The time of reckoning for West Indies Cricket has arrived and over the course of the next few days, developments both on and off the field will indicate in which direction our cricket is headed. Will it be wallowing with the likes of Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan or Ireland, the minnows of Test cricket, or ramping with the current giants of the game, Australia, England and India?
The Second Test versus New Zealand begins on Friday (Thursday evening Caribbean time) at the Basin Reserve in Wellington, following the embarrassing innings and 134 runs defeat suffered last weekend in Hamilton. It was the heaviest loss ever against the Kiwis, and the seventh in the last eight Test matches between the two sides. The news from the North Island prior to the start of the Test only gets worse, as both fast bowler Kemar Roach and wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich are unavailable for selection. It appears that the West Indies have dug themselves into a deep hole.
However, there are positive indicators that all is not lost; the West Indies have given us flickers of hope. Following the failures of the top five in the order in both innings, and the West Indies facing the insurmountable odds of a massive defeat, two players, Jermaine Blackwood and Alzarri Joseph, took it upon themselves to demonstrate to their teammates that the West Indies are quite capable of competing at this level. Though far from being the best batsmen in the side, they applied themselves to the task at hand, stood up and launched a counter-attack when it mattered most.
As the pair took the score from a woeful 89 for 6 in the second innings, adding 155 in two and three-quarter hours, they frustrated the five-pronged Kiwi seam attack whilst playing their natural game and demonstrating the patience and concentration required for success at this level. Blackwood’s century, his second in Tests, following three scores in the nineties, will always be remembered for its positive approach. With Chairman of the Selectors Roger Harper on the tour, Joseph seized the opportunity to demonstrate his ability with the bat and lays claim for all-rounder status. His innings of 86 filled with a range of strokes was fully deserving of a century, which he only lost out on when he holed out to deep point. The seventh-wicket stand forced the game into the fourth day and saved the West Indies the ignominy of being bowled out twice in one day.
The other positive take-away from the bitter defeat was the reaction of West Indies skipper Jason Holder, who blasted his teammates for their inept showing. Holder chose not to defend his players and blame the difficult circumstances but instead he threw down the gauntlet.
“I think it’s time we start delivering and stopped talking. We’ve talked a lot, we’ve promised a lot. I think it’s a matter for us to all look ourselves in the mirror and understand that we’ve got to fight a little harder. We’re just probably throwing the towel in too easily, just being honest,” an obviously upset Holder was quoted as saying.
“We’ve just got to turn it around and only we can do it. We’ve had brilliant support from this management and staff, they’ve put everything in place. It’s just for us to live up to it,” Holder added. The calling out of the top order for their unacceptable performance is a positive sign that players are being held accountable.
The West Indies batsmen who failed to deliver in the First Test should heed the sage advice of Dr Rudi Webster, the West Indian sports psychologist. In an article titled, “Ability is not enough” written shortly before that Test, Webster penned the following words, “Can the West Indies team be competitive and do well in the Tests in New Zealand? They can, if the players use their heads and common sense and play with intent and purpose. If they make self-discipline and good execution of the basics first important priorities the odds of doing well will automatically increase. And if they absorb the pressure that the Kiwis will place on them and then return the favour at critical periods of the game they might rattle their opponents.
“However, the West Indies’ players must understand that in the next few days their greatest opponent will not be the one on the field; it will be the one inside their heads.”
Can Webster’s words provide the food for thought necessary to ignite a burning desire in the batsmen to succeed like Kane Williamson who compiled 251 at Hamilton? Can this loss propel the West Indies to find themselves?
Off the field, West Indies cricket fans will be paying close attention to the upcoming CWI Extraordinary General meeting scheduled for mid-December to vote on the proposals in revising the archaic structure of the board recommended by the Wehby Report. Will the six territorial boards vote to loosen the reins on the board and allow for formation of a new way of doing business, or will we remain in the dark ages of cricket administration?
The time for reckoning in West Indies Cricket, both on and off the field has arrived. West Indies cricket fans are collectively holding their breath in anticipation of good news. Let’s hope that Blackwood’s and Joseph’s efforts were not in vain.
