Tym Glaser, Associate Editor - Sport
THE WEST INDIES 'C' team's tour of Sri Lanka has been an unmitigated disaster to date and don't expect any improvement in the tri-nation one-day series against the hosts and India.
Deprived of the core of the side because of the contract impasse between the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) and West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), not even the most optimistic fan gave the 'Losedies' any chance against Sri Lanka in the two-Test series, but did they have to play so poorly?
In what should have been a golden opportunity for some of the region's young players to stand up and show they are of Test class; they just let it pass on by like a ball nicked between two slips fieldsmen.
The batsmen were utterly woeful against the left-arm swing of veteran paceman Chaminda Vaas and the wily deliveries of offspinner Muttiah Muralitharan.
UTTERLY EMBARRASSED
The likes of Xavier Marshall, Sylvester Joseph, Ryan Ramdass, Runako Morton and Narsingh Deonarine were utterly embarrassed by the hosts' two bowling trump cards and set back their hopes of future Test berths in a 'united' side perhaps irredeemably.
Marshall has been thrown to the dogs too early in his career but age is certainly on his side. However, the others are starting to show that they are little more than good regional players.
Some solace could be taken from the performance of the bowlers, but not a whole lot. The Sri Lankan batsmen had been idle for months and the rust showed particularly in the first Test in Colombo.
Returning pacemen Jermaine Lawson tore them apart with eight wickets in that match and then was promptly reported for 'chucking' again.
Fellow Jamaican Daren Powell had his day in the sun in the first innings of the second Test in Kandy when he had a 'five-fer' but for a strike bowler he simply doesn't strike enough and, a lot like England's Simon Jones, undoes a lot of good work by seemingly giving up a boundary each over.
Bajan Tino Best must be the most frustrating bowler (Mervyn Dillon aside) to don the maroon cap in years. He has all the attitude, talk and fire of a top-class paceman but backs it up with erratic displays which produce too few wickets and way too many runs.
Only two pluses came out of the Test series (can two Tests really be regarded as a series?) and they were minor ones at that: the slightly improved captaincy of Shivnarine Chanderpaul and the form behind the stumps of young 'keeper Denesh Ramdin.
Chanderpaul seems a lot more happy as captain when he doesn't have one 'BC' Lara looking over his shoulder and has marginally improved his tactical nous and interview savvy.
Basically, Shiv was in a no-lose situation on this tour because he towed the company (WICB) line while being given a basket to carry water.
RAMDIN PRAISED
Ramdin has emerged as the class 'keeper in the region and his performance behind the stumps earned great praise from commentator Ian Chappell who rated him among the best pure glovemen in world cricket not bad after a two-Test audition. His batting is raw but his efforts in SL should spell, one and for all, the end of Courtney Browne's career and relegate Carlton Baugh to back-up at best.
If/when the Windies get a best XI on the pitch, few of 'SL 2005' will be there.
In a perfect world the real Windies would look very familiar: Chris Gayle, Devon Smith, Ram Sarwan, Lara, Chanderpaul, Wavell Hinds, Ramdin, Powell/Dave Mohammed, Pedro Collins, Fidel Edwards and Corey Collymore.
Personally, I'd like to see dynamic Trini all-rounder Richard Kelly come into the Test squad but he couldn't even make the 'C' team and will have to show his worth in one-dayers first.
Feeling bad about the 'Losedies'? Just imagine how coach Bennett King is feeling right now! Shiv wasn't the only one given a basket.
