wallace, Murray, Chanderpaul, Lara, Hooper, Ganga, Jacobs, Lewis, McLean, Dillon, Ambrose and Gibson.

Source :: The Barbados Nation (https://www.nationnews.com/)