It's now or never for West Indies
published: Friday | November 28, 2003
By Tony Becca - From The Boundary
THE WEST Indies take on Zimbabwe in the fourth match of their five-match one day series in Harare tomorrow, and despite the scare in the Test series, although Zimbabwe are better than many believed, the Windies were expected to have wrapped up the contest by now, or at least to be enjoying the lead.
The reality of situation, however, is that after three matches, after scoring 347 in the first match and waltzing to victory, the West Indies, after two embarrassing performances, are trailing 2-1 and in danger of losing the series.
Tomorrow, therefore, is D-Day the day when they must win and set up a winner-take-all finale on Sunday, or suffer the embarrassment of losing, not one match, not two matches but a series to a team that they should walk over.
As well as the hosts have been playing, without taking anything away from them, to lose a one-day series to Zimbabwe would be almost as embarrassing as the loss to Kenya in the World Cup of 1996.
What has really been disappointing is not that Zimbabwe, faced with some ordinary bowling, have scored a lot of runs and then stifle the vaunted West Indies batting, and as bad as that is, it is not that while Zimbabwe have been good in the field and have taken a few brilliant catches, the West Indies have been far from good in the field and have dropped some catches.
When all is said and done, the disappointment is that even though the bowling has escaped punishment, the batting, except for the first match in Bulawayo, has been pathetic to the extent that despite two good pitches, the West Indies were routed for 125 batting first in the second match and for 208 batting second and chasing 230 in the third match.
"I must say our performance was miserable," said captain Brian Lara after the second match. "A display like the one we gave on Sunday is far below what we expect to deliver even on our worst day."
Lara was right. A performance like that was more than miserable, and although the West Indies scored a few more runs in the third match, it was just as miserable.
Remembering how well, with Lara leading the way, they batted in the first innings of the second Test and that they were bundled out for 128 in the second, the West Indies, it appears, are either hot or cold, and that should be an area of concern to those who coach the team, to those who select the players, and to those who love to talk about the talent of the players.
When it comes to strokeplay, to exciting strokeplay, the West Indians are gifted. Strokeplay, however, exciting strokeplay, is only a part of batting.
The basis of good, consistent strokeplay is footwork, it is the ability to concentrate, to know when to play and when not to play, it is developing the right attitude to the business of performing, it is how to plan, to build an innings, and apart from Lara, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and recently Christopher Gayle, when one looks at the batting of the West Indians, they simply do not know how to bat.
In the third match, for example, Wavell Hinds, without even attempting to move his feet in an effort to get close to the line of the delivery, went to knock the cover off a ball that was pitched way outside the offstump and edged a catch to the wicketkeeper; Ramnaresh Sarwan played at a delivery when he did not have to and edged a catch to the wicketkeeper.
Then Marlon Samuels, immediately after a fielder was set for the catch, hooked, or rather swatted at a delivery that was going over his head and was caught by the man who was set for the catch; and Vasbert Drakes stood up in his stance, never moved his feet, attempted to run a short, wide delivery past slip, and edged a catch to the wicketkeeper.
NOT AT THAT LEVEL
Batsmen are not supposed to throw away their wickets like that, certainly not at that level of the game, and that is why, regardless of the pitch, the West Indies batsmen, who appear unable to think, to adjust, to control themselves especially in tight situations, are hot one day the day when they get away with everything, and cold the next day the day when nothing goes their way.
Can the West Indies win tomorrow and leave themselves a chance to win the series?
If the batsmen are hot, they will win. That, however, will depend on Lara's contribution and whether the batsmen will bat, let Zimbabwe's bowlers work for their wickets, and do not hand them to Heath Streak, Andy Blignaut and company.
