Archive for category: Clive Lloyd

10Dec 2011 1 Comment

Viru’s was a classic display of controlled strokeplay

Categories: Clive Lloyd, Syndicated Columns

I must say that I am privileged to witness such a performance. When on song, it’s just a delight to watch Virender Sehwag bat. The West Indies team shouldn’t feel devastated, as Sehwag has done this several times and on many occasions even the best of bowling attacks fell his prey. He is just one of those batsmen who have been blessed with special abilities and on his day, irrespective of the opposition he will simply toy around with the bowling not letting any bowler to settle down. And his days come too often and that’s why we see him score big ones so frequently. On Thursday what we witnessed was a classic display of controlled stroke play.

It took nearly four decades for someone to score a double hundred in the ODI format and it was fittingly scored by Sachin Tendulkar, and in less than two years we have another one. It wasn’t a surprise as many would have guessed it that probably the men who could equal or better Tendulkar’s feat would have been either Sehwag or maybe Chris Gayle. As expected, Sehwag did it and the kind of form Gayle has been in the recent T20 competitions, he is a candidate too but he will have to play international cricket for that to happen. I would also like to add another name to the list, that is Shane Watson, who has been a destructive opener for Australia in the recent times. The common factor that these above men share is their hunger for runs, ability to score big and score them at a very brisk pace. Like Brian Lara, Darren Bravo too has an appetite for big scores and he too has the potential of getting there but he is still young so we will have to wait and watch.

Despite of being played on a great batting surface, once India got that massive total, it almost shut the West Indies out. It was too much of an ask for their young batting line-up to do perform a miracle. You don’t see the likes of South Africa – Australia Wanderers match being repeated often. South Africa then did have a formidable line-up and their main power players led by Herschelle Gibbs stepped up to the occasion. This is where a player of Gayle’s ability could have made a difference to this series and I have repeated this many a times, I just hope the differences between him and the board are sorted out soon and he gets back to the national team.

In Gayle’s absence, most of the fans were hoping for Kieron Pollard to step up but that hasn’t been the case in the series. I believe he should bat higher in the order. He is again a cricketer with astonishing ability, but is perceived by most to be ‘a T20 wonder’. He will only improve when he plays more four-day cricket and makes it a goal for himself to earn a Test berth. Test cricket helps you develop as an overall cricketer. When batting it will do a world of good from temperament, concentration and shot selection perspective. So will his bowling improve, and he is already an exceptional fielder. All this improvements will also benefit his performances in the ODI and T20 format too. It’s up to him on how he looks at things and what he would like to be remembered as.

I am also pleased with the fight that wicketkeeper Ramdin displayed and I must say that the new leg spinner Rahul Sharma was very impressive on his debut. It is showing that IPL is actually doing loads of good to Indian cricket. Many will have a lot to say about Darren Sammy’s captaincy on what could he have done to stop Sehwag but like I said, on his day Sehwag is unstoppable but what could Sammy and West Indies had done was definitely fielded better and not dropped him. The fielding was once again dismal to say the least. Overall, this has been a tough tour for the young West Indies boys and they shouldn’t be too disappointed with the defeats. They did display brilliance in their performance in pathes. It’s a learning phase for the young team and this tour of subcontinent will do a world of good to their development as cricketer.

07Dec 2011 0 Comments

Test cap shouldn’t be too far away from Rohit

Categories: Clive Lloyd, Syndicated Columns

Congratulations to India and West Indies for once again providing a spectacular contest. The last three ODIs should give us and the ICC enough reasons to believe that the 50-over format is still so exciting and it must remain as it is.

Despite the late scare, it was overwhelming to see West Indies finally win one and the slogan for them from now on should be ‘if you believe, you can achieve.’

In my previous column, I mentioned the importance of variety in the attack and why Sunil Narine should be playing. The result was very well seen.

Had he played in the earlier games, he could have made a difference and who knows West Indies could have been 2-1 up.

But, that is immaterial now and what is important is the remaining two. India are a fantastic side and their 11-match winning streak in home ODIs echoes that, and having ended their dream streak with the 16-run defeat, I see no reason why West Indies can’t win the remaining two and clinch the series. But they will have to get out of their habit of inconsistency backing up a splendid outing.

It always helps a captain when he makes a major contribution in a team’s win and this game will do a lot of good to Darren Sammy’s confidence. Though he dropped a couple of crucial catches, it was his brutal assault at the end that got West Indies to 260. Of course, that brilliant run out of Rohit Sharma went on to become the turning point.

Talking of Rohit, he has impressed me with every outing of his. He is an extraordinary talent, a treat to watch and has every quality and skill to excel at this level. His Test cap doesn’t seem far away. Another young player who has caught my eye is Ravindra Jadeja, who I believe is a very good all-rounder and another great talent. India, seem to be doing everything right, but in every match they couldn’t finish up the good work. When things have gone right for them, they have done well, but once when it starts getting a bit wrong, they seem to be panicking.

They are giving away too many runs in the end and this is an area for them to look at. Also, the fact, that their top-order not getting runs is not helping their cause. It is the resilience of the middle and the lower order which has often come to their rescue and West Indies have a similar story too. I hear Irfan Pathan comes back into the Indian team for the remaining matches. It will be interesting to see how he fares after the highs and lows that he has seen in his young career.

Though, not many in India might agree with me, I firmly believe that the DRS system must be in place especially for limited overs cricket. Two wrong decisions can have a huge impact in the game and can change the course of the match. There have been problems with the system, no doubt, but if the percentage of the correct decisions increase, then I feel it should remain.

04Dec 2011 0 Comments

Rampaul is as good as an all-rounder

Categories: Clive Lloyd, Syndicated Columns
India had done no wrong; they bowled brilliantly and at 149 for eight in the 31st over, it seemed that the Visakhapatnam crowd would be going home early. But Ravi Rampaul then pulled off a magical innings –a World Record to ensure the West Indies reached a good score of 269 for nine.
It seemed here that the West Indies number 10 and 11; the pair of Rampaul and Kemar Roach decided it’s their time to outdo the heroics of their Indian counterparts, who pulled off a win in Cuttack. They did bat brilliantly to add 99, but that wasn’t enough at the end. What impressed me about that partnership was their willingness to bat out the 50 overs. It was a tremendous fightback, one of the best, one would ever see.
Rampaul is a mentally strong cricketer who always tries till the end. Over the years, he has improved as a bowler and in patches; he has shown how effective he can be with the willow. He should realize his talent with the bat and work on to be an all-rounder. He can be a very effective finisher.
Adding to his batting efforts on Friday, Rampaul also chipped in with the important wickets of Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli. But at the end of the day, despite of the heroics, the visitors once again faced a defeat, as the individual brilliance needs to be backed with substantial team effort. It’s the same mistakes being repeated.
Once again we had India three down for 84 and we didn’t put any pressure on the young Indian batsmen. Singles were there for taking and they just set themselves in, worked runs around and eventually ended victorious. The field was way too defensive and it seemed the ploy that West Indies devised was more of waiting for the batsmen to make a mistake than trying things out. The fielding was once again dismal as the dropped catches show.
West Indies have been in the subcontinent for quite some time now. They played all the three formats in Bangladesh, then three Tests against India, but still the batting is so inconsistent and seems to lack a purpose. It’s just about valuing your wickets and keeping them intact, setting up a platform and then consolidate. I also wonder about the bowling strategy. The bowling lacks variation and I wonder why Sunil Narine, a specialist spinner isn’t playing? He showed promise in the CL T20 and has done well in the domestic One-Day matches. We have seen how successful the Indian spinners have been, and these are the conditions where you should be playing your specialist spinner regularly, not in conditions of England, Australia or South Africa.
This was another close game and West Indies did go down fighting and trying, but they could have done things much better. The fire and aggression seems to be missing from this West Indies unit. But, that doesn’t take anything away from the young Indian duo of Kohli and Rohit Sharma. They were outstanding and they should be hailed for the maturity they showed in the chase. Kohli is only 23 and has eight hundreds now. In just a short period of time, he has matured tremendously as a batsman.
Moving to Ahmedabad, India will still have the fresh memories of their World Cup quarterfinal win against Australia. While the Motera crowd will miss the couple of key Indian players who played a pivotal role in that win, at the same time it also becomes an opportunity for the West Indians to realize that they aren’t playing the full strength Indian side. All they need is to play some intelligent cricket and fancy their chances to win.

 

01Dec 2011 0 Comments

Windies paid for the 23 extras

Categories: Clive Lloyd, Syndicated Columns
Being one down in a fivematch series, West Indies now have a serious task ahead of the Visakhapatnam ODI. If you are two down and don’t have the momentum going it becomes very difficult to comeback and win the remaining in order to clinch the series. West Indies will surely look to avoid that situation. Though the ODI series in West Indies earlier this year read 3-2 in favour of India, which looks close, but India had already wrapped it up in the first three games.
Darren Sammy’s men should realise the importance of this game, learn from their mistakes and come out stronger. In a lowscoring game, that too in the subcontinent, you can’t afford to give away 23 extras, they should look to get it reduced by half at the max! Not often you have a strong batting unit like India struggling at 59 for five, when you find yourself in such a position, you need the make most of it. We went defensive with the tail, when we should have looked for wickets. With 11 runs required to win, you generally back your bowlers to clean up the number 10 or 11, ensuring your team a win, but that didn’t happen.
One of my concerns is our bowling lacking the penetration, but at the same time what pleases me is the pool of good spin bowlers that we have managed to create. Anthony Martin looks to be a pretty good prospect and in our ranks we also have the likes of Devendra Bishoo, Sunil Narine, and Sulieman Benn.
Our batting collapses and inconsistency is another worry and that reflects in how we slumped to 211 from being around five an over almost till the half way mark. Darren Bravo hardly got any support in the middle. The run out of Danza Hyatt was unnecessary. Bravo has been batting really well, but the team can’t just rely on one man’s batting. I have mentioned this before that Andre Russell is a brilliant prospect and isn’t far away from a Test cap. With each game he seems to be improving and it was his quick knock towards the end that helped us cross the 200 mark and he backed up this effort with brilliant bowling. The team management should promote him up in the batting line-up in order to use him to full effect.
Winning a match after being 59 for five, the Indians showed why they are the World Champions. Rohit Sharma, would have not found a place in the eleven had India fielded a full strength side, but he played a mature knock of quality which shows India’s bench strength. Even with a relatively young side, they still look formidable.
West Indies saved the last Test by a run and this time around it was just a matter of one wicket, so this shows that we haven’t been completely outplayed by a quality team like India. We can draw heart from the fact that we have managed to come so close. Hopefully, we will see a better performance by the visitors and another close tight contest will further light up this tour.
27Nov 2011 0 Comments

Gayle will be missed by all

Categories: Clive Lloyd, Syndicated Columns
A draw was a sort of expected result and I did write in my last column that we may head for an exciting finish but honestly I didn’t feel that it would get this close. We witnessed one of the most exciting Test matches but seeing the whole thing; I am disappointed with the West Indies batting. The collapse was what I feared and that exactly happened! Dominating the Test for four days, they were a run away from the defeat. Had they lost it would have been embarrassing.
On the final day, both teams created chances out of nowhere but missed the simple versions as well. How many times have we seen a Test match in its last few minutes with the possibility of all the four results? Getting the West Indians all out in the first session was an incredible job and from there India should have won it. With the line-up they have, 243 in 60 overs is definitely gettable and the way Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid went on with things, it seemed it was just a matter of time. The intent of the West Indians to not give it away pegged the home team back. The pitch did turn and bounce, but still there wasn’t much devil in it! Despite of their batting debacle, West Indies fought back well and could have won the Test match but their fielding let them down. There were too many dropped catches, misfields, and run outs missed; and at this level, to be a top team one must even make the half chances count.
All in all, we witnessed an enthralling day of Test cricket. The exposure of playing against a good side in the subcontinent will do a world of good to the young and inexperienced West Indies side. The likes of Adrian Barath, Kraigg Brathwaite and Kirk Edwards did impress. However, they need to work on their consistency and make both the innings count. We saw Darren Bravo come of age. Devendra Bishoo showed excellent promise and Ravi Rampaul was bowling his heart out on unresponsive wickets.The ODIs will be a much closer contest and Lendl Simmons will be someone to watch out for. Andre Russell is another exciting player and isn’t far away from a Test cap. Sunil Narine has done well in the domestic circuit and we all know it what impact can Kieron Pollard make. However the fans and West Indies will be missing Chris Gayle. Pollard and Gayle in the same side would have made the team a formidable one.
Coming to the concluded Test series, I would like to congratulate India for the series win. They have a lot of good cricketers coming and also are backed by the bench strength. Talking of good cricketers, this series belonged to Ravichandran Ashwin. Who would say that this was his first Test series? His good showing has forced the Indian selectors to make a tough decision of not reckoning Harbhajan Singh for the tour of Australia.
It’s still a learning curve for Darren Sammy’s young men. They have a lot of talent and they have a lot of positives to take from the Test series. I hope they fare better in ODIs.
26Nov 2011 0 Comments

West Indies can still make a match out of this

Categories: Clive Lloyd, Syndicated Columns
Day four was certainly an eventful day. The crowd had begun to fill up the stands in hope to be a part of the magic moment, but the interminable wait continues. Sachin Tendulkar, falling six runs short was certainly unfortunate but it is just a matter of time. While the fans still sulked, two youngsters, unnoticed, bailed India out of the troubled position they were in. Virat Kohli will remember this innings, as this was his first Test fifty, but he didn’t make the good start count. While R Ashwin’s good time with Test cricket continues as he added a Test hundred to his fifer.
Ashwin’s credentials with the bat were known and his first-class batting record is enviable. He got the opportunity and what better stage to show, bailing your team out from an appalling situation. In three Tests, West Indies have twice managed to take the first innings lead. Considering that India are a top team and are invincible at home, this is an achievement, which really pleased me.
The Test match is well poised at the moment and though I feel it’s heading towards a draw, we can still have a good match in our hands. It however all depends on the first session. West Indies can score some quick runs till lunch and give India around 300 odd to chase in nearly 60 overs. That would be interesting. We have seen some thrilling Tests between South Africa and Australia in the last few weeks and this could be one too. India does have the batting power to chase anything, so timing of the declaration will be interesting. 
Another factor will be the pitch. The Day Five Wankhede track is expected to help turn. How it plays in the morning will also determine the result of the match. So far it has been a wonderful batting track. A No. 8 batsman scored a hundred on the fourth day to prove it.
West Indies have nothing more to lose but they still will have to adopt a safety first approach. They have the upper hand in this Test, but should avoid being too optimistic and attempt something silly. Their second innings in Delhi and the first innings in Kolkata are the examples of some dreadful collapses and handing over the game.
With the ODI series to come, even a draw here will be a boost to their confidence.
25Nov 2011 0 Comments

The Windies are looking good

Categories: Clive Lloyd
The Test match is well poised at the moment with West Indies still having a formidable lead, but at the crease we have two world-class batsmen Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if they manage something special on the day four and get India an upper hand. Yes, but that needs to be something real special.
Talking of special, Tendulkar looks good for his much talked about hundredth ton. Who could have thought that this was possible? He is a sports icon and for all that he has given the sport, what could be a better venue than Wankhede stadium to bring up this memorable feat. He is not just a great cricketer but a wonderful person and I wish him all the luck for the feat, but at the same time being a West Indian, I hope he doesn’t get too many after reaching the milestone.
West Indies might be two down and have had lost the series, but they have been impressive to say the least. This team has it in them to be a force to reckon with. The only problem I see is the lack of penetration in the bowling department. The Sub continent is not the best place for the bowlers and in the first Test we did very well to bundle out the Indians in the first innings. But the ability to pick up 20 wickets consistently separates the good teams. If the bowling issue is sorted out, this West Indies team has the potential to be a formidable side.
It has taken us some time, but I can see our cricket finding its feet. We have a real good bunch of young cricketers and we have seen how the young guys like Darren Bravo, Kirk Edwards, Kieron Powell have stepped up on big occasions.
The comparison between Bravo and his idol Brian Lara, is seeming to have a positive effect on the youngster. The comparison is bound to happen, why not? He looks like Lara, he conducts himself like Lara, his batting has so much resemblance to Lara and he is also related to Lara. Stepping into Lara’s massive shoes won’t be an easy task, but this young player has great talent and has shown his willingness to raise his hand and make it count when it matters, something his idol always did.
Though our team has great talent, it lacks experience and Chris Gayle joining the side will only do a world of good to our cricket. I just hope Gayle’s issue is sorted out as soon as possible. It baffles me seeing a cricketer of his calibre not playing for the national side. The team, the crowd and the game itself, at the international level is missing him.

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