Adams LONDON
THE fifth and final Test of the Cornhill 2000 series between the West Indies and England opens at Kennington Oval today and for both teams, this is it. This is the moment of truth.
For England, leading two-one and hunting their first series victory over the West Indies in 31 years, this is the time to deliver the time to prove that the good old days when they were among the best are back again, or almost back again; and for the West Indies, routed for 54 at Lord's in the second Test, eclipsed for 61 at Headingley in the fourth Test and haunted by a three-nil thrashing in Pakistan, a five-nil hiding in South Africa, and a two-nil beating in New Zealand on their three previous overseas tours, this also is the time to deliver the time to prove not only how good they are but as they did so often in the glorious past, also that they can perform away from home.
The easier task is England's, and the odds are heavily in their favour.
For the first time since the three-match series in 1969 when they won two-nil at home, England go into the final Test against the West Indies in the lead a situation which means that while the West Indies have to win in order to share the series, to lessen the disappointment of their poor showing so far, and to prevent the embarrassment of another sorry performance away from home, England need only to come away with a draw in order to celebrate not only a rare victory over the West Indies but also the dawning of what they believe is a new day in their fortunes.
There is also another reason why the odds favour England.
Apart from looking a more technically equipped unit, England, after losing the first Test at Edgbaston by an innings, hit back in style, won the second and fourth and are bubbling with confidence.
In stark contrast, the West Indies appear beaten and broken the triumph at Edgbaston seeming like summers ago.
"I would like to blame the lunch," said coach Roger Harper while his batsmen were falling like ninepins after lunch on the final day against Somerset, "but it's happening too often."
Those words could be echoed by captain James Adams, who has been wondering what has happened to the team which played with such spirit against both Zimbabwe and Pakistan in the Caribbean only a few months ago, by manager Ricky Skerritt, who has been having sleepless nights over the failure of the team to stand up and fight, and by assistant coach Jefffey Dujon, who cannot understand why, despite their obvious limitations, the batsmen will not bat, and why the bowlers, but for past masters Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose, will not bowl properly.
"I don't know what else to do," said a dejected Dujon a few hours after the Headingley disaster.
As terrible as it appears, however, Adams is not a man to surrender, he is not one to throw in the towel, and he is hoping that he can rally the players for one final effort. "We can beat this team," he keeps saying, "if only we play as well as we can."
Adams is right. With Walsh and Ambrose to bowl and Brian Lara to bat, victory is possible. As it was at Edgbaston, however, Walsh and Ambrose will need some support, and as it was at Edgbaston and in the second innings during the drawn game at Old Trafford, Lara will also need some support.
Such have been the poor performance of the West Indies batsmen and their support bowlers, however, that the question is from where will the necessary support come. That is the selectors' dilemma as they ponder the team for this crucial encounter.
The consensus after Headingley was that even if he had to bat with one hand, Shivnarine Chanderpaul should be back, that right-arm legspinner Mahendra Nagamootoo and pacer Corey Colleymore should form the support for Walsh and Ambrose, that Lara, as the top batsman, should bat at number three, and that the batting order should be Sherwin Campbell, Wavell Hinds, Lara, Chanderpaul, Adams, and Ramnaresh Sarwan followed by Ridley Jacobs, Nagamootoo, Ambrose, Collymore and Walsh.
That, however, will not be the eleven.
Although manager Rickey Skerritt said that Chanderpaul was in good shape following a net session three days after the Headingley Test, the left-hander complained of difficulty gripping the bat in the match against Somerset, batted at number eight in the second innings, and has left for home. He, therefore, will not be in the team, and neither will Reon King nor Collymore who, according to the management, are nursing injuries.
With Chris Gayle finding runs hard to come by and unlikely to get in ahead of Adrian Griffith, the selectors only problem, it appears, is whether to go for Franklyn rose and Nixon McLean, Rose and Nagamootoo, or McLean and Nagamootoo as the support for Walsh and Ambrose.
Rose is not 100 per cent fit, he has not been bowling well, the pitch at The Oval is expected to assist spin, and although Nagamootoo is no world beater, the reading is that the West Indies will go for McLean and Nagamootoo and hope for the best.
The other reason why England are hot favourites is this: while the West Indies injury list is long, England have no such problem.
Apart from boasting good form, all the England players are fit and ready to go. England, in fact, are so blessed going into their big day, that their only concern is whether they should go in with a spin bowler.
The temptation to bring in left-arm spinner Ashley Giles must be huge. So well have pacers Darren Gough and Andy Caddick, Dominic Cork and Craig White bowled in the three previous Test matches, however, that England are unlikely to omit one of them; and so valuable was their seventh batsman, Graeme Hick, at Headingley that they would hardly want to go in with one less in this vital Test match.
On top of that, Giles, who took one wicket for 106 runs in his only Test match, is not a big spinner of the ball, he does not flight the ball, and England may well decide that the offspin of Hick and Michael Vaughan will be good enough support for their four pacers.
Regardless of who are in England's eleven and the West Indies' eleven, England are hot favourites to break the drought.
If Adams can squeeze the best out of them, however, the West Indies have it in them to finish in style - to win the match, draw the series, and make partial amends for the batting debacles at Lord's and Headingley.
Apart from the presence of Walsh and Ambrose, Campbell has performed and can perform, Hinds has taken on and conquered better bowlers than there are in England's line-up, Adams is best with his back to the wall, Sarwan possesses the skill and apparently the temperament, and yesterday, big gun Lara looked good in the nets.
By Tony Becca
Senior Sport Editor
