Caribbean pitches have to change

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More... ‘12th Man’ hurting West Indies cricket 5/26/2011 By Alan Harris Bangladesh did it in 2009; Pakistan have now done it in 2011. Behind a barrage of tweaks, revolutions and pirouettes, three spin bowlers from the middle-east recently journeyed to the Caribbean to rout a frail, insubstantial and altogether perplexed West Indies batting line-up. Sounds familiar? Combining their efforts over four innings, a slow-bowling trio from Pakistan – left-armer Abdur Rehman, off-spinner Saeed Ajmal and part-timer Mohammad Hafeez – accounted for an unprecedented 32 of the 40 wickets available to them in the recently-concluded and drawn two-Test ‘home’ series. It was a shame for the West Indies, who could have actually had won the series – for once – after surprisingly taking a lead in the first Test in Guyana, a match which saw 20 batsmen returning to the pavilion after being trapped leg-before wicket. Notwithstanding the land mines and craters in the Providence and Warner Park tracks, it was indeed an awesome display of cultured spin bowling from the Pakistanis; maybe even the best in the world. The deadly accurate and consistent Abdur Rehman was the biggest spider in the web, picking up 4 for 65 in the second innings in St. Kitts as the West Indies lost the second Test by 196 runs before lunch on the final day. But more interesting than his figures were his post-match quotes. “We have been surprised by the bounce and the spin that we have gotten from the pitches,†Rehman said. “Spinners are happy when they get pitches that turn, but to also get the bounce is good, and [West Indies] have struggled against the spin and the bounce. It would not be a bad idea to dig up this pitch and carry it around with me, so that I can get plenty of wickets.†Pardon me – and the six million people of the Caribbean? One more time for all those who missed it: “It would not be a bad idea to dig up this pitch, and carry it around with me, so that I can get plenty of wickets?!?†If there was never any before – and there certainly were – this MUST be the wake-up call for the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) as it relates to their overseeing of pitch preparation throughout the Caribbean. Though not equipped with the elegance, style and maybe talent as many of the other international cricket teams of this era, the Darren Sammy-led Caribbean outfit is trying their best. But try as they may, it’s the 12th man, their own man, who continues to conspire against them. His name is ‘Caribbean pitches’ and he rears his ugly head when the West Indies can least afford it – during Home Series. We will go back as far as the ‘derby’ series against in England in 2009. After Jerome Taylor ripped The Three Lions apart for 51 all out in the first Test in Jamaica, the series then headed to a beach – and the shortest Test match in history – in Antigua, ironically the headquarters of the WICB. After just 10 deliveries, the bowlers’ run-up at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium – which was refurbished for the 2007 World Cup – was deemed ‘dangerous’ and ‘unfit for play’. With the eyes of the world upon us, it was a comical farce and a travesty to the great West Indian maestro, who himself was there standing amongst the million of grains of sand in a stadium bearing his name. Incredibly, no one at the WICB lost their job. That’s strike one. Later that year, the ‘first-string’ team boycotted the WICB and refused to play against the visiting Bangladeshis. As the West Indies were whitewashed, the Bangladeshi spinners – Shakib Al Hassan, Mahmudulla and Enamul Haque Jr – helped themselves to 33 of the 40 wickets available to them during the two-Test series in St. Vincent and Grenada. It’s incredible. No, it’s heartbreaking. It was probably the lowest point in the history of West Indies cricket. That’s strike two. Just to recap, that’s Guyana, St. Kitts, Antigua, St. Vincent and Grenada that have let the regional side down – before they took to the field – in the last two years. Andy Atkinson, pitch consultant to the International Cricket Council, had this to say during England’s 2009 visit: “The quality of the surfaces might be improving, but that doesn’t mean the pitches are better for cricket as a whole. It was very disappointing to see how bland some of the pitches were in the Caribbean. Most of them are new pitches laid specifically for the World Cup in 2007 and yet they seem to have drastically deteriorated since then.†That’s strike three. Not to commit a sporting sin and compare glorious cricket to the dreaded American sport of baseball, but that’s three strikes and ‘you’re out!’ Dubiously, and to their own detriment, the West Indies continue to operate at ‘home’ with a pace-heavy attack on placid, crater-filled wickets. What the West Indies need now more than ever, besides some decent players and capable selectors, is an Andy Atkinson. Remember, India are on their way over as we speak.