Have you seen it?
WHO?
A proper West Indies batsman.
Sorry ICC, but the politically correct “hit” doesn’t adequately cover what is desperately lacking in Caribbean sport.
Batsmen have become as scarce as extra money.
There is no shortage of men and women who can swing a bat and hit the ball hard and far. But the true connoisseur of cricket is now hungry to see players who can put all the elements of batting together, innings after innings, for a long time – batsmen.
These are strange days.
The sky is still bright enough for beautiful cricket days. But the observer nowadays is forced to witness many games that are not beautiful.
West Indies cricket is now in an era where there is no master batsman; no superstars; there are no future Hall of Famers using the willow.
It’s a hard thing to say, as spotting West Indian batting masters used to be so easy, no matter how far back in time you went.
In 1930, for example, just two years after a West Indies team played its first Test match, George Headley scored 703 runs against England in the first Test series played in the Caribbean and averaged 87.87 to announce himself as “Atlas ” of the team.
In 1950, when John Goddard took the Windies to England and achieved a historic first series win there, not only was the world introduced to spin buddies Sonny Ramadhin and Alfred Valentine, but it also witnessed the emergence of the “Three Ws”- Frank Worrell , Everton Weeks and Clyde Walcott.
And before the 50s were over, a fellow Barbadian named Garry Sobers had achieved the highest score in Test cricket. This record stood until 1994, when a Brian Lara from Trinidad and Tobago topped Sobers’ 365 with 375.
Between these two superstars came headliners like Rohan Kanhai, Clive Lloyd, Gordon Greenidge and Vivian Richards, to name just a few of the men who came to define West Indian designer style.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Chris Gayle, Lara’s contemporaries, can also be added to this list. But it will stretch the argument and frankly, dilute the quality to add anyone else after Gayle.
We are talking about batsmen here; players who have proven across the formats they have played that they can score runs with regularity and style in all kinds of conditions.
Ever since Gayle made his Test debut in 2000, there has been no player quite like him or anyone who came before him.
The reasons for this are not clear. And not because there are no more athletes with the physical talent to become world class.
Gayle’s teammates Ramanresh Sarwan and Marlon Samuels threatened to become giants at times, as did the silky Carl Hooper, however, they never managed to do so. Darren Bravo and Shai Hope are still playing, so they still have the opportunity to step up.
But today even the players of their kind have become an endangered species.
So maybe just like they do when looking for the next coach, Cricket West Indies should put out an ad: “Batters Wanted”.
Here are the qualifications:
• Should have played three to four seasons of four-day cricket.
• Must provide details of a personal fitness plan.
• Must be able to hit for five hours.
• Should not accept 50 as a good score.
• Must show ability to play bounce and seam ball.
• Must show willingness to use legs against spin or ability to manipulate slow bowling.
• Must display the ability to adjust his approach according to the match situation.
• Must provide annual evidence of a game development plan.
This list of requirements can be changed and expanded. But they represent the qualities that all batsmen must possess if they are to be world-class competitors.
To varying degrees, all the men mentioned in this piece had these elements in their game. They were capable enough to concentrate and beat for long periods; they had a hunger to get big totals and they worked to improve their games; standing in front of the players.
In addition to producing this list electronically, Director of Cricket Jimmy Adams should have flyers printed and sent to all territorial boards for them to distribute to clubs under their jurisdiction.
It might sound crazy, but it just might work. Headleys and Kanhais and Sobers just don’t come anymore, prepared by their local communities. A different approach is needed.
At least a black and white list of requirements will make new players aware of what is required to be successful in the sport. They need help.
-garth.wattley
@trinidadexpress.com.
