West Indies need a strong and balanced batting line-up

Dear Editor,

It is obvious that the West Indies cricket team has found a varying and effective bowling attack. There are Kemar Roache with his thunderbolt pace; Ravi Rampaul who is the most daring and aggressive bowler in the squad; Darren Sammy who is good at changing the pace of every ball he bowls; Devendra Bishoo who knows when to flight his deliveries and when to turn them; and finally Anthony Martin, who can consistently bowl a decent line and length. There are also other bowlers, like Dwayne Bravo and Andre Russell, who add variety to the bowling.

The new group of West Indian bowlers has shown their effectiveness against Pakistan, who recently toured the Caribbean, and also against the Indians, presently competing against the West Indies. In the last Test match against India, the bowlers bowled out the Indian batsmen for below 260 runs in both innings. This was a remarkable performance, considering that India has some of the best batsmen in the world.

Many would ask this question: if the West Indies bowlers are doing so well, why does the team continue to lose so badly? Editor, the problem lies with the batting line- up. The selectors need to sit together and come up with a strong, dependable and balanced batting line- up. And for them to do so, their selection process must be more transparent, and they must be more willing to listen to the views of other stakeholders, including the fans. To begin with, there has to be a stable opening pair. Opening batsmen set the tone for the team. They are supposed to stay and play off the new ball and tire out the opening bowlers, so that the number three batsman and the others to follow would have a foundation to build on. I am not sure the present opening pair can do that. Lendl Simmonds and Adrian Bharath are definitely talented and exciting players, but they still have much work to do in the longer version of the game. That is why Chris Gayle needs to be in the team. He brings a lot to West Indies cricket, and the selectors must be a bit more accommodating to him. The number three batsman should be someone who can open the batting as well as bat through the innings. In my view, Shivnarine Chanderpaul is a better choice for the number three position.

Another problem the West Indies have is the wicket-keeper position. When there is enough talent to choose from, the selectors must use better judgment. A proper wicketkeeper is an all-rounder. At the moment, West Indies do not really have a proper wicket- keeper. There are guys who know how to keep wicket and who try to bat, but they are not exceptional. Surely, this is one area that must be looked at in the future if we are to raise the standard of West Indies cricket.

Editor, let us look at the wicket-keepers around the world. India has Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who is the captain and one of the most devastating batsmen in the world. Sri Lanka has Kumar Sangakkara, who is the captain and undoubtedly one of the most dependable batsmen in the world. Pakistan has Kamran Akmal, who is the team’s most consistent batsman; New Zealand has Brendan Macullum, who is the team’s most senior batsman; South Africa has Mark Boucher, a cricket legend; England has Matt Prior, who is its most improved batsman; and Australia has Brad Haddin, who is one of Australia’s best batsmen. My question, Editor, is when will we have a wicket-keeper of such calibre? Since Ridley Jacobs, there has not been a stable wicket- keeper in the West Indies team.

The administration of West Indies cricket has to invest more to get quality players. The batting lineup of the West Indies team needs serious alteration. If the management and the selectors can find the right combination to add to the already effective bowlers, West Indies would start winning games more often.

Yours sincerely,

Divyannie Sharma