By Orin Davidson
Australians have been placing West Indies pacer Kemar Roach under the microscope but for Chris Gayle, the Perth Test match should be the litmus Test of his batting prowess.
Gayle defied the Australian attack for arguably his best Test innings ever in the second Test, a match-high 165 not out.
He surprised the Australians with an unprecedented, mature display, void of recklessness and full of tight defense.
The innings virtually took the game away from the home team and laid the foundation for a strong West Indies finish that left the home fighting to save the game on Day Five.
But that was Adelaide, the most favorable batting venue of all of Australia’s Test grounds.
At Perth, it will be searing pace and Gayle will have the opportunity to dispel the “flat track bully” label that has followed around ever since he notched that triple century four years at the Antigua Recreation ground.
The reality is that the majority of his biggest Test scores were made on pitches with no claim to fame for pace and or swing.
Apart from his career best 317 at the Recreation Ground which Brian Lara blessed with his two world records of over 375 and 400 not out each, Gayle’s second best Test innings of 204 was recorded at the Grenada Stadium and his 175 at Bulawayo.
Perth, in contrast, is still considered the fastest pitch in the world and the question is whether Gayle could muster the defensive techniques to prove that he has turned the corner by adding tight defense to his natural attacking game.
The captain has been a mixed bag so far in Australia.
In Brisbane, where the pitch is second only to Perth for speed, Gayle’s foot work was nonexistent and the Australians had a field day failing him in both innings by breaching his defense.
Adelaide had less bounce and pace and Gayle was a man transformed.
His feet found life and he stunted the same Aussie attack from Brisbane with a beautifully constructed chanceless knock in the second innings.
Gayle has to regain that footwork at Perth and use his bat instead of pads, a feature of the undefeated 165, while negotiating balls flying around and at least speeds of five kmh faster.
Ian Chappell made a significant observation in the second Test after watching the West Indies prepare before the fourth day.
The former Australia captain said on television that coach David Williams was forthright in stressing the importance of footwork to Shivnarine Chanderpaul.
According to Chappell, Chanderpaul was planting his front foot in one place while hitting every ball in a warm-up session.
Williams, he said, walked up, wrenched the bat from Chanderpaul’s hand and proceeded to dance down the track and hit the ball into the stands a couple of times before handing the bat back to Chanderpaul.
This was a good sign from Williams, who would have realized that the leaded-foot approach by West Indian batsmen has been a big factor in the team’s failures.
If Williams has been stressing footwork to his batsmen, the batting is sure to climb the next level in quality.
And Williams would have earned a major portion of his contract in the process.
For the sake of the team’s future, hopefully Williams has been using the week since Adelaide to instruct the other batsmen similarly, Gayle inclusive.
For his part the WI captain must be aware that he has earned the respect of the Australian pundits with his epic display at Adelaide. Commentators were even marveling that he was merely one match late in fulfilling his promise of scoring a century for his recently hospitalized mother.
It means he has to do a lot to maintain that respect.
Gayle will have to adopt the same measured approach at Perth and keep his feet moving instead of getting carried away and slash at every fast rising delivery on the offside.
If one is to conclude that the captain was underprepared for Brisbane, having played his prior Test five months before, and he fell back into his old bad ways, he will not have any such excuses at Perth.
Of significance is the fact that the Jamaican was been pretty consistent since he amassed 197 against New Zealand one year ago on a Napier pitch that is not exactly slow and flat.
Two centuries against England in the following home series were recorded and he got a half ton in the unplayable winter-like conditions presented West Indies in the `make up’ two-Test series immediately after.
Ex Australian captain Steve Waugh correctly assessed that West Indies will have a hard time taking 20 Aussie wickets in this third Test with Roach being the lone likely match-winning bowler.
But it will be a tremendous boost for the team’s future if Gayle cements himself as a world class batsman with big performances at Perth.
His approach will undoubtedly rub off on his batsmen, given the charismatic influence he has effected since taking up the helm.
With Jerome Taylor and Fidel Edwards to return sometime soon to the bowling attack, West Indies could be a much more balanced team.
The best therefore, could yet come from the once mighty West Indies, but now beleaguered team, with proper guidance.
