THE FIRST Test between the West Indies and New Zealand at Kensington Oval ended in bitter disappointment for the Windies. Instead of being one-up and in with a chance to win the two-match series, they are one-down and can now only hope for a draw.
To draw the series, however, the West Indies have to win the second Test and based on their performance at Kensington Oval, to do that they may need some divine intervention.
New Zealand, Shane Bond or no Shane Bond, Daniel Vettori or no Daniel Vettori, are no world beaters. The West Indies performance at Kensington Oval was so pathetic, however, that after the opening exchanges, the visitors looked unbeatable.
It was so pathetic that not even their most ardent fans had any sympathy for them.
After getting away to a lovely start with New Zealand reeling on 117 for five, the West Indies, routed for 107 in their first innings, lost the match by 204 runs with a day to spare; and they lost it not because New Zealand were brilliant but because their bowling was innocuous and their batting terrible.
The West Indies bowlers bowled far too short and far too wide, and their batsmen, most of them, slit their own throats with careless strokes.
The performance was so embarrassing that one can only ask, what has gone wrong with West Indies cricket why their bowlers cannot bowl a good length and a good line consistently, why their batsmen get out so easily, and why, unlike almost every other team in the world, their tailenders cannot even defend their wicket for a few deliveries?
For those who remember the many times fast bowlers like Malcolm Marshall, Michael Holding, Joel Garner and Andy Roberts contributed to the West Indies total in years gone by, it is embarrassing to see West Indies cricket in such a state that numbers eight, nine, 10 and 11 do not even know when and how to play back, when and how to play forward - so much so that with six wickets down, Brian Lara has to shield the number eight in the batting order.
The performance of the bowlers and the batsmen is not the only problem with West Indies cricket, however, and that, therefore, is not the only reason why the West Indies may need divine intervention if they are to win the second Test.
There are three other problems with West Indies cricket.
Problem number one. The West Indies do not realise that injured fast bowlers, particularly those suffering from back injuries, have no place in a Test match that lasts for five days. That can be the only reason why Mervyn Dillon, who could not even bat at his usual number eight position in either innings, was selected for the Test match.
Problem number two. The West Indies do not understand that certain types of bowlers bowl better on certain types of pitches. That can be the only reason why they continue to play four ordinary "fast" bowlers and no spin bowler regardless of the pitch.
Problem number three. The West Indies do not appreciate the fact that pitches, because of bowlers' boot marks, because of batsmen running up and down them, get worse and not better with each passing day.
Apart from a lack of confidence in their batsmen and the fear that they may be in and out quickly, that can be the only reason why they so often win the toss and bowl first regardless of the pitch - why they did so at Kensington Oval and left their batsmen, five of whom are left-handers, to be tormented by left-arm spinner Vettori bowling over the wicket and into the rough caused by the boot marks of their own "fast" bowlers.
Looking at both teams at Kensington Oval, the difference was not that New Zealand played great cricket. The difference was that the West Indies gave away the toss, that they played an injured fast bowler, that they did not play a spin bowler, that their bowlers cannot bat, and that unlike New Zealand who bowled straight and on a length and played straight while batting, they were weak in the basics of the game.
That is why they bowled so badly and lost wickets so easily.
Tony Becca
