Friday 30 March 2007

Windies Are Losing The Plot

By the look of things so far in the super eight, New Zealand might emerge the only side that can seriously stretch the World Champions. The Kiwi juggernaut rolled almost flawlessly against the hosts, who are making things extremely hard for themselves by playing some outdated cricket.

In hindsight, it was a good toss to lose for Brian Charles Lara. There was no pressure of a target yet they played like there were bound by some invisible chain. Stroke makers look like horror stories when they don't play their natural game. There was no sense in a player like Chris Gayle prodding around; he is never going to win matches for West Indies by making an obdurate hundred batting out the full quota.

There are batsmen in the side with specific tasks. They must adhere to that. The problem with the West Indian line up is the role for each player is not clearly defined. Lara looked good in the knock against Australia, but there was a sense of 'wicket protection' in his knock against New Zealand. The Caribbean players should resort to their natural and attacking cricket. Then they will have a better chance of surviving in the tournament.

It was not a pleasant sight for me, personally, to actually see the hosts capitulate. Let me admit it: I was brought up admiring the likes of Clive Lloyd, Viv Richards and Gordon Greenidge, and to see such a dynasty crumble like this is not good for world cricket.

Stephen Fleming, who is leading a well-tuned unit, is actually doing a fine job as a skipper. The batting order, which has often been wayward, has a semblance of solidity to it now. Fielding has always been their strength, but the biggest bonus for them is the form and rhythm of Shane Bond who with almost a magic touch gets the breakthrough when Fleming throws the ball to him.

The Kiwis really look set for bigger things in this World Cup. It is time they shed their 'also ran' tag and reached the summit. It would be a fitting tribute to a well-knit team.

It is also going to ask a lot of the analysts today to keep listeners engrossed in a match that resembles a minor county tie . It will be one-way traffic, barring a Herculean effort from the Irishhmen. To talk about upsets is OK, and to call this a game of glorious uncertainties is all fine, but if Ireland is going to get past England then the next game featuring Ireland will no more be mismatched.

Even upsets will have their charm only if they are far and few between. Based on cricketing merit, I will back the English to sail through this one comprehensively.

5 comments:

Srikrishna Chintalapati said...

Thank you very much Krish ! Please take a look at my new blog:- 10 Reasons for Team India’s Declination :-

I look forward to your comments.

Thank you,
Srikrishna

Aswin Kini said...

It is indeed very sad to see WestIndians losing both matches by huge marigins. I fear the worst when Lara retires. The present West Indian batsman seem to have no gameplan nor any intention to face the opposition bowlers.
Even the ever-reliable Chanderpaul has seemed to fail consistently, and the other batsman like Samuels, Sarwan, and Gayle fire only rarely.

If West Indians desire to enter teh semis, all their top order batsman should fire, and the tail must wag. The West Indian bowling looks promising but impenetrative, Lara needs to do something about it.

The future of West Indies lies in its Grass roots. The West Indian cricket board should take desperate measures to nourish talented younsters and provide them full support. Maybe then they could find a Vivian richards, Malcom Marshall, Holding or maybe atleast a CLive Llyod.

All said and done, the immediate future looks very bleak for West Indies. I fear Lara's last World Cup is not going to end on a good note.

Indyank said...

Well I thought that west indies will do well in this world cup...somehow they seem to be pressurizing themselves and not feeling relaxed...The body language wasn't there..this is wher the aussies seem to be leaving the others behind..well the kiwis look like the dark horses now...they are making progress without much notice...

Indyank said...

Krish thanks for visiting my blog and leaving encouraging comments..
Here are my blog posts on this world cup - http://indyank.blogspot.com/

Recent post:"England wins the match while Ireland wins the hearts of billions"

Anonymous said...

Yes, I nearly put money on the West Indians to win the Cup, especially as it is on their own soil. They went well in the Champions Trophy a few months back, but I agree with 'indyank', they are putting too much pressure on themselves. Also a big factor is that the crowds are down and the noise usually generated by the crowd with drums, horns, whistles etc is not there due to the stupid rules made by administrators. Part of the attraction of a World Cup held in the West Indies would have been the noise coming from the spectators contributing to an incredible atmosphere at the game. This has usually helped the West Indians in the past.I'm not happy as I want to see Gravy hanging upside-down from a grandstand again. Cheers, Bill