Go For The Kill

The rules of good hospitality dictate that a host never lets his visitor return home empty-handed. So, to return the favour that the Caribbeans did on India’s tour of the islands this year—allowing India to win the odi series 2-1 after winning the Test series, India may give some rope to Hooper’s men. A victory is, after all, a victory. There are few things that bring as much joy to a sportsman as victory. And the West Indies team do have the potential to take home a series win. They should just go for the kill.

True that West Indies have been routed by an Indian side that is on a winning streak. Fresh from winning the icc Champions’ Trophy in Sri Lanka, Ganguly would want the run of success this year in the odis to run till the World Cup next year. A win against the Windies will surely bolster India’s confidence even further.

For the West Indies, it is not just the Indian side that seems insurmountable. Some indiscipline in the team, very much visible while it is on the field, has also been its undoing.

Recently, the West Indies Cricket Board (wicb) in its weekly ‘Across the Board’ column identified indiscipline as one of the factors "seriously eroding the foundation of our cricket" and preventing players from giving their best. The wicb said it must seriously tackle the issue of discipline if West Indies cricket is ever to regain its integrity. But the column seems to have had little effect on the West Indians.

A very disgusted Hooper expressed his feelings thus: "We have been very ordinary with the bat in this series. The present bunch is among the best cricketers we have in the Caribbeans but they just can’t seem to perform abroad. They need to respond better to pressure. Be it lift or turn and bounce, they come unstuck on foreign soil. We have sat down and discussed the dismissals.We have looked at our shot selection. But any amount of technical input could only serve a limited purpose. On the field, a player has to handle issues himself. He can’t turn to somebody else."

To boost its middle-order, West Indies has recalled explosive all-rounder Ricardo Powell. He is one of three replacements West Indies will ship out to reinforce their squad for the odis. The 23-year-old Powell, all-rounder Vasbert Drakes and his compatriot Corey Collymore will swap places with Gareth Breese, Darren Powell and Jermaine Lawson. Powell, an explosive right-hand batsman who bowls off-spin, has scored 1,006 runs at an average of 22.86 and taken four wickets at 49.50 apiece in 51 limited-overs internationals. He last played in the final of the tri-nation LG Abans Series in Sri Lanka that West Indies lost to the host by 34 runs at Khettarama last December. Fast bowling all-rounder Drakes returned to West Indies duty for the first time in seven years when he played in the ICC Champions’ Trophy. He has been playing first-class cricket in South Africa and should bolster both their batting and bowling. Fast bowler Collymore has been a permanent fixture in the odi squad and is the other replacement. India will make no changes in their team that registered a series of wins abroad recently. But it will be tempted to try out some more youngsters during the series.

The West Indies do have to raise their spirits and make the Indian tour worthwhile. Or it won’t be long before they are written off by their selectors back home. And not too many kind words are coming from that quarter. "There are a few good men in the team and a few negative factors, which would continue to poison the side until we get our balance right," are words from the very chief selector himself, Sir Viv Richards. However, former spinner Lance Gibbs had this word of advice for them: "I have heard it myself before, all through my primary school days, even into high school. ‘Hard work and discipline pay their own dividends.’ Hooper must instil hard work and discipline in his men. After all he was part of the squad that routed India 7-1 in 1987-88.