It’s enough to wipe the smile off your face. Or make you disrespect anyone else who is within earshot. On the radio on Friday morning, the announcer broke the news this way: “As expected, Bangladesh defeated the West Indies by seven wickets in the second ODI earlier today.” That she …
Read More »Walsh Jr ruled out of ODI series, after positive Covid-19 test in Dhaka
The West Indies touring squad to Bangladesh was dealt another blow today as leg-spinner Hayden Walsh Jr was ruled out for the upcoming three match ODI series, after testing positive for Covid-19. Walsh, an Antiguan leg-spinner, flew to Dhaka last week after two negative PCR tests in the Caribbean. He …
Read More »Best: Long WI cricket history, short memories, success, succession and the easy solution illusion
“At a time when aggressive, proactive international captaincy is in short supply,” writes Ian Chappell, in discussing Ajinkya Rahane’s leadership in the absence of Virat Kohli, “India are fortunate to have two leaders who both understand the value of taking wickets over containing the opposition.” At a time when aggressive, …
Read More »Best: WI-Bangladesh reality check; can Sir Clive’s statement stand serious scrutiny?
Under normal circumstances, you’d struggle to be well represented if 12 of your top players suddenly announced that they were unavailable for an imminent tour. But with the world in the throes of a global pandemic for the last year, January/February 2021 is anything but normal. So, unsurprisingly, Sir Clive …
Read More »Brathwaite: We’re up for the challenge and know how to play in Bangladesh!
Newly appointed West Indies Test captain Kraigg Brathwaite insisted that his team are flying to Bangladesh in confident spirits, despite missing a dozen senior players including regular captain Jason Holder. The West Indies departed from Barbados in two tranches on Thursday and Friday night. All squad members returned two negative Covid-19 PCR tests, as …
Read More »Harping on the vexed WI Test captaincy question; is Pollard the answer?
Five overs. For an ODI captain, those 30 balls are sometimes a real test. Think West Indies Test captain Jason Holder bidding just to keep the ball in the park when AB De Villiers took a liking to his bowling in the ICC World Cup in Sydney in 2015. Five …
Read More »Best: Happy with Harper? Emotions high, expectations low as WI head for Bangladesh
As the West Indies second-string cricketers prepare to fly out to Bangladesh for a three-ODI, two-Test tour, expectation levels are way, way down. Unsurprisingly, not too many people seem terribly optimistic about the account this depleted bunch will give of itself. And it’s not just the man-in-the-street who’s making little …
Read More »Dear editor: Brathwaite as captain? No Ambris or Chemar on Test team? Lunacy!
“[…] Judging from [Roger] Harper’s statement before the New Zealand tour, one would have to assume that [Kraigg] Brathwaite’s batting performances on the England tour and the matches immediately preceding the New Zealand series were of concern to the selectors. “Given his scores in New Zealand, how does the move …
Read More »Best: Holder has to go but is captaincy really WI cricket’s problem?
A cricket match, a very wise man once wrote, is played in the minds of the opposing captains. The leader’s performance between the two sets of stumps may well contribute to the eventual outcome of any given match. But if he fails to perform consistently between the ears, his team …
Read More »Lyndersay: Where’s Brian? A review of 501 Not Out
“[501 Not Out is] a romantic reminiscence of the closing of a golden era in West Indies cricket, a sparkling reminder of the power of the region’s cricketers and the stunning individual achievement of [Brian] Lara at the wicket. “It’s also an odd little film, one that focuses almost determinedly …
Read More »West Indies T20 star Pollard not good enough? England’s David Gower fails QED test
“A Worrell innings knows no dawn. It begins at high noon!” “He never played an ungrammatical stroke.” Those two sentences describing the batting of the West Indies greatest ever captain Sir Frank Worrell were penned by Neville Cardus, the doyen of English cricket writers. “Clive Lloyd.” That, so the story …
Read More »Clive Lloyd’s 1975-76 WI (Pt 5): How Lloyd transformed cricket and captivated a generation
The following is the fifth and final part of Owen Thompson’s recall of that unforgettable summer in 1976 which ushered in the West Indies cricket team’s glory years: That 1976 year of awakening went way beyond the boundary. Key to victory within the boundary was the pace formula. Clive Lloyd …
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