Tony Becca
THE SECOND Test between the West Indies and South Africa opens at Queen's Park Oval today and cricket fans around the twin island republic are looking forward to an exciting five days highlighted by a West Indies victory.
Up to a week or so ago, the fans in Port-of-Spain were talking boycott. At that time, the board and the players were locked in a bitter dispute, home town hero Brian Lara had refused the invitation to play in the first Test, there were strong feelings that Lara should be selected regardless, and the word was out that if he was not selected for the second Test, the Oval would be so empty it would be like a graveyard.
Although Lara is in the team for the Test match, he has been replaced as captain, and there were whispers that that could also lead to an empty stadium. That, however, will not be the case.
NO WRONG IN REPLACING LARA
According to those who should know, although there are some fans who feel that Lara should still be the captain, there will be no boycott. In fact, based on ticket sales, the Oval will be as it has been for the Trinidad Test in recent years.
The reason for the expected fan support is that there are others who believe that nothing is wrong in replacing Lara as the captain, because they feel there is a need for a change and it has nothing to do with the impasse and his refusal of the invitation to play in the first Test.
Another reason for the support is that Lara is a great batsman. He is a Trinidadian, and Trinidadians will never miss an opportunity to see him bat. Last time they met, for example, Andre Nel enjoyed tremendous success against Lara, and there is no Trinidadian who would forgive himself if Lara gets going against the aggressive fast bowler and he is not there to witness it.
There are, however, three other reasons.
The first one is that the West Indies did so well in the first Test that Trinidadians want to tell them that by coming out and supporting them.
The second one is that unlike the bare pitch at Bourda, the pitch at Queen's Park Oval is covered with a thin layer of grass. It will assist the pace bowlers, and because of that, it should be a good contest between the batsmen and the bowlers a contest which, after the performance of Wavell Hinds and Shivnarine Chanderpaul at Bourda, the fans believe, or want to believe, will separate the men, or the man, from the boys.
The third reason is that although he is a batsman who does not bowl and Ryan Hinds is a batsman who bowls spin, Donovan Pagon has been called in to replace the left-hander and after his impressive performance in the first Test, the fans want to have a look at him.
"That guy has some class," said one fan while looking at the West Indies players during a light session yesterday morning. "He is the kind of batsman, the kind of stroke player, that we Trinidadians love."
