Marlon Samuels of the West Indies smiles in the nets before his team's third Test against England in Manchester. The match starts tomorrow. - AP photos Tony Becca, Contributor
THE WEST Indies, still smarting from their record-breaking loss in the second Test against England at Headingley in Leeds, move to Old Trafford in Manchester tomorrow for the third Test.
Although it is usually not as cold in Manchester as it is in Leeds, even though the ball does not swing as much in red rose country as it does in the land of the white rose the result may not be as bad, it could be the same story.
The ball tends to move off the pitch quicker and higher at Old Trafford than at Headingley an West Indian batsmen traditionally prefer it when that happens much more than when it swings through the air or moves off the seam, it may not make any difference to this generation, this set of West Indies batsmen and West Indies bowlers.
Ball swings
Whether the conditions are such that the ball swings through the air or moves off the seam, whether the conditions are such that it moves quicker through the air and off the pitch and bounces normally, but for one or two, the skill, or rather the lack of it, of these West Indies batsmen and West Indies bowlers, but for one or two, the absence of the ability of the batsmen to fight to the death, is such that it may not make any difference at all.
For those who do not remember, in the first two Test matches, England, who have not yet been bowled out, scored 553 for five declared, 284 for eight declared and 570 for seven declared, and their batsmen knocked up seven centuries - five in the first Test and two, including a double century in the second.
In contrast to that, the West Indies, the same West Indies who surrendered by six wickets to Dominic Cork and his hat-trick in 1995, the same West Indies who scored 395 for nine declared in the first innings of the Test match in 2004 and lost by seven wickets, have scored 437 and 89 without loss, 146 and 141, and so far, after four innings, their batsmen have not yet come up with even one century.
Batting averages
It is also interesting to note that while Kevin Pietersen has scored 361 runs with two centuries at an average of 120.33, while Matt Prior at number seven, Alastair Cooke at number three and Paul Collingwood at number four boast batting averages of 111.00, 70.66 and 58.00, Dwayne Bravo, the West Indies leading batsman, has an aggregate of 131 and an average of 43.66.
Behind him are Christopher Gayle with 101 runs at 33.65, Daren Ganga with 94 at 31.33, Shivnarine Chanderpaul with 74 at 74.00, Devon Smith 63 at 21.00, Runako Morton with 44 at 14.66 and Sylvester Joseph with 14 at 7.00.
And the bowling is no better.
Left-arm pacer Ryan Sidebottom leads the most wickets and the averages columns with nine and 10.75, he is followed by three Englishmen with Steve Harmison in fourth position with six and 38.33, and in fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth position are Corey Collymore with six at 46.33, Gayle, the region's best spin bowler - according to the gospel of coach David Moore, with four at 48.00, Bravo with four at 73.50, Daren Powell with four at 77.50 and Jerome Taylor with two at 125.50.
Statistics do not always tell the true story, but they seldom lie - and these certainly do not.
Without a doubt, this England team, and particularly when playing at home, is better than this West Indies team especially when playing away from home. Whether it is at Lord's, Headingley or Old Trafford, only rain, it appears, or a splendid innings or two from one like the mercurial Gayle, or, if he is fit to play, the dependable Chanderpaul can save the West Indies.
Gayle, if he gets off, has the power, on his day, to beat back England's bowlers, Chanderpaul has the skill and the patience to survive and to score, and Marlon Samuels, if he plays, has the skill to counter their skill.
Such is the West Indies bowling, however, such is the strength, or rather the relative strength of England's batting, that even if they do survive, the West Indies batsmen will have to come good to save the match, much more, for those who are still hoping to win it.
As the West Indies prepare for the acid Test of both their skill and their character as batsmen, bowlers and fielders, the West Indians must be praying that Chanderpaul is fit and ready.
Without him, and despite what happened in the match against the MCC, the West Indies will be like lambs to the slaughter as they attempt to break the five-five deadlock at Old Trafford.
Because of that, the question is this: should Samuels, who has not played a game in England since he arrived there, be selected for the Test match?
Under normal circumstances, plus the fact he has not been a heavy scorer, neither in Test nor first-class cricket, he should not be selected.
These are not normal circumstances, however, the West Indies are one down, they are struggling, they are being embarrassed, but for Gayle and Chanderpaul, none of the batsmen have even done as well as he has, but for Gayle and Chanderpaul none of the others can bat as well as he can, and he at least possess the skill to provide the hope that the West Indies can cope, not only with pacers like Sidebottom and Harmison but also with a spinner like left-hander Monty Panesar.
