West Indies cricket struggling because of internal politics not lack of talent

West Indies cricket is currently going through its worst period and a team which used to rule the cricketing world in 70s and 80s, now find it difficult to beat even the second grade teams of the international sport.
Since the retirement of the great Caribbean captain Clive Lloyd, West Indian cricket has gone through a continuous decline and now the situation is such that they have reached the rock bottom, and hopefully things can only start to move in the right direction from here on.
There is an opinion that youngsters in West Indies are more inclined towards other sports, especially Basketball, because of all the money and sponsorships involved in it. However, the matter of fact is that West Indies is not struggling at international level because of lack of good cricketers, it is the internal politics which has damaged the ‘gentlemen’s game’ in the beautiful Islands.
The most painful thing in the whole scenario is the fact that Caribbean Islands are not short of talent, and even in this dark age, they are able to produce quality cricketers. Lendl Simmons, Darren Bravo, Devendra Bishoo and Kemar Roach are a few examples to strengthen the claim that there is still a lot of talent in the Caribbean which just needs to be streamlined.
Chris Gayle is without doubt the best batsman produced by West Indies in the last one-and-a-half decade and it is a pity he wasn't used to the best of his abilities by West Indies Cricket Board (WICB). The left hander lost the captaincy last year when he, along with another senior player Dwayne Bravo, refused to sign the central contract with the WICB.
It led to another controversy as Darren Sammy was made the captain of the Caribbean team which was quite astonishing because the all-rounder from the Northern Windward Islands had never held his position in the West Indian playing eleven consistently.
After a dismal performance in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, West Indian coach Ottis Gibson blamed the senior players for their lack of application and that’s how he was able to retain his job with the team, and also saved Sammy’s captaincy. As a result, the senior players like Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul were axed from the limited overs squad against Pakistan.
On top of that, the worst and the most ironic thing in the current circumstances is that the best Caribbean cricketers like Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard and Jerome Taylor are busy playing the Indian Premier League when West Indies is being thrashed at the hands of Pakistan back home.
West Indies have brilliant players in all the departments of the game; batting, bowling and fielding. The likes of Chris Gayle, Lendl Simmons, Darren Bravo, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Marlon Samuels, Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard can form a formidable batting unit. Whereas, a bowling lineup which includes Jerome Taylor, Fidel Edwards, Kemar Roach, Ravi Rampaul, Sulieman Benn and Devendra Bishoo can dismantle any batting lineup of the world.
A captain is supposed to lead his team from the front and no team, even at domestic level, can compete if it is led by a player who does not hold a permanent position in the team, because of his lack of skill and consistency.
The need of the hour for WICB is to get their act together and get rid of the politics within their system. The selection of players and captain should be purely on merit rather than the quota system of different Islands.
If the Caribbean cricket is managed properly, there is no reason why West Indies cannot become a huge force in international cricket once again with the sort of talent they possess.

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Pakistan aim to seal series win against West Indies in 3rd One Day International at Barbados

Pakistan would be hoping for a third consecutive win against the West Indies as the One Day International (ODI) series moves to Kensington Oval in Barbados. The tourists have been in top form and won the first two matches with comfort and ease, through a combined effort by both batsmen and bowlers.

After losing the one-off T20 match at St. Lucia, Shahid Afridi’s men bounced back to thrash the hosts in the 50 overs format.

Thus far in the series the Pakistani spinners have reigned supreme, the trio of Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal, and, Mohammad Hafeez, has taken wickets and squeezed the batsmen for runs and would once again be the mainstays for their team.

However, the West Indian would breathe a sigh of relief, as the wicket for the match is expected to suit faster bowlers, which means that the spinners’ threat would be considerably reduced.

The West Indian captain, Darren Sammy, stated after the defeat in the second ODI that his team had fought all the way despite having a poor total to defend, he gave credit to his bowlers and fielders, who hung in till the very end of the match and hopes that they would be able to score a win and finish the job at Barbados.

"We weren't rolled over. We kept ourselves in the matches right to the finish. There were moments when things could have gone either way, but we didn't make it happen", Sammy stated.

The West Indians are expected to retain the same eleven that played in the last match, the new recruit spinner, Anthony Martin, was impressive and contained the Pakistani batsmen with his faster ones and short of length deliveries that were hurrying onto the batsmen.

The rest of the bowling attack has a big job to do, as other than leg spinner, Devendra Bishoo, none of the bowlers has succeeded in dismissing a batsman.

In the last three games between the two teams the West Indians have snared a mere 5 wickets and the tally includes one run out, the remaining four wickets have been taken by Bishoo.

Pakistan won the World Cup quarter final at Mirpur by 10 wickets, while in St.Lucia the Men in Green won by 8 wickets and 7 wickets. The batsmen have feasted on the bowling with the out of sorts, Ahmed Shehzad, also returning to form with a patient hundred in the second match of the series, the Lahore based opener was elated with his innings and gave credit to his captain for persisting with him despite his recent wretched run of form.

"I would like to thank my team management for the way they have supported me. Shahid is the man to follow. He is giving confidence to every single individual - I think it is amazing", Ahmed stated.

The following elevens are expected to take the field today at Barbados.

West Indies (possible): 1 Devon Smith, 2 Lendl Simmons, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Kirk Edwards, 6 Dwayne Bravo, 7 Carlton Baugh (wk), 8 Darren Sammy (capt), 9 Devendra Bishoo, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Anthony Martin

Pakistan played the same XI in both games, and with the results they've had, there is no need to change it as they push for a series win.

Pakistan (possible): 1 Ahmed Shehzad, 2 Mohammad Hafeez, 3 Asad Shafiq, 4 Misbah-ul-Haq, 5 Umar Akmal, 6 Hammad Azam, 7 Mohammad Salman (wk), 8 Shahid Afridi (capt), 9 Wahab Riaz, 10 Junaid Khan, 11 Saeed Ajmal

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Darren Sammy disappointed with West Indies in St. Lucia, Shahid Afridi aims to seal series in Barbados

The West Indian and Pakistani captains were obviously in different moods after the second match of the five-match One Day International (ODI) series between the two teams.

The match played at Gros Islet in St.Lucia was won comfortably by the visitors, who have now taken a 2-0 lead in the series, the West Indians were ordinary with the bat and insipid with the ball, as the Men in Green cantered home to a 7-wicket win on a good batting track.

Sammy, who has been under fire from cricketing pundits in the region, stated that his team needs to improve their performance by leaps and bounds if they are to compete and make a comeback in the series. He thinks that the batsmen have let the team down in the first two games, as they failed to make good use of batting conditions scoring 221 and 220 runs only in the two innings.

He also felt that the bowlers failed to tighten their grip around the batsmen despite a low score on the board. He added that a major blip in the performance is needed if the West Indians are to fight back and make things tough for the Pakistan team.

"We could have tried to squeeze their batsmen more and when we batted we got a good start, but did not capitalize on it", Sammy said. "We weren't rolled over today. We kept ourselves in the match right to the finish. There were moments when things could have gone either way, but we didn't make it happen. We have to find a way to win those tight situations. We have to win in Barbados to stay alive in the series, so we have to grab our chances".

On the other hand, the Pakistani captain Shahid Afridi is happy with the performance of his team in the first two games. He praised the "discipline" shown by his side and added that his team has a specific plan for the second match and fortunately they succeeded in sticking to it and reaped the rewards with a comfortable win.

Afridi feels that it was a complete team effort that helped his side and if the boys continued to play with the same purpose and commitment they were set to pocket the series in the third ODI that is to be played in Barbados.

"We made a plan at our team meeting and our guys stuck to it and that was good", Afridi said. "I think our bowlers are doing a great job, and the fielding has improved because it is a very important area for us. Our batting has shown responsibility and we hope to maintain this discipline right throughout the series".

The man known as BOOM BOOM for his big hitting ability added that the team has reaped rewards of the hard work that they put in the World Cup and during the training camp set prior to the tour of West Indies.

Another encouraging thing for Afridi is the performance of his opening batsmen, Ahmed Shehzad, who posted his second century of the year and his career to take the team through to the victory target.

Shehzad was under intense pressure after an ordinary World Cup but repaid the faith shown in him by the selection panel and Afridi himself, who requested the selectors to include him in the team for the tour, as he had faith in his abilities with the bat.

The third ODI would be played on 27th April in Kensington Oval, Barbados.

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Chris Gayle concentrating on the Indian Premier League after West Indies snub

Former West Indies captain, Chris Gayle, has stated that he was keen on representing his nation and that is what he had hoped for at the start of the season. However, circumstances have forced him to fly out to India and take part in the Indian Premier League (IPL) where he is representing the Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Gayle was dropped from the Windies team that was announced for the first part of the limited overs series against the touring Pakistanis. The series started off well for the hosts who won the one-off Twenty20 game, but it has all gone pear shaped since then and the home side has received a drubbing in each of the first two One Day Internationals at St. Lucia.

Gayle told media in India that in an ideal world he would have been representing the West Indies at the moment and making an effort to tackle the Pakistan spinners, who have tightened the screws around his batsmen. He added that he had no intentions of playing in the IPL this season.

"It was to be international cricket for me. Had I been picked, that would have been what I would have done," Gayle said. "I didn't have any thoughts about IPL4. I had written off IPL4, rather I was looking forward to its next year. I should have been there (in the West Indies) playing with the national team, but I am here. It is unfortunate but that is how it is."

Gayle added that he was not expecting a call from IPL franchises either and it only happened after a party late in the night in Jamaica.

The flamboyant left hander made a real impact in his very first outing for his new team as he played a mesmerizing unbeaten century that set up Bangalore's win against the Kolkata Knight Riders.

Gayle’s knock was a typically belligerent 102 in 55 balls against his former IPL team, the Kolkata Knight Riders. At the end of the match he brushed aside concerns about an injury which was the official explanation for his axing by the West Indian Cricket Board.

"An opportunity presented itself, so I am here now to actually do what I can. I have got a good welcome from each and everyone, the players, the owners, and management staff. When asked about his abdominal strain, Gayle replied to the question with another one, "What did it look like during the match? That's what it is like now."

Meanwhile Gayle reiterated that he had little interest in the league after he was left unsold at the auction for players held last year, he stated that he was surprised that none of the franchises bid for him in the auction but was told later that the reason for the snub was that the West Indies international commitments against Pakistan during the major part of the IPL season.

On the other hand the cricket fans in the West Indies region are crying for the inclusion of the big hitter after the consistent failures of the batting line-up against the formidable Pakistan bowling attack.

The spin trio of Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Hafeez seem to have cast a spell on the Calypso batsmen who are struggling to keep stock of their sharp spinning and bouncing deliveries.

Gayle has the ability to turn a match on its head and given the sheer talent and boundary hitting capabilities at his disposal, the West Indian selectors should consider bringing him back in the national fold, however for that to happen immediately, Gayle would have to sever his IPL contract which looks a distinct possibility at the moment.

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Pakistan v West Indies - Pakistan’s convincing triumph at St. Lucia

Pakistan and West Indies camps were in contrasting moods after the first match of the five match series, which was won by the visitors by a convincing margin of 8 wickets.

Batting first the hosts limped to a total of 221 runs that too was only made possible by a late blip when it appeared that they would post a score of 200 runs at most, in reply the Pakistani batsmen made good use of a batting strip to coast home.

Three out of the four batsmen, who went out to bat scored half centuries, with Misbah Ul Haq top scoring with an unbeaten 73 run knock.

Youngster, Asad Shafiq, made another positive impression on his critics, making an unbeaten 61 studded with 7 fours.

On the other hand, man of the match, Mohammad Hafeez, scored an impressive 54 to lay the foundations of a canter of a run chase, which ended with more than 8 overs to spare.

West Indian captain, Darren Sammy, who hit some useful boundaries at the end of his team’s innings, thinks that his team was at least 50 runs short. He added that the batsmen dug a hole for themselves, as they allowed Pakistani spinners to dominate them.

Hafeez bowled an impressive spell of 10 overs, 2 maidens, 36 runs, for 1 wicket, while Afridi gave away only 40 runs in his quota. Saeed Ajmal was also equally impressive in his bowling spell.

Sammy thinks that the batsmen should have been more adventurous against the trio.

"We put ourselves in a hole when we were batting, and the spinners were bowling, so we really have to come better in the next game", he said. "We may need to show more intent in our approach. We have a new batting coach, and he has been doing some good work, but we can't lose sight of us reaching 221 coming from our position”.

On the other hand, the Pakistan captain, Shahid Afridi, was elated with the performance of his team. He said that the decision by Sammy to field first after winning the toss was a bonus, as he thought that the wicket was a tricky one at the start of the innings with moisture underneath the surface a sure shot problem for the openers.

 "I was very happy when West Indies won the toss and chose to bat because I thought the pitch would help our spinners", Afridi said. "I think our spinners have been doing a great job for us in the last few months, and they again set things up for us".

For the hosts the match was a disappointment, only one, amongst the recognized batsman, made an impression.

The upcoming left hander, Darren Bravo, anchored the innings with 67 before he was run out in the 45th over. His demise came at a crucial stage of the innings when the hosts had looked set for a bigger score especially if he would have batted out the quota.

The second match of the series would be played at the same venue on April 25, 2011.

Pakistan would be aiming to take a 2-0 lead in the competition and have a strong chance of making it happen. Their bowling attack has had the West Indies on the back foot ever since the ICC World Cup 2011 quarter final at Mirpur.

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Lendl Simmons keen on making a mark in series against Pakistan

Upcoming West Indian batsman, Lendl Simmons, who has earned a recall in the national team for the series against Pakistan, is hopeful of making a real impact in the series and stamping his class on the international scene.

The youngster, who is the nephew of former West Indian batsman and occasional medium pacer, Phil Simmons, stated that he has become “mentally stronger" cricketer from the one, who last played for West Indies in 2010.

He added that the series provides an ideal opportunity for him to showcase his talents and cement a spot in the young batting line-up that is entering the series without the much vaunted trio of Chris Gayle, Shiv Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan.

Simmons was hailed as a real prospect, who could serve the team for many years yet he has not been able to perform with any degree of consistency at the highest level especially when the situation became tough.

Now he feels that he has matured a great deal and knew what the requirements at the big level were.

"I see myself as a more mature player and I'm putting a lot more thought into my preparation for games and when I go onto the field of play as well”.

Simmons was first selected for the West Indies in 2006 making his One Day International (ODI) debut, from there onwards he was the star performer for his country in the World Twenty20 in England in 2009.

In that event he ended up with a tally of 150 runs at 30.00 and taking six wickets, the West Indians made it to the semi-finals where they were drubbed by Sri Lanka.

However, Simmons’s graph dipped badly from there. He had a barren run in an ODI series in Australia in February 2010 where he managed just 50 runs in five One-Dayers. His highest score was 29 and the selectors had little faith left in him.

As a result of the barren run he was axed from the team and spent time on the side-lines aiming to regain his touch and make a comeback for the West Indian team.  

Besides Simmons the West Indian selection panel has inducted many youngsters for the first three matches of the Pakistan series. The contest gets underway with a one-off T-20 match on the April 21, 2011. After that the two teams would be locked in a five match ODI series, thus far, the squad has been announced for the first two games.

Simmons would be expected to take the brunt of the batting along with Devon Smith, Darren Bravo and Kirk Edwards.

Simmons told the West Indian media that he was desperate to make an impression and wanted to make full use of his talent and the maturity that he has acquired over the years by regularly playing first class cricket.

"It feels really great to be back in the West Indies team set-up and among the players again as we look forward to facing Pakistan. I was away for a year and in that period I had a lot of time to reflect and analyze my game. I am happy to be back and I believe I am mentally stronger".

On the other hand, the Pakistanis have also inducted many youngsters in the team. The changes have been made with an eye on the next World Cup set to be played in Australia and New Zealand in 2015.

As such the series is set to provide enthralling cricket between the two evenly matched teams.

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