Tony BeccaTony Becca
THE WEST Indies take on Bangladesh in a two-match Test series starting May 28 and although they should win, easily at that, West Indian fans, certainly a number of Jamaicans, are simply keeping their fingers crossed and hoping for the best.
"I cannot back this West Indies team, not even against Bangladesh," said one a few days ago. "This team is so up and down, it falls apart so easily, you never know what it will do, not even against Bangladesh."
Looking at both teams, however, the West Indies are way ahead of Bangladesh. Regardless of their performances against the likes of South Africa and England, in spite of the disappointing show against Zimbabwe last year, there should be little doubt that West Indies should blow them away, despite the fears of hometown captain Brian Lara and the confident, hope, of visiting captain Habibul Basher.
"I am not going to write off Bangladesh," Lara said recently. "The way we are playing right now, you can't write off anybody at all."
"We are not far away from our first Test win," said Basher a few days ago, a sentiment echoed by coach Dave Whatmore, who has said Bangladesh are capable of upsetting any side in the world.
No team should under-rate another. Lara was probably attempting to ensure his team takes nothing for granted
Basher must have been trying desperately to motivate his team to dig deep and not to surrender.
As far as Whatmore's words are concerned, he probably was playing it safe. He probably remembered that as the coach of Bangladesh, Gordon Greenidge said they were not ready for Test cricket and was fired.
Although cricket is a game of surprises, the West Indies, with batsmen such as Lara, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ram-naresh Sarwan, Christopher Gayle and company, fast bowlers Fidel Edwards, Tino Best and hopefully Jermaine Lawson, should be too good, too powerful, for Bangladesh who, after 28 Test matches, have lost 26 with rain destroying the other two.
The reading is that even if Bangladesh, who are banking on spin, manage to stifle the West Indies batsmen and prevent them from scoring freely and heavily, their batsmen, with the possible exception of Basher, who boasts two of his country's five centuries, will be easy pickings for the West Indies fast bowlers.
The one thing in Bangladesh's favour is the lack of pressure on them and the pressure on the West Indies.
Ranked number 10 out of 10, Bangladesh have nothing to lose. Whereas victory would be something to celebrate, defeat would not be surprising, nothing of which to be ashamed.
Once the best in the world, however, the West Indies, ranked number eight, have everything to lose. For them, to the world, victory is expected and would therefore not be surprising and certainly nothing to shout about.
Defeat, however, would be something else. To lose to Bangladesh would be a great embarrassment, Lara knows and maybe that is why he has said the West Indies cannot afford to write off anybody, including Bangladesh.
The West Indies versus Bangladesh series is one in which one team is playing for pride, the other for glory. When it is over there should be no disappointment nor celebration.
The West Indies, as expected, should win. Bangladesh should lose and the fans should not worry, at least not too much.
