The Captain's Log: Batsmen Need To Start Setting Goals (2 December 1998)

2 December 1998

The Captain's Log: Batsmen Need To Start Setting Goals

By Brian Lara

We will have to bat a lot better than we did in the opening Test if we are to bounce back and win this series against the South Africans.

Our bowlers matched them stride for stride and had they received the support of the batsmen, the results could very well have been different.

We scored far less than I wanted in the first innings. Had we gotten to 350 runs we would have won the game.

Still, we cannot harp on what might have been. We have to take a critical look at where we went wrong and seek to do something about it.

No team can bat in a Test match and score at a rate of just over two runs per over and hope to win, particularly if you are batting first. Yet, our scoring rate in the first innings was 2.7 from 97 overs, while we batted 81.3 overs in the second innings to score 170 runs at an average of 2.08 runs per over.

This defensive mode helped to put the South African bowlers on top. Even if wickets are not falling, the fielding captain can experiment as long as possible because there is no pressure on his team.

It is absolutely essential for our batsmen to start setting goals and achieving them. Someone has to take on the bowlers and give them something to think about. Notice how this worked on Allan Donald in the first innings.

I was a little disappointed with my own game. I need to spend a lot more time out in the middle. When you are batting at No. 3, you have a decisive role and I would be looking to do my part next time around.

I do not consider any of the South African batsmen special but they concentrated throughout and certainly did much better than we did.

I don't want to make excuses for our loss. But I believe that Carl Hooper's injury was crucial. His foot movements were restricted and, of course, his value to the team as a spinner cannot be underestimated. We have been having bad luck on this trip so far and it continued into the Test match.

I do not know if we can ever stop praising the efforts of Courtney Walsh. What a team man!

His surpassing Malcolm Marshall's record was a tribute to his grit and determination. He is piping hot at the moment and if he maintains his form, we will win the series.

Curtly is also rounding into his own and the younger guys - Nixon, Franklyn and Mervyn - certainly have two great players from whom to learn. By the end of this series, I am hoping to see another great West Indian fast bowler in the making.

The revelation in the match was, of course, Ridley Jacobs. He was a breath of fresh air. You could not believe this was his debut Test. He was very competent behind the wicket, while he batted with a great deal of confidence. I hope he keeps the form.

Chasing 164 runs for victory was clearly not going to be too difficult a task, but we picked up six wickets in the second innings - a tribute to our bowlers.

We know the difference between the teams at the moment. How we deal with that will determine the outcome of the series.

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