da imperador bet： Andrew McGlashan delivers a damning verdict on West Indies’ showing during their Test series in England
da pinnacle： Andrew McGlashan20-Jun-2007
Shiv Chanderpaul could not pull the team together – but could do little more after contributing so well © Getty Images
Shivnarine Chanderpaul – 9
One man can’t make a team, but it can stop them from being humiliated.The one match Chanderpaul missed West Indies were bowled out twice inthe equivalent of less than a day. He then proceeded to bat nearlythree days’ worth of time before being dismissed. His concentration andapplication was unbelievable (even though it was the third time hebatted more than 1000 minutes without being dismissed) against, attimes, some very testing bowling and on lively surfaces. Brian Larahas gone, but it could be the best thing to happen to Chanderpaul. Hecan come out of the shadows and be acclaimed as the wonderful batsmanhe is. Only loses a mark for exposing the tail at Old Trafford … andeven that feels harsh.Darren Sammy – 8
Something of a surprise selection at Old Trafford but responded with 7for 66, the second-best figures by a West Indian on Test debut, andshowed a glimpses of some batting talent, too. His enthusiasm lifted aside that hit rock bottom following Headingley and he didn’t shirk thehard work, sending down an 11-over spell to rip out England’slower order. He would have been a handful at Chester-le-Street but agroin injury kept him out.Dwayne Bravo – 7
A constant heartbeat in a side that threatened to flat line.Technically he is as proficient as any of the top order and has theshots to match. Played Monty Panesar better than anyone except Chanderpauland had the skill to survive in bowler-friendly conditions. Hisbowling didn’t offer a cutting edge, but he never stopped trying andwas sorely missed at Chester-le-Street when injury limited him to twoovers. During that match he sought out Ian Botham for advice and is aplayer constantly trying to improve his game.Fidel Edwards – 6
It’s no coincidence that the best passages of play during the seriesinvolved Edwards. As in West Indies during 2004, England’sbatsmen were kept on their toes by his mixture of yorkers andbouncers. Deserved his five-wicket haul at Chester-le-Street, but canonly be used in five-over bursts and is a dangerous liability in awayward attack. Despite being considerably shorter than the previousgeneration of West Indian quicks, he provides occasional reminders ofa time long since past.Runako Morton – 5
Exasperating at every turn. He clearly has the shots, perhaps too manyof them, and showed in the second innings at Old Trafford that he canadd the application. But it was one innings in eight. The others endedwith a mixture of poor footwork and poor shot selection. Took a coupleof sharp catches and his pounding of the ground when a chance wentdown was one of the images of the series.Denesh Ramdin – 5
His batting went downhill after a bright 60 in the first innings atLord’s and he was soon found out by the moving ball. However, manybetter players than Ramdin would have fallen to Panesar’s delivery inthe second innings in Durham. While he caught the chances that camehis way, his glovework didn’t instill confidence and he’s another youngplayer who’d benefit from wise words.Corey Collymore – 5
The years have not been kind to Collymore, who now doesn’t lift hispace above the mid-70s. At least he can put two balls in the same areaand when the ball swings he still causes problems. But it’s a sadindictment of West Indies cricket when they are relying so heavily ona medium-pacer to carry their attack. Gains a point for his gutsydisplay with the bat at Durham when others didn’t show thenous to support Chanderpaul.
Chris Gayle didn’t find his feet © Clare Skinner
Chris Gayle – 4
With an inexperienced side, Gayle needed to take responsibility at thetop but never found his feet. In early season conditions his staticfootwork was always going to cause problems and loose drives were acommon form of dismissal. His only half-century, in the second inningsat Chester-le-Street, was more a warm-up for the one-day series -where he will be captain – than an effort to save a Test. His offspinwas useful, but isn’t the answer to West Indies’ slow bowling options.Devon Smith – 4
Possesses one of the most powerful cover-drives in the West Indiesteam and occasionally hinted at being able to replicate his debutcentury, against England, at Sabina Park in 2004. Again, though, themoving ball was a foreign concept and when the swing didn’t get himPanesar caused problems out of the rough.Ramnaresh Sarwan – 4
A chance to stamp his mark on the post-Lara era ended after littlemore than a Test. Chasing the ball to the boundary at Headingley hefell awkwardly and damaged his shoulder. Without him, West Indiesfolded in Leeds and continued to suffer without his experience. Theseries has shown Sarwan, if he didn’t know before, that the task ahead is daunting.Daren Powell – 4
Had led the attack strongly during the World Cup and began promisinglyat Lord’s when the rest wasted overcast conditions on the first day.His commitment couldn’t be doubted, however consistency was a majorissue and he paid with his place at Old Trafford, although that was anerror on a surface with pace and bounce. His return for the final Testwas a typically mixed performanceJerome Taylor – 3
Promised much but delivered little. He was slower than what heis capable of and, as with his fellow pacemen, couldn’t build pressureon the batsmen. At times both Sarwan and Daren Ganga appeared reluctant touse him and when he did produce a wicket-taking ball it only increasedthe frustration. Fielding started poorly – with a crucial drop offPaul Collingwood at Lord’s – and got worse.Daren Ganga – 3
Lost out in a close race to be captain before the tour but was thrustinto the role when Sarwan injured himself at Headingley. It had adisastrous effect on his batting as he failed to reach double figuresafter Lord’s. He couldn’t cope against the swinging ball, trappedleg-before five times in the series (once to Panesar), and washampered in the field by an attack that failed to offer him anycontrol. Overlooked for the one-day side, his future is doubtful.Marlon Samuels – 2
Threw his toys out of the pram when he wasn’t allowed more time in thenets after arriving as Sarwan’s replacement. Had to wait untilDurham for his chance and supported Chanderpaul briefly inthe first innings, but was spun out by Panesar second time around. Hisoffspin was friendly, and that’s being friendly.Sylvester Joseph – 1
Thrown in at the deep end when Chanderpaul was ruled out at Headingleyand was completely out of his depth.
