Shane Dowrich and Kraigg Brathwaite kept their calm and
didn’t blow it away when it mattered the most. It is well known, how the
Pakistani bowlers can change their colours in the twinkle of an eye to set
jitters in the opposition batting line-up and snatch victories from the jaws of
defeat. But on the final day of the third Test, no such hiccups took place as
West Indies ended the tour with smiles on faces.
Pakistan handed West Indies a high dose of heavy defeats in the
one-day series and little was expected from Jason Holder’s young team in the
Test series. Critics and fans expected the same fate, but to the surprise of
all, Holder’s young guns put up a spirited display throughout the Test series.
The West Indies could have gone on to win the series had
they shown a bit more intent in the thrilling first Test at Dubai. Darren
Bravo’s epic vigil almost gifted Pakistan a shocking defeat, but in the end,
West Indies just failed to reach the shore safely.
The way the West Indies regrouped despite losing the ODI
series 3-0, indicates, there is still something left for West Indies in Test
cricket.
The West Indian batting line-up in Test cricket has always
been regarded as fragile, but in the Middle East, they exhibited the ideal
temperament - batted 100 overs in the
fourth innings of the first and second Test and took all the three Test matches
to the final day.
Batsmen like Kraigg Brathwaite, Dowrich, Jason Holder and
Darren Bravo performed brilliantly and handled the might of Yasir Shah better
than most of the touring sides in the Middle East.
Then the pace bowlers proved a point as well while a
legspinner named Devendra Bishoo spun a web around the Pakistan batsmen and
fetched 18 wickets in three Tests. His strike rate of 45 in this series is
better than Yasir Shah’s.
Will this victory motivate the West
Indies?
Well,
yet another surprising victory, but whether this victory will motivate the West
Indies or not remains a moot question. Because, in the past, there had been
some surprising wins like this, but they always gave the impression of a false
sunrise.
The
state of West Indies cricket never changed.
West
Indies’ victory in the World Twenty20 triggered massive celebrations throughout
the world. But such victories are like winning a battle rather than war. While
the top teams in the world are more focused on winning the war, West Indies
were seen to be too satisfied with just a victory in a battle. No matter how
many limited-overs titles you win, at the end of the day, stamping authority in
Test cricket matters the most.
The
victory at Sharjah should act as a significant motivating factor and for which,
the West Indies Cricket Board must act and plan sensibly.
First
of all, they need to end the petty quarrels between the Board and players. Such
things have given West Indies cricket nothing but shame and it will be tough
for the Board to plan for a bright future if there is a lack of harmony between
the Board and players.
Secondly,
WICB should realize what made West Indies a force in the past. It had been the
pace bowlers who took West Indies to the pinnacle of glory in the late 70s and
80s. They must think about preparing home tracks which aid Shannon Gabriel and
Alzarri Joseph more . This will not only help to encourage the growth of pace
bowlers but give West Indies the boost to fare well at home.
Moreover,
one cannot deny how fast and bouncy tracks attracted a huge amount of
spectators in the past, and the appeal of the speed merchants have not yet
diminished in West Indies. Therefore, an appropriate branding of Test cricket
is needed in West Indies.
The
empty stands during the India-West Indies Test series hinted how the popularity
of Test cricket diminished in the Caribbean region! Once upon a time, a Test
match in Antigua or Barbados was like a festival, and it only happened due to
the ideal branding of the format. The passion about the best form of the game
still exists in West Indies but the right plan to brand that passion is only
absent.
World
Cricket is in need of a strong West Indies in Test cricket. The sooner the West
Indies players and authorities realize this, the better it would be for them
and world cricket.
Note: This article was published
at Sportskeeda on 06/11/2016 How important is the victory at Sharjah for West Indies
Thank
You
Faisal
Caesar
No comments:
Post a Comment