Tino Best Has Champions Trophy in His Sights

Tino Best playing County Cricket for Yorkshire - Photo by Harrias

Tino Best has told reporters at a West Indies training camp in Barbados that his fitness is 'about 80 percent and loading' heading into the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy next month in England and Wales.

The mercurial fast bowler, who is enjoying one of his longest and best spells in the regional side, said: 'I don't want to go too hard in the camp and when the tournament come I'm a little tired. I'm managing that well, so I wanna hit the tournament at a hundred percent, bowling rapid and doing well for the West Indies.'

Best resumed his test career last year when West Indies took on England at Edgbaston and nearly became the first number 11 batsman in international cricket to score a century, but fell five runs short of the milestone.

His most outstanding bowling performances came later in the year against Bangladesh. Bowling with a hamstring injury and on a relatively slow pitch, the Barbadian took six wickets for 40 runs to help the West Indies to a two-nil victory. In the previous match he had picked up five for 24 in the second innings.

Indifferent performances and injuries have plagued Best at the start of 2013, but the Champions Trophy could be the resuscitation his career needs at this time.

He is also cautiously optimistic about the chances of the West Indies in the competition. He said: 'I think that once we play as a collective unit, as we did in Sri Lanka (West Indies won the ICC Twenty20 competition in Sri Lanka) I think that we will do well.

'Our chances are as good as anybody else.  I think that we have some amazing talent and everyone can see daily on TV with the guys performing in the IPL.'

Best will first have to battle with the fit-again Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach and Jason Holder for his place in the team, but with his pace and exuberance the other bowlers can not be complacent. 

The West Indies play their first match against Pakistan at the KIA Oval on Friday, June 7.

Are West Indian Players the soul of the IPL?

If someone from the Caribbean had referred to West Indian players as the soul of the Indian Premier League, I would have dismissed the comment, somewhat like Chris Gayle bashing a full length delivery out of the M. Chinnaswamy stadium. But since the remark came from former India opening batsman Aakash Chopra, I have to treat it with respect.

Chris Gayle parties with fans in India - Royal Challengers Bangalore photo

'You take West Indians out of the Indian Premier League and you take its soul away' Chopra said recently while working as an analyst on ITV's coverage of an IPL game between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kings XI Punjab.

Chopra not only played 10 Test matches for India, he is also a respected cricket writer, especially on domestic cricket. Last year he was asked to present a paper to Indian cricket authorities on how to improve the domestic game.

No reason then to think his brain was resting while his mouth was moving. The truth is the Caribbean crusaders have been doing very well in the sixth edition of the IPL. After 15 rounds of matches Gayle has most runs (680) with the highest individual score of 175. Dwayne Smith and Keiron Pollard have played match-winning innings. Even Darren "Skai Daddy" Sammy has walloped a few.

Where bowling is concerned, Dwayne Bravo, the new West Indies ODI captain, and Sunil Narine have been battling for the top wicket-taker's spot. Bravo is on 22 while his fellow Trinidadian is on 20. Ravi Rampaul and Kevon Cooper have also done very well.

As good as the performances have been, however, the entertainment value that the West Indians have brought to the tournament is priceless. It's one thing uprooting a batsman's stumps; it's even better when you do the Gangnam Style dance afterwards. It was amazing to see Sunrisers Hyderabad fans copying Sammy's signature celebration of sucking on a pacifier - a tribute to his baby daughter.

If there's one thing near-naked dancing girls, a plethora of Bollywood stars, all kinds of pyrotechnics and Danny Morrison say about the IPL, it is that it's all about entertainment. No group of players contribute to this spectacle than the boys from the Caribbean. If this is what Aakash Chopra meant when he made his remark, then I believe him. 

Trying to make the case for Devon Smith

Devon Smith does warm-up excercise

Whenever I think about Devon Smith, an image of a smirking Mohammad Hafeez often pops into my mind. I suspect Smith is tormented by this apparition too, especially in his more contemplative moments. For those who cannot make the connection, Hafeez is the part-time off-spinner from Pakistan who dismissed Smith five out of five times (six if you count the World Cup match in Dhaka weeks earlier) during a Test and One Day International (ODI) series in the Caribbean in 2011. Smith's highest score in the games was 17 and by the time Hafeez knocked back his stumps in the final match at Providence in Guyana, you could not help but feel someone's destiny was hanging by the thinnest of threads.

To his credit Smith has bounced back with the kind of performances in domestic cricket which have left people in the Caribbean tentatively talking about a recall to the West Indies team. In six matches in this season's regional first class competition, the Grenadian has scored 682 runs at an average 85.25, with three centuries and a half century. And, there is still a semi-final and potential final for him to improve these numbers. He has also helped the Windward Islands to the Regional Super50 title with a season-leading 348 runs, including a century and three half centuries. It is no wonder that the Grenada sports minister, Emmalin Pierre, has said that Smith should be allowed to resume his international career.

The problem with selecting him, however, is that you would have to ignore his history, a thing that is hard to do. Since making his debut with a solid half century against  Australia in 2003, he has been left out of the regional team five times due to poor performances. One century and five half centuries in 33 Tests with an average 24.71 makes Carl Hooper look like an over-achiever. And, in his 42 ODIs the story is not much better with an average 26.68. If there is a great master of cricket somewhere waiting to see bountiful returns deserving of the talents that have been bestowed on the little left-hander, he is going to be miserably disappointed. 

West Indies playing England at Lords in 2012

The problem of a Smith return to the West Indies team is further exacerbated by the recruiting of other players, with relative success, to fill the spot which would have otherwise been his.  Kieron Powell has started life with the 'big boys' slowly but is making steady progress, and supporting Chris Gayle well. Not far behind him is Kraigg Brathwaite, who, despite making his Test debut at 19, has shown the type of patience and application that makes you wonder if he is even West Indian. And then there is Johnson Charles, Lendl Simmons and even Adrian Barath.

Of course, none of these guys come close to being the regional run-scoring 'bully' that Smith has been. He has always scored heavily in domestic cricket, starting with the 700-plus runs he amassed in the 2002 regional first class season. Back then he deserved his selection, just as these guys in their 20s deserve their opportunities now.  It is unfortunate that he did not show the appetite for life at the highest level in that first attempt, and then spurned several subsequent opportunities to hold onto his place. Today, at 31, the case for another selection is much harder to make.

At this time the West Indies team need fearless batsmen, especially at the top of the order. They need batsmen, who will stare down their opponents like Vivian Richards used to, and stand up and fight like Shivnarine Chanderpaul has done on so many occasions. Too often in the past Smith, like several of his contemporaries, has surrendered, seemingly even before walking to crease. 

Should he play for the West Indies again? Of course. However, not before proper considerations are given to others to show what they can do. The selectors have rightly included him in the provisional 30-man squad for the ICC Champions Trophy to be held in England and Wales later this year. I do not expect him to make the final 15, but if he does, I hope he has the courage this time to stand up to the smirking little man from Pakistan.

Devon Smith has subsequently been named in the Champions Trophy squad

An encounter with the "dreaded" West Indies fast bowler Roy Gilchrist

I faced up to Roy Gilchrist once, and the experience was far from terrifying. There were no decapitating beamers, no sharp rising bouncers, no harsh words and certainly no knives (we will get the knives bit later). In fact, I came away from the five-minute encounter with what can only be described as a few 'juicy' full tosses.

It was 1995 and I, a single-minded 17-year-old, was making my debut for the Hanover cricket team in Jamaica's premier club competition. We were playing against Melbourne Cricket Club (that institution that produced Michael Holding, Courtney Walsh, and Marlon Samuels). No pressure then. Playing cricket for Jamaica and West Indies was only going to be my job for the next 20 years.

I opened the innings and after an hour or so, I was out for 17. Shivnarine Chanderpaul could not have been more disappointed. I walked off the field and straight into the dressing room to sulk. After a few minutes, one of my team-mates came in and told me someone wanted to have a word. I was not keen on talking to anyone but I came out anyway.

My team-mate pointed me to an old man sitting on a chair and told me he was Roy Gilchrist, the former West Indies fast bowler. I had come across the name before during my many hours in the Hanover Parish Library, reading any cricket book I could lay hands on. But whatever little I had read about him, had drowned in an ocean of knowledge about Frank Worrell, George Headley, Viv Richards, Jack Hobbs and even WG Grace.

I walked over and Mr Gilchrist extended his hand, the same hand that had propelled a red five-and-three-quarter-ounce object with velocity and meanness in the direction of batsmen throughout his career. I did not know this then, nonetheless I was touched. I shook his hand and he smiled.

We chatted for a little while and he said he liked my determination and courage (I was backing up to Melbourne pacers Junior Hall and Derron Dixon). He told me that if I continued like this I would be a successful player, but I needed to work really hard on my running between the wickets. I thanked him and walked away with an even greater determination to become a professional cricketer.

Years passed and like many with similar dreams, I realised that my skills did not equate with my desires. So I traded those dreams for more realistic, if mundane, ones.

I did, however, properly research Roy Gilchrist, and was sad to discover that he was not always easy to get along with. I was even more disappointed that he did not achieve the greatness that his talent deserved. He was sent home from the 1958-1959 West Indies tour of the subcontinent after ignoring his captain's warning to stop bowling beamers and bouncers. He is also alleged to have pulled a knife on his leader. He was regarded as the world's fastest bowler, but he never played for the regional team again.

Despite the issues, I think Gilchrist's international career could have been salvaged. CLR James, the cricket writer and journalist, felt the same. In 1959, while campaigning for Worrell to become the first black captain of the West Indies team, James tried to have Gilchrist reinstated. He was convinced that the pacer's impoverished background and his sudden elevation to stardom was the cause for some of his bad behaviour, and said it was to be presumed that Gilchrist would mature with time and under the right leadership. Unlike the incumbent, Gerry Alexander, whom he could not get along with, Gilchrist worshiped Worrell and James knew this.

His plan was to have Worrell talk to the bowler and have him make a public apology but his effort was stonewalled. So he wrote in his newspaper, asking the West Indies authorities reconsider, but to no avail. And so, at 24 with only 13 matches and 57 wickets at 26.68 apiece, Gilchrist's international career had come to an end.

Some would say Roy Gilchrist was his own demolition man. And what do I know? I only met him briefly, at a time when he might not have been able to lob a cricket ball 11 yards much more 22, or even cut bread properly. However, in those few minutes, he proved he wasn't all menace.

First published on ESPN Cricinfo

No war, "pure cricket" at Rocket Complex

 Indian batsman watched by Pakistan fielder  

Pakistan and India have been in conflict for more than 60 years. They have fought three major wars, resulting in the death of more than a million people. The 2008 Mumbai attacks which claimed the lives of 174 people still stands in the way of improving relations between the two countries. This is the cloud that hovered over last Wednesday’s world cup semi-final in India.

However, this was not the focus of about 40 London Met Asian and British Asian students, mainly Pakistanis and Indians, who watched the match at the Rocket Complex. Some climbed up on stools. Others reclined in sofas. All stared at the several televisions. Spectacular plays from India’s Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag, and Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi and Wahab Riaz were greeted with applause. In a game which seesawed, the only tension in the room came from the TV screens.

This respectful and good-natured mood was encouraged by post graduate Pakistan student, Haris Afridi. On the eve of the match, he posted on Facebook: “... Wednesday is no day of war. If anything, it is a celebration of cricket, a triumph of love over hate, of harmony over discord. The flags of both Pakistan and India will be fluttering together. Don't drag your 'faith' in to this game... The 11 wonderful cricketers on both sides represent no holy armies. They represent the very best in cricket. That's it!”

If this was not enough, the students could take their cue from political representatives. Days before the game Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Yousuf Raza Gilani accepted an invitation from his Indian counterpart, Manmohan Singh, to watch the game in Mohali. The move was aimed at ‘improving the environment for talks... on a number of troublesome issues’.  

Pakistan and Indian students watch the game at Rocket Complex

Meanwhile at the Rocket, the Pakistani support was more outstanding, especially in the second half of the game when it seemed like the men in green would successfully chase India’s total of 260. A large Pakistan flag was conspicuously spread across a box at the front of the room, and two male students wore green sport shirts. One of them was Osman Shahid Amin. The 21-year-old who came over from the City campus, where he studies business and marketing, believes that the baggage associated with Pakistan India contests is the reason why his country had not won any of the four previous world cup matches against their archrivals.  

“...the players are aggressive, thinking that they are beating their neighbours, but it’s not just about beating your neighbours. It’s not about war. It’s not about partition. It’s just about pure cricket,” he said.

India was partitioned in 1947 (at the end of British rule) creating the Pakistan state. This pitted Hindus against Muslims, resulting in one of the world’s longest conflicts, the main focus of which has been who should control the Kashmir region.

Osman, who said he has Indian friends, claimed that such baggage is not normally carried from their homelands. Another Pakistan student, Zahid Hussein, who was born and raised in England, said he also has Indian friends but this was because things were changing.

Pakistan’s poor record against India in world cups did not change however, as they were beaten for the fifth consecutive time by their nemesis.

Twenty-year-old Akash Cogna, the one Indian student willing to comment on relations between the countries, said the match carried no historical significance for him:

“We are just proud of ourselves man, especially on our home ground. We are planning to get as far as we can and win the world cup.”

India's Likeliest Lad at Lords

Rahul Dravid: Photo by lensbug.chandru

It wasn't supposed to be his show. He was only meant to play a supporting role (for the umpteenth time). The stage had been primed at Lords, the home of cricket, for Sachin Tendulkar to score his 100th international century in the 2000th Test match, and 100th between England and India. But Rahul Dravid hijacked the script, despite his side's loss. He starred with a brilliant century in the first inning and batted for a long time in the second before the end came. His performance wasn't surprising.

Rahul Dravid has built a reputation as a solid and indefatigable batsman for the past 15 years, but unlike others in the Indian team (namely Tendulkar) he hasn't exactly been box office (or should I say Bollywood). He seemed to have slipped under the radar in the buildup to this match, which I imagine would have suited him just fine. Mike Atherton, on television commentary, remarked that hardly anyone watched him at net sessions, while Tendulkar rehearsed in front of scores of people. It meant more pressure on the Little Master, less pressure on Dravid.

He also would have done himself no harm by participating in the just concluded Caribbean tour. While some of his colleagues opted out citing injury, illness or fatigue, Dravid went to the West Indies and battled with the likes of Fidel Edwards, Ravi Rampaul and Davendra Bishoo. It might have been a low-keyed series, but it turned out to be challenging for batsmen on both sides. When the curtain came down on the last match Dravid had scored 251 runs including a century on a bouncy Sabina Park pitch. The balls faced in those games would have been invaluable in preparation for this series; take note Gautam Gambhir (he also missed the tour).

In addition to the momentum carried over from the West Indies, Dravid has called on his experience of English conditions. Of the current Indian team only Tendulkar would have played more Test cricket in England. However, Dravid’s was the best technique on display in that first inning: he played very late to the swinging ball, which is a feature of the conditions. He also backed that up with immense concentration and patience which was crucial. At no point did he appear bothered by the occasion or the opposition.

The one thing that might have been on his mind, however, was the memory of a young man getting out for 95 on his debut at the very same venue 15 years ago. Not only did he go eight runs better this time, he made sure not to be dismissed.

There were some decent performances from other members of the Indian cast: Suresh Raina, after failing to score in the first innings, made 78 in the second; VVS Laxman made 56, while Praveen Kumar and Ishant Sharma picked up wickets. However, Dravid's performance was always going to make the final cut.

Criticisms of Lara's pending return not merited

Brian Lara makes his exit during 2007 CWC

Brian Lara’s decision to play in next April’s Indian Premier League (IPL) after four years away from competitive cricket has been criticised by two former West Indies players according to the Gleaner newspaper. Jeffery Dujon and Curtly Ambrose are concerned that the reputation of a man who dominated his opponents at the height of his career will be reduced to nothing if he participates in this newest and shortest version of the game.

Dujon has said: “If you finish at the top, there's only one way you can go after that if you come back...” 
while Ambrose advises Lara to “stay out”, suggesting that it would be hard to reproduce the standards he once achieved.

I can almost forgive these guys for implying that Lara’s reputation as one of the greatest batsmen, certainly in the modern era and possibly of all times, is so slight that it would be ripped to shreds if he fails in one season of the IPL. This is the man who overhauled Gary Sober’s 36 year Test batting record of 365 runs,by scoring 375, lost it, only to reclaim it with a mammoth 400 not out. And all in a 10 year span. This is the man who still holds the record for the most runs (501 not out) in an innings in First Class cricket. With nearly 12,000 runs and an average of almost 53 in 131 Tests, Lara is in an elite bracket of the game’s best. Surely these statistics will not evaporate come this time next year.

I can further forgive these stalwarts of West Indies cricket for missing the point that Lara’s so-called comeback cannot be described as a comeback in the strictest sense of the word on at least two points. First, the IPL is not the highest form of the game. It is essentially club cricket with cash to spare. It may attract the world’s best players, giving it international exposure and making it highly competitive, but it is significantly shorter – three hours each match, unlike the five-day Test match. Secondly, and this is laughable, he will not have the expectations of the entire Caribbean like an albatross around his neck. If, anything he will be in a more professional and efficient environment than he has been used to, which should help his performance.

The truth is Lara is less concerned about his reputation than these two. At age 40, he knows more than anyone else that his career is not suddenly about to take off. He would be aware of exactly how he wants to contribute. He has indicated that he wants to participate in a holistic way, much in the same way that his contemporaries – Shane Warne, Matthew Hayden, Sanath Jayasuriya etc. – have done.

Normally, comments from past players who have had outstanding careers anchored in years of experience are treated like the Holy Grail. However, I would quickly discard these two as wayward. Of course, 40 is not the new 20, but not every bloke with a bat is Brian Lara. For his fans, Lara’s departure from the game was somewhat premature. I certainly cannot wait to see his bat coming down like King Arthur’s Excalibur once again.  

Brendan Nash: reject or resource?

This piece was written about two years ago when Brendan Nash was trying to get into the West Indies cricket team. Since his selection he has performed creditably and was made vice captain on the 2010 tour to Sri Lanka.

West Indies vice captain Brendan Nash

The Australian-born Jamaican cricketer Brendan Nash displayed Jimmy Adam’s like character on Saturday April 26, as he scored a patient 117 to help his team beat Trinidad and Tobago in the Carib Beer Challenge final at Sabina Park. This was his second century for the national team, having scored 102 against the same opposition earlier in the competition.

Okay, so why is this important? Well, it has nothing to do with ‘dual citizenship’ – or does it? Nash’s father Paul is Jamaican and represented the country at the Olympic and Commonwealth games in swimming in the 1960s. Also, while I doubt that the younger Nash had to sever ties with Australia, sources indicate that he applied for and got his Jamaican passport. Besides, the fact that he is performing and Jamaica is winning should put to rest any arguments about citizenship – certainly among locals. What has caused a regional debate though is whether this former Australian pro player should represent the West Indies in the upcoming tour against – guess who? The Aussies.

There is no doubt that he is eligible for selection, having represented one of the six regional teams from which the WI selectors choose players for the Test teams. Would he merit that selection? In the context of this season’s regional competition, he would. Nash amassed 422 runs at an average of 46.88, making him the leading Jamaican batsman and fifth overall. He scored two centuries and one half century – 91 not out against Guyana at home. He was also instrumental, albeit with the ball in Jamaica’s KFC cup triumph in Barbados last year.

So what is the problem? Well according to some of the blogs I have been reading, Brendan Nash is a white Australian reject who thinks he can enter West Indies cricket through the back door; at 30 he should be at the pinnacle of his international career and not looking to make his debut; it would be unfair for him to be given preference over a young West Indian batsman i.e. Ryan Hinds of Barbados. There is even talk of boycotting the second Test match against the Aussies in Barbados if the runt, as he was referred to by one blogger, gets the nod over Hinds.

Well I certainly do not underestimate the ‘Boycotting Bajans’. They did it in 1992 on that historic tour by South Africa to the West Indies, when the selectors left out Anderson Cummings at the Three Ws Oval in Bridgetown. Unfortunately, those who stayed away missed one of the more memorable Test matches of all times. The WI on the back of scintillating performances from Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh and a solid all-round debut performance from Jimmy Adams made a desperate comeback to win a game that is still enthusiastically talked about.

Fast forward 17 years and the hypocrisy and insularity still plague the game in the Caribbean. Instead of judging a player on performance and merit we criticise him for his colour and background. The fact is whether white, black or purple, Brendan Nash’s seven years of professional experience in Australia could prove invaluable to a WI setup that NEEDS it. And this thing about age is rubbish! Herbert Ironmonger debuted for Australia at age 46. Fourteen matches later when he retired, he had taken 74 wickets at 17.97 apiece.

In less than a month the mighty Australians will be here. The miracle that we need in order to beat them, could be the early arrival of one who has been amongst them. For God’s sake, let us really ‘Rally Roun Di West Indies’ now and forever more. 

           

Shillingford’s problems, cricket administrator’s 'suspect action'

It was a victory that can be described as a diamond in the rough of what West Indies cricket has become over the last 15 years. Brian Lara said it was the ‘greatest cricketing experience’ of his life. Fast-bowling great Colin Croft commented that ‘the Windies put a lot of pride back into West Indian hearts’. It seemed the West Indies had ‘turned the corner’ after scoring a record breaking 418 for seven to beat world champions Australia on the 5^th day of the final Test match in Antigua on May 10 2003. We lost the series but who cared? We avoided a whitewash and thumped the Aussies in the process.

 Fans at a cricket match at Sabina Park in Kingston during the 

2007 World Cup

However, around every West Indies corner there is a mishap. Shortly after the match there was the numbing news that Jermaine Lawson had been reported for throwing. This was deeply unsettling. Not only had Lawson’s first innings haul of seven for 78 set up the win, but that spine-tingling bowling spell had a touch of yesteryear and signalled a bright future. His pace and bounce had the Aussies hopping and skipping like Kangaroos. Lawson was later suspended by the International Cricket Council (ICC). He made a comeback after remedial work on his action but was called for throwing on a tour to Sri Lanka.

It is now 2010. The West Indies Cricket team has just returned from a creditable but rain hit tour of Sri Lanka where they did not lose a Test match; they did not win any either. Dominican spinner, Shane Shillingford was a standout in the first game where he took a career best four for 128. The 27-year-old was, however, reported for throwing in that match and now he has been suspended by the ICC.

Sad situation? Maybe. But the ineptitude of those in charge of West Indies cricket is mind-boggling. When the Jermaine Lawson issue emerged seven years ago, there was a lot of finger-pointing and shifting of blame. How could someone get to the highest form of the game with such a defect in his action not being detected? It turns out the kink had been spotted. Renowned West Indies cricket commentator, Tony Cozier had made the observation while watching Lawson in a youth game and alerted officials in Jamaica. Hardly anything happened. The lad was able to play youth cricket for Jamaica and the West Indies (Youth World Cup) and regional cricket for Jamaica before being shamed at the highest level.

Shillingford’s situation is not dissimilar. His suspect bowling action has been spoken about by cricket commentators in the Caribbean since he made his regional debut in 2000. Why, then does another young West Indian have to suffer the indignities of being called a ‘chucker’ or a ‘tosser’ while the vanguards of our cricket are left untouched?  

Shillingford’s profile on Cricinfo states, ‘having overcome the problems posed by a suspect action, he finally earned his maiden Test call...’ Well, he obviously did not overcome the problems. It would be very interesting to find out what kind of specialist work was done on his action; who were the persons involved and how long did the process take. For example, was there any kind of consultation with the ICC to see what was required for Shillingford to bowl within the rules of the game?

I know these questions are like threatening googlies to a hapless batsman, probably the likes of Courtney Walsh – the great man – despite which they will be left alone. Because this is how fans and well wishers of West Indies cricket have been treated by the cricketing ‘lords’ in the region in the past; left alone to work out what is happening to our lovely cricket.

Jermaine Lawson has wandered off into cricket nothingness, possibly taking our fast bowling hopes and dreams with him. Let us hope that Shane Shillingford does not suffer the same fate, for his and West Indies cricket sake. However, I cannot help but think that the administrators of the game in the region have let us down yet again.