Dear Editor,
What a game! It hurt not to be able to see it on TV in Toronto. It was cricket at its best; not T20 cricket at its best. Rahul’s innings did not strike me as one in which there was no thinking as Jadeja had declared while broadcasting during the Test series, in which he contrasted the thinking needed in batting in Test cricket with the lack of thought that would allow one to succeed in the shorter forms of the game. By working hard mentally I have come to recognize that the shorter forms of the game are precisely that ‒ a game of cricket played within a time-frame that allows thousands of people to watch from beginning to end without losing their jobs or having to plan their vacations months or years in advance ‒ a day or sometimes three hours of intense entertainment. Bravo’s last ball was what David Lloyd meant when he said that a ball in 20/20 cricket is an event. Do not interpret this to mean I would not have loved to see such a conclusion in a Test match. In fact I watched most of the Test matches involving these same two teams and removed myself from the TV only when necessary, but that was because I am retired. My working cricket friends only saw bits and pieces. These players are talented and motivated and bring as much pleasure to fans as the longer forms of the same game.
That is what entertainment in the form of sport is all about.
Tactically, from the point of view of the West Indies, I think there was one mistake that could have cost them the game. The captain, as he demonstrated so dramatically in the last World Cup is a magnificent six hitter, but an average batsman. He went in to bat after 15.5 overs with the score at 236. Fletcher, Simmons, Samuel and Bravo were sitting in the dugout. All can play an array of aggressive shots that the captain cannot at this stage of his development. He should not have batted ahead of them. Admittedly Samuels is a slow starter, but can get it on quickly thereafter. These players, and especially the first three, should have gone in before the captain. The score would have been closer to 260 if that approach had been followed, and they would have won without the danger of heart attacks.
Congratulations to both teams.
Yours faithfully,
Romain Pitt
