Vision debates whether there are signs of revival in West Indian cricket
YES – Dave Washington
Despite their series defeat to England, there are signs of revival in West Indian cricket. This is by no means a great West Indian team, but they are making the first steps.
In both tests they have pushed England, and put in highly credible performances. Shivnarine Chanderpaul remains one of the finest batsmen in world cricket, and Marlon Samuels has been a revelation in England, and their performance in the final test has been encouraging.
In addition there have been signs of promise from young batsmen Adrian Barath and Dwayne Bravo. On the bowling front, Kemar Roach is a seamer of phenomenal potential, possessing raw pace and good control, he has the ability to develop into one of the top bowlers in world cricket.
The return of Chris Gayle to the international frame will be a massive boost to West Indian cricket. Both Dwayne Bravo and Ramnaresh Sarwan, have also been absent from the international frame recently, and their return would improve this side.
Darren Sammy’s captaincy has brought greater stability to West Indian cricket, and despite the scorecards not appearing too favourable, the performances have improved. By no means is this a world class West Indian side, but the foundations are there for their revival to sprout.
NO – Prakhar Chandra
While many fans have been encouraged by the West Indies’ recent form, especially in the first test against England, the second innings at Nottingham was a strong indication of why a revival is nowhere near in sight.
Let’s be honest, most of the players in the team wouldn’t even make a top county side. Darren Sammy, while an absolute gentleman and an honest trier, would never get into the top teams in the world.
There is no denying they find themselves in such a terrible position mainly due to the policies of the West Indies Cricket Board. Also, even with the likes of Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Dwayne Bravo and Jerome Taylor, the West Indies were rarely winning test matches and it would not be wrong to suggest this actually tempted the board to drop these players and not give into their wage demands.
Despite Sarawn’s excellent form and Gayle’s imminent return, there is still a long way to go. The ICC needs to step in and ensure that there is a competitive domestic structure in which new talent can be nurtured, and also that no more players are lost to the IPL. Unless the West Indies start winning test matches regularly against the top teams instead of the odd good performance every now and then, I seriously doubt whether we can say that a revival is on the horizon.