Series win lifts English spirits

A drab and uninspiring series came to its logical conclusion with England beating the West Indies 3-0 in a four-match Test affair.

Given the weakness of the opposition, England did not exactly trample over them and this may be a cause for concern with the series against India coming up shortly.
The general standard of play was below par with England also contributing to it. The West Indies side was probably the poorest to visit English shores.
There was much hope that post-Lara, the West Indies would rise to the occasion and give a fight to the demoralised Englishmen. Sadly, the West Indies optimism was totally misplaced and led to depressing thoughts about the future of West Indian cricket.
Only one man showed what is needed if West Indies cricket has to turn the corner. Shivnaraine Chanderpaul batted like a champion throughout the series and deservedly won the man-of-the-series award.
Though never attractive to watch, Chanderpaul batted for nearly one complete day in the series. He was always up for a fight and nearly upset England’s applecart in the third Test.
Unfortunately, none of his teammates took his example with the exception of Dwayne Bravo.
Bravo, as usual promised much, but a lack of concentration and misplaced audacity always ended many a good innings. To his credit, Bravo always showed enthusiasm unlike some of his teammates who appeared lackadaisical.
Some of the new breed West Indian players have a lot of swagger but little ability to back it. Even if they do have some talent they lack concentration and application.
Stand-in captain Darren Ganga rightly pointed out that his team was let down due to lack of consistency.
This was illustrated in the final Test. After taking five quick wickets, the West Indies let England off the hook with some of the most rubbish bowling seen on the cricket field.
So shabby was the West Indies performance that one of the leading Caribbean dailies called on the board to the keep the team out from Tests and one-dayers for a few years.
West Indies cricket desperately needs a dose of success as spectator interest is dwindling over the past few years. The lure of money is also drawing many young potential sportsmen to the US to take up basketball or baseball.
The domestic set-up in the West Indies also leaves much to be desired and only some sort of major shake-up can improve the path to the future.
The rift between the players and the West Indies board has also dragged on too long and there is a lot of insecurity surrounding the cricketers.
The abject performances on the field have left a lot of the former stars and spectators disgruntled. The downslide of West Indies cricket has now become a freefall.
It is felt that the absence through injury of captain Ramnaresh Sarwan was a major blow to West Indian hopes. But a Sarwan and a Chaderpaul cannot stand up and play for the entire team.
England had a few positives with the return of a fit and in form Michael Vaughan a big boost. Vaughan marked his comeback with a fine century and his influence on the field was there to see.
The English cricketers began to enjoy their game again and their camaraderie was clearly evident.
England’s wicketkeeping problems were sorted out with Matt Prior being outstanding both behind and in front of the stumps. Prior’s batting was authoritative and often crucial to his team.
Monty Panesar had a great series with 23 wickets. Monty has learnt very quickly and adjusted to the needs of Test cricket. He also bowled with nice flight and loop.
Ryan Sidebottom came from nowhere and gave a great account of himself. With his ability to swing the ball both ways, the left-arm bowler added plenty of variety to the England attack.
Matthew Hoggard’s return to the England fold added a touch of steadiness to the attack after the wayward offerings of Liam Plunkett.
Finally, Steve Harmison found some of the form which made him so lethal in Test cricket. It is only a matter of time before Harmison will get back to full flow.
Andrew Strauss found some form towards the end of the series but the left-hander needs to iron out a few minor problems. Kevin Pieterson, as usual, gave a good account of himself.
Underrated batsmen Paul Collingwood and Ian Bell played reasonably well though Bell tends to fail in the second innings after getting a big score in the first.
England will at least have some confidence going for them when they face India. Winning can becomes a habit and the English team will be hoping for that.

By Babu Kalyanpur
babu.kallianpur@tradearabia.net