Shiv could be crucial factor in Sri Lanka

Shiv could be crucial factor in Sri Lanka

BY HARTLEY ANDERSON

Sunday, November 14, 2010

 

I hate to say "I told you so," but as we lamented in this space a week ago, the West Indies find themselves in the uncomfortable position of entering the first Test against Sri Lanka with a single day of competitive cricket after the only warm-up game on tour was rained out last week.

As fate would have it, the side was dismissed for a paltry 176 by a Sri Lanka Cricket President's XI, with only Brendan Nash, with 62, getting among the runs in the single innings that the weather allowed. Talk about great preparation and an auspicious start!

The important consideration is that the team never got a second chance to make any adjustment to their batting or to the unfamiliar conditions, entering the fray against Kumar Sangakkara's pumped-up team with a praiseworthy ODI series win against Australia under their belts.

In this regard, vice captain Nash would have been among the many disappointed hearts, having stated in an interview after the first day's play that he expected improvement among the batsmen as the game progressed.

Clearly, the decision of the team management would have been to make a feast of the second innings by batting as long as possible to build confidence and perhaps to assess their skills against any exponent of spin that the opposition had in its armoury. Thanks to the astuteness of the tour organisers, however, they never got that chance.

And so, even before the toss is spun tomorrow, the regional side finds itself behind the proverbial 'eighth-ball' in what should be a challenging series.

In light of a modest touring record over time; an inexperienced captain, and a number of rookies in their line-up, one would have to conjure a mountain of faith to expect even a minor miracle from a West Indian standpoint.

With the odds heavily stacked against them in the series as a whole, the question is whether or not the experienced players in the Windies side has the form and the will-power to pull their weight and, in performing with both bat and ball, lead the younger ones by example.

Indeed, to fail in this regard is to concede defeat from the onset against a home team whose talent is only matched by its depth and confidence. The mere thought of these trump cards could be intimidating to the West Indies players.

Therefore, regional fans will be hoping the hard-hitting Chris Gayle can be a beacon at the top of the order, thus inspiring other batsmen like young opener Adrian Barath, the Bravo brothers, Dwayne and Darren, Brendan Nash and the veteran Shivnarine Chanderpaul.

Based on his swashbuckling style, Gayle is undoubtedly the most dangerous of the Windies batsmen who can change the face of a match with a few lusty wields of his mighty willow. It is also true, however, that with Chris Gayle — who, in all fairness, may be described as a 'touch and go' player -- any number can play.

And so, much could depend on the form and mental sharpness of former skipper Chanderpaul. The little left-handed Guyanese has had a relatively quiet year by his standards, and is no doubt relishing the thought of a forceful comeback, despite having been deposed as the world's No 1 batsman some two years now.

If there is one thing about Shiv, it's that he has a fiercely competitive spirit, loves batting for long periods — he is one of only three men in the history of the game to have batted for over 1,000 minutes without being dismissed in Tests — and is arguably second only to Ramnaresh Sarwan in the regional pecking order in playing spin bowling.

With the latter missing in action — and despite the retirement of Sri Lankan spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan — the lot has fallen to Chanderpaul to lead the charge and provide invaluable advice and leadership to the younger players.

For, if there was any doubt as to how the hosts intend to snare West Indian wickets, last week's selection of three specialist spinners and the omission of experienced pacer Lasith Malinga is the answer.

West Indian batsmen over the years have never had a particular penchant for playing spin bowling, and so the series could well be decided on the approach to Daren Sammy's men against this form of bowling, with Jimmy Adams' obdurate strategy of using the pads excessively omit against India in 1994 no longer an option because of the ICC's revised rules.

Again, one should not for a moment believe the Lankans are in Good Samaritan mode. In an interview ahead of the start of the Test series, captain Sangakkara had this to say:

"We need to re-focus because this tour is an important stepping stone. We want to win the Test series and we want to improve our value as a Test side. We don't have Murali for the first time in a full series since his retirement, but we have a varied bowling attack and each bowler needs to shoulder some of the responsibility for replacing the great man."

But even amid the gloom, there are those among us who are certain Sammy can defy the odds and get the job done on the sub-continent.

According to TTCB vice-president Dudnath Ramkeesoon, "Sammy is certainly a tryer and is committed to West Indies cricket 150 per cent and if he can motivate the others around him... then we should see some good results."

Maybe Sammy needs to put in 200 per cent.

Courtesy of http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/