Odd Day - Good Signs

The West Indies made another erratic start to a home Test, placing confidence in one of their out of form batsmen over another and backing the bowling line up which did so well last week in Jamaica against the world's best cricket team.

Brendan Nash, despite his lack of form, was unlucky to loose his spot in the side. Both dismissals in Jamaica had bad luck stamped all over them but the vice captain would well know that you make your own luck. Still, he was batting responsibly on a bad pitch when he was torpedoed, unlike his captain who was entertaining mania in a slog fest. Its not so much that his replacement, Marlon Samuels, can be questioned, more the continued faith in Ramnaresh Sarwan who has been a long time between scores. The other selection quandary was Kemar Roach, for a few years now the future of the West Indies attack. There was no spot for him here with Fidel Edwards and Ravi Rampaul keeping the new ball in their hands. In essence, Roach is being kept out of the team by leg spinner Devandra Bishoo. Who would have though a leggie would keep a quick out of a Caribbean team even five years ago?

The first day was in three distinct and very different sessions with Darren Sammy's confidence as a bowling captain clearly with his bowling attack and it was a well founded confidence on the evidence of the first session. India limped to lunch, scoring only 44 and losing most of their top order to an aggressive Rampaul and some lame shots against the bouncing ball. The men behind the wicket accepted their gifts gratefully. After lunch, VVS Laxman and Suresh Raina batted with such assuredness that it appeared a different game on a different pitch against different bowlers as they added 103 at four an over. Laxman, in particular, batted as a man does when in complete control and his shot making was as if rewound from ten years ago. It seemed as though another great start had been thrown away by Sammy's men.

After tea, it all changed again. Fidel Edwards was very, very quick and very, very erratic but even two episodes of five wides bounced over the batsmen and wicketkeeper only added more layers of fear to the Indians. Those with the enhanced reputation against the bouncing ball which has taken them from being sub-continent kings and elsewhere 'fraidy cats, are not here to swig on the white rum and strut their stuff. As Edwards blasted, Bishoo dropped onto a length from a nice loop and the combination was too much for India. Raina copped another howler but with no DRS, India will have to come to expect such things. His bat pad dismissal had more quest marks than the Riddler's suit. Laxman was duped by the leggie by a ball that dipped under spin and he hit it straight to backward point in what ended as an opportunity wasted - not an uncommon statement throughout his career. The tail folded quicker than a card table at 9pm on a seniors' euchre night, with India losing the last 6-46 in just fifteen overs. Bishoo was again impressive after Rampaul caused the early carnage and Edwards turned on the shock and awe after tea, nearly killing Harbhajan.

The West Indies, with twelve overs with which to start their innings on Day 1, did so badly, losing openers Adrian Barath and Lendl Simmons inside five overs. Barath played a poor shot for such a fine player, offering catching practice to gully off the the full face of the bat from a slightly shorter ball from Ishant Sharma. Simmons, who looks a good batsman out of luck, got another pearler from the constantly improving Praveen Kumar. It angled in and then went away from the bat's edge to Dhoni's jumping glee behind the stumps. Then, after battling through to within two deliveries of stumps, Bravo left, again in dubious circumstances when the youngster Mithum worked him over with short stuff, slipping past his outside edge from around and over the wicket until the Indian's made loud claims of an edge to Dhoni.

Kumar's six overs at the end of the day set the tone for the West Indies collapse. He was quick and moving the ball from the first delivery. At 3-30, the West Indies have had another day so typical of their Test cricket since the 1990's. They bowled and fielded well after an aggressive decision at the toss but threw much of it away once they donned their batting helmets. With more wickets falling here than on the first day at Sabina Park, a result looks assured.


Postscript:
India agree on using DRS (Fox)
India accept DRS (ABC)