The world was all set to forget that at one point of time most of the international records in both the tests ans one day internationals belonged, starting from the fact that they were the first team to win two world cups till Brian Lara scored an unbeaten 400 against England at St Antigua to not only become the highest individual run scorer but also became the only player to score a quadruple hundred. And, if heir recent past is considered, they have lost most of their fan following who are now a days found betting against them be it against any opposition.
And, the West Indies in most of the occasions were in support of that. They have a recent history of faring so badly in all the three formats of the game that whenever West Indies even goes in for a draw, that used to raise eyebrows. This was the case against Australia when the West Indies drew a test match at Adelaide. And, whenever the West Indies were able to snatch, it was at the cost of their opposition who at times underestimated the same. And, this was evident in the second match against Zimbabwe where the West Indies won by 4 wickets chasing just 207 runs.
However, things improved a lot in the third one dayer played at Kingstown where the West Indies took the game away from Zimbabwe in a one sided manner. The West Indies once again showed Zimbabwe that they have been stripped off their test status some five years back. West Indies once again reminded the Zimbabweans that they could not qualify for either the ICC champions trophy or the world T20 last year. In the third one dayer, Zimbabwe were nowhere in the game and the West Indies also showed the fans that atleast at home they can come out victorious.
This time the West Indies team didn't leave any stone unturned when they excelled in all three departments of the game. This was not really evident when the entire West Indies team could not even go past 250 on board when in today's cricket, 300+ also is an average score. And, like always, the West Indies needed the contribution of Shivnarine Chanderapaul to lead the batting though others followed suit. It was then it was realized that the pitch had nothing to offer for the batsmen when there was only one Zimbabwean batsman who was comparatively better than the rest. There was just 1 six in the entire Zimbabwean innings, with the highest individual score being 35.
Once again, the man of the match was awarded to the wrong person who could all do was to extract something which the pitch assisted. The real challenge was to stand and deliver which was possible from Chanderapaul. But, once again the mistake has to be regretted by all.
Showing posts with label West Indies vs Zimbabwe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label West Indies vs Zimbabwe. Show all posts
Thursday, 11 March 2010
Sunday, 7 March 2010
Smiles on West Indian faces
Well finally fans of West Indian cricket can hope to smile after the West Indies registered a rare victory in an international one day match. It doesn't matter against which team the victory came against at present but, it is winning that is important for a team who has got to losing as though it is the sun rise and sun set. However, the victory was not achieved until the last 12 odd balls prior to finishing the match with the West Indies team taking the game until more than the 47th over of the match. And, in the process the West Indies team lost 6 wickets.
This is no big deal whatsoever. As it has been repeatedly mentioned in this post, it is winning at present that is important for the West Indies and not the margin of victory or the way they achieved it. But, the West Indies' efforts were not even that bad either when Chris Gayle and Deonarine scored 153 runs out of the total score of 208 which ensured the West Indian win. Not even Chanderapaul was found at his batting best with that being his only job in international cricket since decades. Whatever, it would be worth mentioning the 21 extras that the Zimbabwean bowlers bowled which aided the West Indian run chase.
Chris Gayle and Deonarine accounted almost 84 percent of the total score of 208 that the West Indies team needed to win. If not for these two, the remaining batmen could not record individual scores more than 10, which ws possible only by Chandrapaul keeping in mind his decade long experience. Had Chandrapaul not been this experienced, may be even his score would have been just a couple. A comparative picture would suggest that the Zimbabwean team had a better batting chart with almost all of them notching up double digit scores. The fact is also that the present Zimbabwean team is more experienced compared to West Indies.
But, the main area that needs some consideration is the man of the match that was awarded to some Deonarine. Scorecard suggests that he was the second highest scorer for the West Indies after Chris Gayle scored 88.It is impossible to find a valid reason for Deonarine being awarded the man of the match. Chris Gayle would have been the ultimate choice after furnishing his role as a captain, opening batsmen and a part time bowler. Not only did Gayle top score at 88 but also took the wicket of the number 3 batsmen- Brendan Taylor and was the lone bowler to have bowled 10 overs for the WI.
This is no big deal whatsoever. As it has been repeatedly mentioned in this post, it is winning at present that is important for the West Indies and not the margin of victory or the way they achieved it. But, the West Indies' efforts were not even that bad either when Chris Gayle and Deonarine scored 153 runs out of the total score of 208 which ensured the West Indian win. Not even Chanderapaul was found at his batting best with that being his only job in international cricket since decades. Whatever, it would be worth mentioning the 21 extras that the Zimbabwean bowlers bowled which aided the West Indian run chase.
Chris Gayle and Deonarine accounted almost 84 percent of the total score of 208 that the West Indies team needed to win. If not for these two, the remaining batmen could not record individual scores more than 10, which ws possible only by Chandrapaul keeping in mind his decade long experience. Had Chandrapaul not been this experienced, may be even his score would have been just a couple. A comparative picture would suggest that the Zimbabwean team had a better batting chart with almost all of them notching up double digit scores. The fact is also that the present Zimbabwean team is more experienced compared to West Indies.
But, the main area that needs some consideration is the man of the match that was awarded to some Deonarine. Scorecard suggests that he was the second highest scorer for the West Indies after Chris Gayle scored 88.It is impossible to find a valid reason for Deonarine being awarded the man of the match. Chris Gayle would have been the ultimate choice after furnishing his role as a captain, opening batsmen and a part time bowler. Not only did Gayle top score at 88 but also took the wicket of the number 3 batsmen- Brendan Taylor and was the lone bowler to have bowled 10 overs for the WI.
Friday, 5 March 2010
Windies lose by only 2 runs
This was one last thing that the West Indies would have wanted to happen when they lost the first match of the 5 match one day series to Zimbabwe at Guyana by 2 runs. This should be no surprise for anyone keeping in mind the caliber of the present West Indies team which can least beat any non test playing nation alone. Chris Gayle must be glad that his team lost only by two runs when predictions had their say that West Indies would lose the game by a mile. In a way, West Indies would have silenced all critics pointing towards them.
The only bowler from the West Indies side who had some sort of success comparatively was Suliemann Benn when he returned with 4 overs maiden with only Miller being able to bowl another over maiden for the entire West Indies team. Though Kieron Pollard was successful in terms of number of wickets bagged, he gave away 59 runs from his ten overs at 5.9 an over which was more than the 5.08 an over that the entire Zimbabwean innings could manage. It was a team combination from the Zimbabwean side with 5 of the 7 Zimbabwean batsmen putting up decent individual scores.
However, this was not the way the West Indian innings started when the top three batsmen in terms of order of making it to the crease saw posting individual scores above 50. However, it was the same old batsmen in Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderapaul who made the job easy for the West Indies team so the the batsmen making it to the crease later in the innings can cash in on the same which didn't really happen. It was a tough task to pick the best from the Zimbabwean bowlers where a bowler who returns with 3 wickets gives away runs at the rate of 12 an over.
And the next best bowler in terms of wickets namely Greg Lamb returns with figures of 6.40 in the 5 overs he bowled. However, irrespective of who gave away how many runs and how many wickets fell, the end result declared Zimbabwe as winners by a margin a 2 runs. After the exit of the top 3 batsmen namely Gayle, Chandrapaul and Adrian Barath there were just 2 scored above 10 with none of them being able to score more than 20. Instead extras had its share of 22 runs which makes it the 4th among top run scorers for the West Indies in the match.
The only bowler from the West Indies side who had some sort of success comparatively was Suliemann Benn when he returned with 4 overs maiden with only Miller being able to bowl another over maiden for the entire West Indies team. Though Kieron Pollard was successful in terms of number of wickets bagged, he gave away 59 runs from his ten overs at 5.9 an over which was more than the 5.08 an over that the entire Zimbabwean innings could manage. It was a team combination from the Zimbabwean side with 5 of the 7 Zimbabwean batsmen putting up decent individual scores.
However, this was not the way the West Indian innings started when the top three batsmen in terms of order of making it to the crease saw posting individual scores above 50. However, it was the same old batsmen in Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderapaul who made the job easy for the West Indies team so the the batsmen making it to the crease later in the innings can cash in on the same which didn't really happen. It was a tough task to pick the best from the Zimbabwean bowlers where a bowler who returns with 3 wickets gives away runs at the rate of 12 an over.
And the next best bowler in terms of wickets namely Greg Lamb returns with figures of 6.40 in the 5 overs he bowled. However, irrespective of who gave away how many runs and how many wickets fell, the end result declared Zimbabwe as winners by a margin a 2 runs. After the exit of the top 3 batsmen namely Gayle, Chandrapaul and Adrian Barath there were just 2 scored above 10 with none of them being able to score more than 20. Instead extras had its share of 22 runs which makes it the 4th among top run scorers for the West Indies in the match.
Thursday, 4 March 2010
After Chris Gayle it is Utseya
Well it has been less than a month when the West Indian captain Chris Gayle was found predicting a 4-1 series win for West Indies despite the fact that Australia had beaten Pakistan (which is a far better outfit than West Indies) 5-0 just weeks prior to that. Now, there is a similar such talk from a Zimbabwean captain Prosper Utseya when he claims that his side can be tough for any opposition prior to the start of the first one day international against West Indies in Georgetown that is due tomorrow. The only difference being that Utseya has a T20 win against West Indies which Chris Gayle didn't have.
However, Chris Gayle didn't even have this base that the Zimbabwe captain had before his statement. As expected, the prediction by Chris Gayle didn't even turn out to be a 1-4 victory for his team. The only motivation that Gayle had that initially and partially supported his words would be the win against PM's XI which was led by Mathew Hayden. But this was far from satisfactory when the full fledged Australian team was considered. However, Utseya's words can make sense taking into account the team they are going to face in the coming month of March viz the West Indies.
In today's cricket, West Indies can be beaten by any team in the world. West Indies has to just try playing the non test playing nations to be surprised. The only ray of hope for the West Indies lying in the fact that they are hosting Zimbabwe where home conditions are guaranteed. But, people who take to betting can do so regarding Zimbabwe which would not be a wrong choice whatsoever. But, the Zimbabwe captain's words sound to be even more appealing than expected. It doesn't look like Utseya has made such a statement by taking into account only the West Indies team but the entire cricketing world.
If Utseya's words have that much meaning, one has to ask him as to how come his team has been stripped from the test status which it was enjoying since more than a decade. Can Utseya cite a reason for Zimbabwe to be excluded from participating in the T20 world cup and also in the ICC Champions Trophy 2009 tough it was held in the African continent? And in case Zimbabwe is included in the list of probables, can Utseya look out for people who would have a bet in favor of his team? The only was the aforementioned things can turn into reality is in cases where the team that is facing Zimbabwe take them lightly and as a result pay the price for the same.
However, Chris Gayle didn't even have this base that the Zimbabwe captain had before his statement. As expected, the prediction by Chris Gayle didn't even turn out to be a 1-4 victory for his team. The only motivation that Gayle had that initially and partially supported his words would be the win against PM's XI which was led by Mathew Hayden. But this was far from satisfactory when the full fledged Australian team was considered. However, Utseya's words can make sense taking into account the team they are going to face in the coming month of March viz the West Indies.
In today's cricket, West Indies can be beaten by any team in the world. West Indies has to just try playing the non test playing nations to be surprised. The only ray of hope for the West Indies lying in the fact that they are hosting Zimbabwe where home conditions are guaranteed. But, people who take to betting can do so regarding Zimbabwe which would not be a wrong choice whatsoever. But, the Zimbabwe captain's words sound to be even more appealing than expected. It doesn't look like Utseya has made such a statement by taking into account only the West Indies team but the entire cricketing world.
If Utseya's words have that much meaning, one has to ask him as to how come his team has been stripped from the test status which it was enjoying since more than a decade. Can Utseya cite a reason for Zimbabwe to be excluded from participating in the T20 world cup and also in the ICC Champions Trophy 2009 tough it was held in the African continent? And in case Zimbabwe is included in the list of probables, can Utseya look out for people who would have a bet in favor of his team? The only was the aforementioned things can turn into reality is in cases where the team that is facing Zimbabwe take them lightly and as a result pay the price for the same.
Tuesday, 2 March 2010
Zimbabwe took West Indies for granted
If one has to go by the words of the new West Indian captain Ottis Gibson who was found saying that the West Indies team didn't take the Zimbabwe lightly after West Indies lost the only T20 game that they played as a part of the series with Zimbabwe on its tour to the West Indies. The fact at present is that the West Indies are in no mood to take Zimbabwe or any team for that matter lightly. It has to be the opposition that has to take the present West Indies team lightly and at times pay the price for the same.
Even if the opposition takes the West Indies lightly, they can still manage to win a game in a one sided manner. This was evident when the Australian captain Ricky Ponting imposed a follow on upon the West Indies in the 1st test played at Brisbane where Australia had taken a lead of just above 200. The lead, to be exact was 252 runs which hardly makes any captain impose a follow on. It should either be a weak opposition like Bangladesh or there should be a huge margin of lead in case any captain should impose a follow on on the opposition team.
Despite Pakistan failing to win the second test played at Sydney on its tour to OZ after bowling out the Australians for a mere total of 127, the Australian captain Ricky Ponting didn't have the courage to impose a follow on in the 3rd and the final test against Pakistan. This clearly shows that the Australia had taken the West Indies lightly and not the other way round. And if the West Indies didn't take Zimbabwe for granted, can Ottis Gibson give a genuine reason regarding West Indies' loss to Zimbabwe in the T20 game that they played at Trinidad! Is the current WI team so bad that it can't even chase down 105 runs in a T20 game?
Is the West Indies team so bad that it can't even maintain a run rate of 4.0 in a T20 match and that too against a non test playing team in Zimbabwe? Was West Indies playing a test match that was sure to be drawn which saw them losing just 7 wickets. Had all the West Indian batsmen been out, there would have been some lame reason to justify their defeat irrespective of whether anyone believes them or not. The Zimbabwean innings saw 7 of their batsmen scoring ducks which still didn't stop them from winning. Had the WI team taken the Zimbabwean team lightly, still that could have been forgiven. But, if it the other way round, I wish the WI turn their attention towards domestic cricket.
Even if the opposition takes the West Indies lightly, they can still manage to win a game in a one sided manner. This was evident when the Australian captain Ricky Ponting imposed a follow on upon the West Indies in the 1st test played at Brisbane where Australia had taken a lead of just above 200. The lead, to be exact was 252 runs which hardly makes any captain impose a follow on. It should either be a weak opposition like Bangladesh or there should be a huge margin of lead in case any captain should impose a follow on on the opposition team.
Despite Pakistan failing to win the second test played at Sydney on its tour to OZ after bowling out the Australians for a mere total of 127, the Australian captain Ricky Ponting didn't have the courage to impose a follow on in the 3rd and the final test against Pakistan. This clearly shows that the Australia had taken the West Indies lightly and not the other way round. And if the West Indies didn't take Zimbabwe for granted, can Ottis Gibson give a genuine reason regarding West Indies' loss to Zimbabwe in the T20 game that they played at Trinidad! Is the current WI team so bad that it can't even chase down 105 runs in a T20 game?
Is the West Indies team so bad that it can't even maintain a run rate of 4.0 in a T20 match and that too against a non test playing team in Zimbabwe? Was West Indies playing a test match that was sure to be drawn which saw them losing just 7 wickets. Had all the West Indian batsmen been out, there would have been some lame reason to justify their defeat irrespective of whether anyone believes them or not. The Zimbabwean innings saw 7 of their batsmen scoring ducks which still didn't stop them from winning. Had the WI team taken the Zimbabwean team lightly, still that could have been forgiven. But, if it the other way round, I wish the WI turn their attention towards domestic cricket.
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