WINDIES POLISH OFF ENGLAND TO WIN NAT WEST TROPHY
Led by an uncharacteristically patient knock of 82 by captain Chris Gayle, and solid 82 not out by Runako Morton, The West Indies trounced England by 93 runs to take the Nat West Trophy 2-1 and ended their tour of England on a winning note.
Anyone who had followed the Windies during the Test Series would hardly have believed that this was the same side. Known for their mercurial approach to the game in recent years, it seemed that the mercury rose at the beginning of the Limited Overs portion of the tour and never came down. They simply outplayed the England side in every department of the game. Their batting, anchored by the tenacious Shivnarine Chanderpaul, has been purposeful. Their fielding demonstrated unbelievable commitment, and the bowling simply breath-taking. Combined, the English was completely outclassed. For me, the high point was the spell of fast bowling that saw the removal of World #1 batsman Kevin Pieterson.
Edwards had just dismissed Ian Bell, brilliantly caught at cover-point by Dwayne Smith when Pieterson strode to the middle. Edwards greeted him with a wicked bouncer that almost took his head with it to the boundary for 4 byes as it climbed over the keeper Ramdin’s head. The next delivery from Edwards had Pieterson his eyes still pulsing flashing haplessly outside the off-stump, sending a catch to a juggling Devon Smith at 2nd slip. At that point, it was evident that England had fallen on their knees and were down for the count.
It made beautiful watching as Chris Gayle led his team in a paroxysm of celebration after the presentations and for the first time in quite a while these fellows looked like a bunch that were covering each others backs.
At last, these players have given their fans something to cheer.
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Monday, July 9, 2007
Friday, June 8, 2007
"Images " The Blog of Images of the game: We are so far behind......
"Images " The Blog of Images of the game: We are so far behind......
http://www.cricimages.com/cricketpaintings/
http://www.cricimages.com/cricketpaintings/
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
We are so far behind......
April 10, 2007
Against my better judgment I watched as the West Indies team once again sputtered in front of the millions of viewers worldwide, glued to their television sets. As the farce unfolded I revisited my thoughts at the beginning of this tournament. I knew that our team paled in comparison to the juggernaut qualities of the brilliant Australians. The South Africans throughout the tournament demonstrated their ability to choke, and I hoped this would have been one of those times, except that I had forgotten their Bangladesh encounter. I equally too forgot that games at this level are won or lost before a ball is bowled based on the team selected. It was not surprising therefore, that the team presented for this encounter reflected the confused state of our cricket. It does not help that we have at the helm, a captain who either knows very little about the strategic management of the team and the game, or worse, is a gambler who is at sea as to the nature and state of the contest. Brian Lara without question is one of the best batsmen to have played this game. His ability as a captain though is nonexistent. This was always my view, a view that was completely solidified with today’s performance.
Today though was not the day that West Indies cricket died, that was some time ago. Today was the day we were embarrassed in front of the entire world by this core of prima-donnas and those who parade with them while wearing the title of team management. Today was the day when our players brought home to us all the need for development, the need for structure and more so, the need for us to begin again. It is a pity though that we have spent throughout the region some US$400 million to develop these lovely structures, but would never come together to make an investment in the development of the game in the region. It really is a pity, because today more than ever we demonstrated how far behind the rest of the world we are at our game.
Against my better judgment I watched as the West Indies team once again sputtered in front of the millions of viewers worldwide, glued to their television sets. As the farce unfolded I revisited my thoughts at the beginning of this tournament. I knew that our team paled in comparison to the juggernaut qualities of the brilliant Australians. The South Africans throughout the tournament demonstrated their ability to choke, and I hoped this would have been one of those times, except that I had forgotten their Bangladesh encounter. I equally too forgot that games at this level are won or lost before a ball is bowled based on the team selected. It was not surprising therefore, that the team presented for this encounter reflected the confused state of our cricket. It does not help that we have at the helm, a captain who either knows very little about the strategic management of the team and the game, or worse, is a gambler who is at sea as to the nature and state of the contest. Brian Lara without question is one of the best batsmen to have played this game. His ability as a captain though is nonexistent. This was always my view, a view that was completely solidified with today’s performance.
Today though was not the day that West Indies cricket died, that was some time ago. Today was the day we were embarrassed in front of the entire world by this core of prima-donnas and those who parade with them while wearing the title of team management. Today was the day when our players brought home to us all the need for development, the need for structure and more so, the need for us to begin again. It is a pity though that we have spent throughout the region some US$400 million to develop these lovely structures, but would never come together to make an investment in the development of the game in the region. It really is a pity, because today more than ever we demonstrated how far behind the rest of the world we are at our game.
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
April 2007
CRICKET “ WORLD” CUP MUST BE JUST THAT ………
As this is being written, the ICC Cricket World Cup continues in the Caribbean with the Super 8 matches well underway. Two of the so called minnows of world cricket having qualified to play, continue to confound the critics with performances that would have made their nationals and supporters proud wherever in the world they reside. These performances have also made nightmares of the sleep of some of the so called the big teams, having sent both Pakistan and India packing in the early rounds.
My old schoolmate and friend Michael Holding enjoys much favour worldwide as “a call it as he sees it commentator” and covers the current tournament for one of the major international television networks. Mikey in his Test playing days bedeviled many a batsman with unnervingly accurate demonic deliveries that would have changed the careers of many of them during his playing days. Today, as a commentator, his opinion is valued tremendously, and many a local and even regional commentator are quick to quote him on various cricket issues.
Consequent on his expressed opinion regarding the participation of these minnow teams in the World Cup of Cricket, a raft of local commentators and wannabe sportscasters took Mikey’s line and berated these lesser teams. What is interesting is that some of these same persons also echo the view of the need to attract more interest in the sport, without recognizing that the best way to do that is to increase the penetration of the sport at the participating nations level. The ICC is attempting to do just that by the admission of these minnow teams to the World Cup. The global economic survival of this sport resides in the pursuit of this strategy.
As the world shrinks, businesses are forced to recognize such a development and create new strategies to address same. Imagine the level of growth that could be possible in the sport if China with its huge population and rapidly growing wealth was brought into cricket’s mainstream.
The same applies to the United States of America. Myopia only allows the affected to see no further than the end of ones nose. We criticize the USA for playing a local baseball series and labeling it the World Series, yet we want a World Cup Cricket tournament where we are only prepared to accommodate eight teams. Maybe if we take a closer look at the game in the West Indies and the current performances of the regional team we might observe that with strict observance of such approaches we may soon not be at the World Cup.
Keep up the good work ICC, and to the minnows Bangladesh and Ireland, good show.
It would do all the critics a world of good to remember where one of the current tournaments’ favourite Sri Lanka started?
CRICKET “ WORLD” CUP MUST BE JUST THAT ………
As this is being written, the ICC Cricket World Cup continues in the Caribbean with the Super 8 matches well underway. Two of the so called minnows of world cricket having qualified to play, continue to confound the critics with performances that would have made their nationals and supporters proud wherever in the world they reside. These performances have also made nightmares of the sleep of some of the so called the big teams, having sent both Pakistan and India packing in the early rounds.
My old schoolmate and friend Michael Holding enjoys much favour worldwide as “a call it as he sees it commentator” and covers the current tournament for one of the major international television networks. Mikey in his Test playing days bedeviled many a batsman with unnervingly accurate demonic deliveries that would have changed the careers of many of them during his playing days. Today, as a commentator, his opinion is valued tremendously, and many a local and even regional commentator are quick to quote him on various cricket issues.
Consequent on his expressed opinion regarding the participation of these minnow teams in the World Cup of Cricket, a raft of local commentators and wannabe sportscasters took Mikey’s line and berated these lesser teams. What is interesting is that some of these same persons also echo the view of the need to attract more interest in the sport, without recognizing that the best way to do that is to increase the penetration of the sport at the participating nations level. The ICC is attempting to do just that by the admission of these minnow teams to the World Cup. The global economic survival of this sport resides in the pursuit of this strategy.
As the world shrinks, businesses are forced to recognize such a development and create new strategies to address same. Imagine the level of growth that could be possible in the sport if China with its huge population and rapidly growing wealth was brought into cricket’s mainstream.
The same applies to the United States of America. Myopia only allows the affected to see no further than the end of ones nose. We criticize the USA for playing a local baseball series and labeling it the World Series, yet we want a World Cup Cricket tournament where we are only prepared to accommodate eight teams. Maybe if we take a closer look at the game in the West Indies and the current performances of the regional team we might observe that with strict observance of such approaches we may soon not be at the World Cup.
Keep up the good work ICC, and to the minnows Bangladesh and Ireland, good show.
It would do all the critics a world of good to remember where one of the current tournaments’ favourite Sri Lanka started?
Saturday, March 31, 2007
WHITHER WEST INDIES CRICKET
March 2007
Whither West Indies Cricket…for the umpteenth time????
Brainless, lost in stupendous slumber, or simply out of depth. These are just some of the superlatives that aptly describe what our Caribbean team is passing off as their participation in this game we love so dearly. The fact that we are the hosts of the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup appears to be lost on these players, and we continue to stupefy all who are onlookers that we are playing in an important tournament. These fellows are among the top one percent of income earners in the region. They call themselves professional cricketers and would obviously want to be considered as such, but how can we take a player seriously who as a “professional” fails to recognize that while he considers himself as such, his opponent actually worked to acquire his reputation.
Take the case of Marlon Samuels v Glenn McGrath in the West Indies’ innings against Australia in their contest in Antigua recently. Samuels hit McGrath away for a boundary early in his inning. Remember now, the team is already in trouble at 20 for two. Obviously elated with the feel of the stroke, he attempted it again oblivious of the fact that the ball was just not there to be hit. The result, McGrath’s reputation triumphed and Samuels was back in the pavillion.
As if he were probably in the toilets when Samuels lost his wicket and had no benefit of television replay, Dwayne Bravo produced an equally mindless replication of Samuel’s approach to the same bowler. He had just executed a delectable straight drive off McGrath for 4, and with the blood still rushing he rushed McGrath again and was caught by Ponting. It appeared as if these batsmen were clueless as to the cause at hand, as even earlier, the West Indian Vice-Captain Ramnaresh Sarwan playing a good hand, charged a Brad Hogg full toss and gave a simple catch to Australian captain Ricky Ponting.
As if that was not bad enough, here’s an administrative shocker. Dwayne Smith bowled the side to victory early in the tournament, only three games previously. Against Australia, the closest he came to the ball was picking it up whilst fielding. Yet against New Zealand, he opens the bowling with Powell, as the team’s management drops their fastest and most successful bowler Jerome Taylor . Inexplicable, but true.
Begs the question: Whither West Indies Cricket….. for the umpteenth time.
------------------------------- o---------------------------------------
If you like this article, you can also subscribe to "Images" the Newsletter of Images of the Game at www.imagesofthegame.com
Whither West Indies Cricket…for the umpteenth time????
Brainless, lost in stupendous slumber, or simply out of depth. These are just some of the superlatives that aptly describe what our Caribbean team is passing off as their participation in this game we love so dearly. The fact that we are the hosts of the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup appears to be lost on these players, and we continue to stupefy all who are onlookers that we are playing in an important tournament. These fellows are among the top one percent of income earners in the region. They call themselves professional cricketers and would obviously want to be considered as such, but how can we take a player seriously who as a “professional” fails to recognize that while he considers himself as such, his opponent actually worked to acquire his reputation.
Take the case of Marlon Samuels v Glenn McGrath in the West Indies’ innings against Australia in their contest in Antigua recently. Samuels hit McGrath away for a boundary early in his inning. Remember now, the team is already in trouble at 20 for two. Obviously elated with the feel of the stroke, he attempted it again oblivious of the fact that the ball was just not there to be hit. The result, McGrath’s reputation triumphed and Samuels was back in the pavillion.
As if he were probably in the toilets when Samuels lost his wicket and had no benefit of television replay, Dwayne Bravo produced an equally mindless replication of Samuel’s approach to the same bowler. He had just executed a delectable straight drive off McGrath for 4, and with the blood still rushing he rushed McGrath again and was caught by Ponting. It appeared as if these batsmen were clueless as to the cause at hand, as even earlier, the West Indian Vice-Captain Ramnaresh Sarwan playing a good hand, charged a Brad Hogg full toss and gave a simple catch to Australian captain Ricky Ponting.
As if that was not bad enough, here’s an administrative shocker. Dwayne Smith bowled the side to victory early in the tournament, only three games previously. Against Australia, the closest he came to the ball was picking it up whilst fielding. Yet against New Zealand, he opens the bowling with Powell, as the team’s management drops their fastest and most successful bowler Jerome Taylor . Inexplicable, but true.
Begs the question: Whither West Indies Cricket….. for the umpteenth time.
------------------------------- o---------------------------------------
If you like this article, you can also subscribe to "Images" the Newsletter of Images of the Game at www.imagesofthegame.com
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