WI CRICKET

Once the most feared cricketing nation in the whole world, West Indies are regarded nothing more than minnows in the modern era.. The manner in which this downfall has resulted is far more painful than the downfall itself.. The issues between players and the board as well as the baffling selection procedures have only contributed in the gradual slip.. It is really sad to see that there is no one to carry on the mantle of fast bowling left by the great Embrose, Walsh, Bishop, Holding, Marshall et al..Its been six long years since Dillon hung his boots in 2004 and WI have not been able to find an apt replacement.. Edwards, Taylor and Roach are too inconsistent while Rampaul and Sammy hardly fill in the big boots left by their predecessors..



The fielding standards have never been the best in case of WI but to see them worsen further saddens u no end..Fielding of some of the international players like Sarwan,Chanderpaul et al can put school boys to shame..Also, the current crop of batsmen, barring Gayle and Chanderpaul and Sarwan, do not seem to be the right replacements for Carl hooper or Jimmy adams or Ridley jacobs and certainly not for the batting greats Greenidge, Haynes and Clive..The result is extra pressure on the likes of Gayle which leads him into curbing his natural game and thus,indirectly hurting the chances of his team..



So what can be done?? For starters, i think Gayle should be replaced as captain by a more innovative, flexible and positive personality like Darren Ganga.. Gayle seems to be a quiet personality and has been ineffiecient in inspiring his team to better performances and raising the player confidence levels.. Players such as Richards, Darren bravo, Rampaul, Bernard and Miller, who just seem to be there to complete the x1, can easily be replaced by the likes of Barath(an attacking opener), Simmons(One down batsman and an excellent fielder),Stewart(an all rounder),Sherwin Ganga (an all rounder) and Dave mohammed (a spinner with a big heart).. Why not go for a full fledged bowling attack comprising of a fully fit Taylor,Edwards and Roach with Dwayne Bravo,Pollard,S.Ganga and stewart as all rounders while the batting consists of D.Ganga,Gayle,Simmons and Chanderpaul, the rest of the players mentioned making up the squad! Lets hope WI rediscover their cricket and once again, play with the unique style they are known for..