Tony Becca
THE WEST Indies held on to draw the second Test match against India which ended in St. Lucia on Wednesday and hats off to Brian Lara, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Dwayne Bravo who, because of their sterling performances with the bat, the series is now locked at 0-0 with two matches gone and two to come.
After they were routed for 215 in their first innings and forced to follow-on 373 runs behind India, the West Indies, at 52 for three early on the fifth and final day, were in serious trouble before Lara, 120, and Chanderpaul, 54, dropped anchor with a fourth-wicket partnership of 129 in 43.4 overs and Lara and Bravo, 47, followed up with a fifth-wicket stand of 71 in 28 overs.
Playing an innings of a lifetime, Lara, batting at number three for the first time in a long while and joining the action at two for one after three deliveries, not only ticked off his 32nd century but more importantly, in the interest of the team, was fifth out at 252 for five in the 98th over after batting for more than six hours and facing 307 deliveries.
HOW TO FIGHT
When Lara was dismissed, after Chanderpaul and before Bravo, after his slowest innings in excess of 50 runs, and after stroking his fewest boundaries, 10, in a century innings, with Bravo batting well, Denesh Ramdin walking out to bat, Ian Bradshaw to come and only 22 overs to go, the match, despite the recent history of West Indies was as good as over - all because of more recent history.
During the five one-day internationals and during the first Test which they held on to draw after losing nine wickets in the second innings, the West Indies have shown that at least they now know how to fight to save a game.
The problem now is that they do not know how to win - or more accurately, how to give themselves a chance to win.
A few minutes after the match ended on Wednesday, Lara said he wants a fast bowler in the team, and that with Fidel Edwards absent injured for the second Test, he had begged the selectors for a fast bowler.
"I feel I need that fast bowler. I need that guy that makes the opposition uncomfortable - especially if the pitch is in his favour," said captain Lara - and there is no question that if apart from Edwards he can find another one, the team really needs another one.
The problem is that with coaches around the region dis-couraging fast bowlers from bowling fast, it will be difficult to find another one as good as Edwards.
WEAK BOWLING
As Lara probably feared, West Indies bowling was weak.
And it was weak, not only because it lacked a genuine fast bowler, but because it was made up of five medium-pacers - four specialists in Ian Bradshaw, Pedro Collins, Corey Collymore and Jerome Taylor and all-rounder Bravo who is as good as if not better than most of the other four.
The attack was so weak that India, led by Virender Sehwag, dashed to 81 without loss off the first 13 overs of the Test match and were never troubled as they sped to 588 for eight declared off 148.2 overs with Sehwag hitting 180 off 190 deliveries.
The question, however, is this: Did Lara attempt to get the selectors to play one less medium-pacer and include left-arm wrist spinner Dave Mohammed?
With five medium-pacers - five average medium-pacers at that, the West Indies attack was predictable, it was easy pickings for India's batsmen, and instead of the fifth one, a specialist spin bowler would have been a better bet.
At least it would have saved West Indies cricket the embarrassment of Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan bowling together before lunch on the second day with one attempting to bowl offspin and the legspin.
