We have witnessed a fair few un-Caribbean sights so far on England’s current tour of the West Indies. The pitches have been so lifeless that I’m surprised we haven’t heard the sound of last rites echoing over the stump mike. Watching Brendan Nash bowl 23 overs of medium slow drifters in Trinidad was an insult to the great West Indian fast bowlers of the past. I thought that the West Indies’ unashamed decision to play three bowlers in the final test was the cherry on the negative tactic cake that the West Indies had been cooking since their stunning win in Jamaica all those weeks ago. Apparently, I was wrong.
With that long-awaited series win in the bag, I had thought, or perhaps hoped, we could look forward to a one day series filled with excitement and attacking cricket – at least from the West Indies. The one day game is the format in which the West Indies have had the most success in recent years, and it is a game that to which the majority of their players are far more suited. Until yesterday, they were hot favourites to beat England. That was until John Dyson waved his batsmen off the ground while they were still 2 runs behind the required Duckworth-Lewis, having been offered the light.
Leaving the embarrassing nature of Dyson’s error aside, the more worrying fact appears to be that the negative tactics the West Indies have applied to their test cricket seem to have permeated their approach to the one day game.
One can, to a certain extent, forgive their overtly negative attitude in Trinidad, given their desperation to win their first test series for five years, and a series where they were expected to lose comfortably. It wasn’t a particularly edifying sight, but an understandable one. Indeed, the jubilant reaction of the Trinidadian crowd was perhaps justification enough.
However, to deny the packed stadium in Providence the chance to see a grandstand finish to an exciting game of one day cricket, in favour of a Duckworth-Lewis victory, was disappointing to say the least. It was clear that the batsmen were trying to sway the on-field umpires for a number of overs before the decision was made, as they knew they were ahead of the rate. So preoccupied were they with the light, that they seemed not even to contemplate scoring another twenty-odd runs to win the game. In the end, it seems as if they were so desperate to not have to win the game outright, that they had even forgot to count the number of wickets falling. Shiv Chanderpaul’s superhuman display of powerplay batting should have deserved to win them the game, but Dyson’s decision definitely deserved to lose it.
This winter, we have seen some of the things that makes West Indian cricket great: passionate crowds cheering their side on, music blaring out from Chicky’s disco and the like, accompanied by dancing girls and dancing fans. The spirit of Caribbean cricket is clearly alive and well, rejuvenated by the success of the side. But this won’t last long if they are subjected to much more of this negative brand of cricket. West Indian cricket fans have been brought up on attacking, swashbuckling cricket and won’t queue up to see Brendan Nash wheel away for 20 overs an innings every game, and they won’t queue up if they know their side are praying for rain or bad light to help them win.
Nor will they win much if they keep playing this way. In Trinidad, the West Indies played it as safe as they possibly could, and very nearly lost. In Providence, they played safe and did lose. If they continue playing it that safe, they will lose much more than they will win. Let’s hope they’ve learnt their lesson.
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