Windies face tough task in final Test - the best of strokes

Quote: Aplenty in the purse cannot prevent starvation in the soul.

The West Indies go into the fifth and final Test at the Oval tomorrow in a state of psychological deprivation, and counting on their international stars to come to their rescue.

Brian Lara, Curtley Ambrose and Courtney Walsh will have to be pulling double in this game, if the Windies are to draw or even win in London, where a massive West Indian crowd is expected to be at the ground.

The performance of the team is as low-keyed as the coverage that this series is getting in England, partly as a result of the fact that the football season is well on the way.

Nevertheless, Nasser Hussain and his men could not have anticipated being in such a strong position against the West Indies, and could go another notch up the ladder to beat the visitors by the biggest margin (3-1) in 50 years.

There has been much speculation about the final West Indies 11, but in my view, there are marginal differences between the players, putting Lara, Ambrose and Walsh aside. Chanderpaul seems to be carrying an injury since the start of the tour, while the other batsmen, apart from Sarwan, are struggling desperately to look the part as international players.

With a very low competency rating and diminishing professional credibility, they seem unable to render any hope of saving the series at the Oval.

Roger Harper narrowly avoided admitting his own failure as the coach to motivate his players. The last game against Somerset, in which the Windies lost by 269 runs 'the biggest margin against a county side in a very long time' has further shattered his coaching record, and confidence of the team.

In trying to explain the West Indies poor showing, Harper offers the excuse of playing too much cricket, as if other teams around the world were resting while our lads were being over-worked. His comments, too, about having to squeeze every ounce of enthusiasm and determination from his players, clearly points to a serious state of despondency in the camp.

One wonders therefore, why Dr. Rudi Webster, a renowned performance enhancement specialist, has been kept away from the team for the most critical part of the tour.

The fact of the matter is that there must be serious problems within the West Indies camp, which ought to be seriously investigated as soon as possible. A proper evaluation of each player and each match should be conducted, as each member of the team is expected to be responsible and accountable for his performance.

On the basis of this report, a review of the payment structure for players, in my view, would be necessary, as we must be encouraging the highest standard of professionalism in West Indies cricket.

Further, a skilled individual, perhaps like Webster, should always travel with the team, not only as a performance enhancer, but also to provide the West Indies Cricket Board with an independent assessment of tour operations.

After the Hansie Cronje Affair, international cricket will never be the same, as the level of performances, behaviour and conduct of players is now expected to be of the highest standard. Pakistan has already assigned an observer to their team whose role will be crucial in the process of protecting the integrity of the sport.

We in the West Indies have not learnt a lot since the 1930s. We have not put any concrete structures in place to ensure the continuity of the legacy of the many great cricketers of the past. Let's hope, at least, that the West Indies team can save us any more embarrassment by coming good in the Oval Test tomorrow.

Carlisle Best is a former Barbados cricket captain and West Indies batsman.