Another Test series has started for the West Indies and it will certainly be another test of their resolve and so far, they have failed. A well-held view in the cricketing world is that Sri Lanka, at home, is an entirely different beast to Sri Lanka touring another Test-playing country.
Sri Lanka had started the rebuilding process after the retirement of four world class players - Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardena, Murali Muralitharan and Chaminda Vaas. The new players, together with some of the experienced players, have worked very hard at their game as very few teams will rebound quickly from the loss of great players. I looked at them in the T20 World Cup and their all-round cricket display was good and they will continue to improve.
So do not for one minute think it’s the Sri Lanka team that toured the Caribbean earlier this year. The Sri Lankans will start as favourites and the pitch in Galle has started to spin as early as day two.
At the end of the fourth day of this first Test, as expected, the West Indies are struggling. Their top batsmen just cannot cope with the spin of the Sri Lankans; they are not just bamboozled with the spin, but with the arm ball of the respective spinners and yet again, one is left to wonder exactly what type of preparation to adapt to spinning pitches was done before the tour. Thankfully, there is no leg spinner in the Sri Lankan attack or it could have been worse if that is even possible.
The saddest bit of news was the unfortunate blow to the grill of the helmet received by debutant Jeremy Solozano which floored him while fielding and has kept him out for the remainder of the Test match. A tough blow as he would have been so looking forward to going out in the middle to bat against a steady, but not menacing, fast bowling attack. His biggest hurdle was to negotiate the turning ball but I am sure young Solozano is going to bounce back stronger after the experience.
Again, we see a couple of the batsmen getting out in the 30s and 40s and they need to transfer those scores into 100s. I still do not think the selectors have the best Test 11 going out onto the field but without any four-day cricket being played regionally, they will select the tried and trusted individuals who have been playing Test cricket over the last two years.
Unfortunately, some of the cricket being served up with both bat and ball by the regional team is definitely not up to international standard. The problem with West Indies cricket is that they do the same thing over and over again yet somehow expect a different result. Batsmen getting out to similar shots on a regular basis and bowlers not being able to bowl a consistent line or length and keep the pressure on the opposition batting are just two examples.
Individually, young Jayden Seales was not selected which was a disappointment for me as he has to learn the trade by bowling on all types of pitches. Rahkeem Cornwall bowled 27 overs and did not take a single wicket in the first innings whereas 17 wickets out of 20 fell to the other spinners on both teams.
West Indies cricket needs a top-class leg or left arm back of the hand spinner as they are proven match winners. Until the West Indies can come up with a couple of them, their bowling attack will look ordinary and non-penetrative especially when they go on an away tour and there is no match-winning leggie to worry the opposition.
Only a miracle will save the first Test for the West Indies. Some fans will be hoping that the rain stays at Galle for the last day which may very well be an injustice to a Sri Lankan team that certainly deserves to win the Test match.
On the other hand, some good news is still there for West Indies cricket as the women are doing the Caribbean extremely proud. After defeating Pakistan 3-0 in a warm-up series, they have won their first match in the Women’s World Cup qualifying tournament in Harare, Zimbabwe convincingly defeating the Irish by six wickets with 63 balls to spare.
Deandra Dottin, the little dynamic opener, again showed her class and the evergreen skipper, Stafanie Taylor, holding the middle order together. It’s early days yet, but the team is improving under coach Courtney Walsh and they seem measured in their approach. Naturally, the acid test will come once they qualify and they will face the big girls like the Aussies and the English in the World Cup.
My concern with the batting is, at times, it seems over-reliant on Dottin, Taylor and Hayley Matthews and if those three fail with the bat, the rest of the team struggles to put together some big scores. There is no doubt of the talent of Rashada Williams, Chedean Nation and wicket-keeper Shermaine Campbelle but I would like to see some more consistency from them. You look at the talent that both Dottin and Taylor possess and that must be the benchmark for the other players to follow.
It was good to see Anisa Mohammed among the wickets as she continues to be a fine contributor to West Indies women cricket. Matthews’ bowling has improved over the last few months and every time she bowls, it appears as if she will get a couple of scalps.
My hope is that this West Indies women team, from a bowling perspective, will improve under Walsh. I believe he knows what to look for in the bowlers; he can set them right and most importantly, get them bowling with a sense of purpose and a discipline that is so sorely missing from the men’s team.
I have no doubt that they will be one of the teams vying for the three World Cup spots to qualify. Once they do the hard work, as Walsh will certainly demand, they will be fully prepared and I’m sure cricket fans across the region will be rallying around their West Indies women team.
Good luck to them!
Editor’s note: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not reflect the views of any organisation of which he is a stakeholder.