West Indies without spirit, pride, will to win (4 January 1999)

4 January 1999

West Indies without spirit, pride, will to win

Tony Becca

The West Indies tour of South Africa has been a disaster. Although they were hoping for the best, not many of their fans believed they were good enough to win the series. They were, however, not prepared for the disappointing performance, which, after two days of the fourth Test, sees the team down three-nil and apparently heading for another defeat.

There are fans, however, to whom it is not a surprise.

To those fans, the players' strike for money a few days before the start of the tour demonstrated a lack of appreciation for the struggles of South African non-whites to whom they were expected to have been a source of inspiration, it was an embarrassment to the region, and as far as they were concerned, what is happening in South Africa is simply a case of retribution.

Looking back at the injuries and illnesses which have affected the team, it really appears that fate took a hand in the proceedings and frowned on the West Indies.

Starting with the self-inflicted injury of James Adams on the way from London to South Africa - an injury which eventually led to his replacement, the list reads: Dinanath Ramnarine - injured shoulder and replaced, Carl Hooper - groin strain during the first Test, Junior Murray and Mervyn Dillon - stomach ailment and a couple days in the hospital, Franklyn Rose - injured left heel before the second Test, Philo Wallace - glandular fever which kept him out of the second Test, Stuart Williams - flu during the second Test, Courtney Walsh - torn left hamstring during the third Test and out of the fourth Test, Rose - injured right shoulder during the third Test and out of the fourth Test, and Curtly Ambrose - a combination of knee and back problems which eventually led to his leaving the field during the current fourth Test.

No team suffering such ill-luck can be at its best. The West Indies problem, however, was more than that. The poor performance which saw them not only losing but easily outplayed, also had to do with poor team spirit which, in many ways, stemmed from a fall out following the strike.

The West Indies team was weak in many areas - no doubt about that. With good team spirit, however, they could have put up a better fight - especially the batsmen. The way some of them got themselves out was embarrassing and should haunt them for a long time.

In the first Test, Clayton Lambert drove at a wide delivery from Shaun Pollock and edged to wicketkeeper Mark Boucher (17 for one); Hooper, in his stance and without moving his feet, attempted to square-drive Allan Donald and edged to Daryll Cullinan at first slip (132 for 4); Williams pulled at David Terbrugge and was caught at mid-on by Cronje (177 for five), and in the second innings, after a glorious cover-drive off Terbrugge, stretched at a wide delivery and edged to Jacques Kallis at second slip (53 for four); and with the team in real trouble in the second innings, in the over to tea, Ridley Jacobs swung wildly at offspinner Pat Symcox and lobbed a catch to Terbrugge at mid-on (148 for seven).

In the second Test, in the second over of the innings, Lambert drove Pollock straight to Hansie Cronje at extra-cover (zero for one); Floyd Reifer attempted to square-drive a wide delivery from Pollock and edged to Boucher (75 for seven); Lambert swatted to Donald in the third over of the second innings and edged to Boucher (three for one); and Brian Lara hooked Donald for six and pulled the next delivery high to mid-on (132 for eight).

In the third Test, Wallace drove at a wide delivery from Kallis and edged to Cullinan at first slip (50 for one); Hooper, on his knee, attempted to square-drive a wide delivery from Kallis and edged to Cullinan at first slip (105 for four); Lara hooked Terbrugge for six, attempted to pull the next delivery and lobbed a catch to Cronje at straight midwicket (133 for five); Wallace stood in his stance, attempted to steer a short delivery from Donald to thirdman and edged to Boucher (17 for one); Murray attempted to pull the first delivery from Kallis and lobbed a catch to Herschelle Gibbs at midwicket (41 for two); Hooper, after the West Indies had dropped from 201 for two to 201 for four, cut a wide delivery from Pollock and was caught off the inside edge by Boucher (205 for five).

Those dismissals, along with the run-outs of Hooper - going for a second run, and McLean - going for a second run - in the second innings of the second Test with the Test match only in its third day, the run out of Ambrose in the first innings of the third Test, and the dismissals of Rose - caught at long-on, Ambrose - caught at mid-on, and Walsh - bowled offstump driving - in the second innings with Jacobs at the other end underlined the mood of the West Indies team in what many considered a series in which victory was important.

Is it retribution? May be. What is happening to South Africa, however, is also the result of a team without spirit, apparently without pride, and without the will to win.

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