One senses a certain joylessness in the Jamaica Tallawahs camp that perhaps bespeaks deep-seated, seething dissatisfaction. Two bits of circumstantial evidence: well caught low down at slip by Daren Sammy during yesterday’s final league match, Andre Russell walked off with neither scowl nor embarrassed smile. As one would on discovering …
Read More »CPL 2020: Tale of two champions; are Tallawahs troubles a threat to TKR’s triumph?
Where on earth is Chris ‘Universe Boss’ Gayle? More importantly, where has he left the two-time CPL champions, the Jamaica Tallawahs? And why? Not, mind you, why has he left the franchise—that, his version of it at any rate, is already a matter of public record. My why is why …
Read More »Best: The Old, the Young, the Unwanted; time for WI to kill the fatted calf
With the wicked stepfather now out of the picture, the prodigal sons are back in the fold. And recent results suggest that the West Indies cricket family is once again not doing too badly, thank you. But Dwayne John Bravo seems not entirely sanguine about the status quo. Bravo’s younger …
Read More »CPL 19: Narine and Webster help TKR find kryptonite for Tallawahs ‘ Superman
No Bravo brothers. No Colin Munro. No problem! Last night, the two-time defending Caribbean Premier League (CPL) champions, Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR), eased to a convincing 22-run victory over the power-packed Jamaica Tallawahs outfit at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain. During an interview with the CPL commentary …
Read More »None so blind; flawed World Cup strategy makes WI look like amateurs
“World Cup front-runners like England and New Zealand have counterbalanced their explosive hitters, Jos Buttler and Martin Guptill, for example, with conventional, steady-headed players like Joe Root and Kane Williamson. They know that batting out the full 50 overs is key to victory. “The West Indies team management does not. …
Read More »W/Cup addict comments: Are Windies taking a page from Mark Nicholas’ playbook?
Three years ago, England’s Mark Nicholas dismissed the title aspirations of the Darren Sammy-led West Indies T20 World Cup team. They, he said, ‘have no brains’. I’m pretty sure Nicholas expects all us natives of shithole countries to agree with his scathing assessment. Good luck to him with that. However, …
Read More »Holder misleads West Indies and Aussies escape with a win
When the Jason Holder-led West Indians took on Australia in Nottingham yesterday, the five-times World Cup winners emerged victorious by a margin of 15 runs. Recovering from 58 for 4 and then 79 for 5, Aaron Finch’s Aussies went on to post a challenging 288. In reply, the West Indies …
Read More »Short on length, long on luck, West Indies blow away hapless Pakistan; but Bravo’s woes continue
On another day, it might have gone another way; the boot might well have been on the opposition’s foot. Yesterday, however, Jason Holder’s West Indies kicked some butt, embarrassing Pakistan with a rapid, convincing seven-wicket defeat. On a lively pitch in not unhelpful conditions, the West Indian pace attack exploited …
Read More »Best sees WI World Cup squad as not looking world-class but asks: Who we go put?
Twok! Twok! Twok! Twok! Four remarkable, meaty blows that sent Ben Stokes’ balls sailing over the boundary and unexpectedly won the 2016 T20 World Cup for West Indies. So, heeding Ian Bishop’s order, I have remembered the name Carlos Brathwaite. Likewise, clearly, the selectors. Three years after that unforgettable April …
Read More »CPL 18: In defence of DJ Bravo (Part 3): Inside the mind of the TKR captain
Steve Smith had not bowled in a competitive match for at least two years before Barbados Tridents’ captain Jason Holder called him up to bowl in the August 22 game against the Jamaica Tallawahs. Smith claimed two crucial wickets, conceded a mere 19 runs in his three overs and thus …
Read More »CPL 18: In defence of DJ Bravo Pt 2; why Narine will still open and DJB will bowl at the death
With the exception of Tom Moody, who has been a high-level coach, I can’t say for certain that the television analysts quite understand the nuances of the T20 format. Since Andre Russell’s blitzkrieg at the Queen’s Park Oval, they have almost continually complained about the Tallawahs’ batting order. They keep …
Read More »CPL 18: Super display from Russell stuns Oval; champs TKR edged in record breaking affair
New Jamaica Tallawahs captain Andre Russell had the performance of a lifetime last night, as he almost singlehandedly pulled his team to victory in an enthralling Caribbean Premier League (CPL) encounter against Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain. TKR—the defending CPL champions and, …
Read More »