DARREN?SAMMY?shouldn’t wait to receive a yorker from the West Indies’ selectors; he should declare on his own innings as captain of the Test side.
Four lop-sided defeats in the last five Tests and some modest personal returns, to put it mildly, after the purple patch of six straight victories should now prompt him to walk away from the crease.
With West Indies dropping one place down the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) rankings, Sammy has conceded that some careers are on the line but said he would still continue as captain if he was asked to do so.
While Sammy must be credited for doing a reasonable job – eight wins, 12 losses and ten draws – since he replaced Chris Gayle as Test captain, I have always maintained that having an automatic place in the Test XI, regardless of the conditions, compromises the balance of the side.
This became abundantly clearer this year with Sammy taking eight wickets at 49.87 runs in his last seven Tests. Seven of those wickets came in the three-Test series against New Zealand after he had a solitary success in his four previous Tests.
Sammy’s Test stats are nothing to do a song and a dance about with a batting average of 21.68 and a bowling average of 35.79 after capturing 84 wickets in 38 Tests.
Even though West Indies’ problems do not rest with Sammy as captain alone, the time has come to hand over leadership to vice-captain Denesh Ramdin, who had a good year with the bat, averaging 45.55 in his seven Tests, while logging his fourth Test century.
The 2-0 series loss to New Zealand was on the cards from the time the selectors rubber-stamped the same squad that suffered two embarrassing innings defeats to India, with both Tests finishing inside three of the scheduled five days.
And Windies’ cause wasn’t helped by the unavailability of experienced opener Gayle and leading fast bowler Kemar Roach through injury.
Then, to add insult to injury, off-spinner Shane Shillingford missed the third Test after he was suspended by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for an illegal bowling action.
Despite a second innings fightback, West Indies were lucky to escape with a draw, thus avoiding being whitewashed after rain washed out the last two sessions of the second Test, with the Black Caps 33 runs away from their meagre victory of 112 runs with six wickets in hand.
In most cases a captain is only as good as his team and this year a number of players have failed to step up.
Marlon Samuels was a mere shadow of the rejuvenated player who averaged 65 in 2012. He managed a mere three half-centuries while scoring 293 runs in seven Tests at an average of 24.41.
Young opener Kieran Powell also endured a dismal 2013, going without a single half-century in 13 innings and scoring only 260 runs at an average of 20. Narsingh Deonarine, who played four Tests this year, had one score of note, 52 versus the Black Caps in his eight innings which yielded 137 runs (average: 17.12). He has an overall batting average of 25.89 after 18 Tests, even though he has taken 24 wickets at 29.70 with his underrated off-spin.
The time has come for all-rounder Dwayne Bravo, who has a batting average of 31.42 in 40 Tests with three centuries and 86 wickets at 39.83, to be reinstated at No.6.
Kirk Edwards, who on his return to the team for the New Zealand series got two 50s when used as an opener but 156 runs (average: 26.00) in three Tests, was below par.
On the bowling front, Tino Best didn’t set the world on fire with 11 wickets at 57.72 in seven Tests, while Shannon Gabriel had two expensive wickets at 125 runs apiece.
Those doubting Thomases, who had unjustifiably labelled off-spinner Sunil Narine as merely a limited overs bowler when he was shockingly omitted from the Test tour of India, will probably be singing a different tune now after his first innings bowling performance of 42.3-17-91-6.
At the other end, left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul had figures of 35-6-103-1. It is really a pity the selectors didn’t have the foresight to play both Shillingford and Narine together.
The attention now switches to the five-match One-Day series. Looking at the squad selected, one must really question how the likes of Edwards and Deonarine, who are not ideally suited for the limited-overs format merited selection ahead of three of the Caribbean’s most dynamic all-rounders in Dwayne Smith, Andre Russell and Jonathan Carter.
With the big-hitting Kieron Pollard and Gayle sidelined, one would think Smith and Russell would’ve been the perfect replacements.
Smith has already played 87 ODIs and his average is just 16.69 with a strike rate of 93.78 and five half-centuries. As a bowler, he has 59 wickets (average: 36.42; economy 4.93 runs an over).
But the Smith of today is a far different player from yesteryear. His exploits for Mumbai Indians, albeit in T20 cricket, should’ve persuaded the West Indies selectors to recall him for the 50-over format, especially if they have to turn to Edwards and Deonarine.
In 34 ODIs, Russell has scored 660 runs with a highest score of 92 not out (average: 30.00; strike rate 119.34) and 42 wickets (average 31.00; economy rate 5.47). His batting stats alone are better than Edwards’, who averages 19.12 after nine ODIs with a strike rate 59.30) and Deonarine (average: 28.14 in 26 ODIs, strike rate: 69.61).
Again, the way he performed in helping the Jamaica Tallawahs to win the inaugural Caribbean Premier?League should’ve been enough justification for this talented three-dimensional players to gain selection in a West Indies side that’s loaded with average performers.
One would’ve thought that the 2013 Regional Super50 Cup would’ve been used as a guide for the selectors to pick the West Indies One-day side.
In that tournament, the left-handed Carter was Barbados’ top batsman with 147 (average: 36.75) in five matches. He also bagged seven wickets (average 15.28; economy rate 3.96). In comparison, Edwards scored 102 runs (average 17.00) in six matches.
The versatile Carter further boosted his claims on the A-Team tour of India in September. After not playing in the first unofficial ODI, Carter hammered a career-best 133 off 132 balls in the second match and also picked up two wickets to see Windies A to a 55-run victory.
He finished off with a cameo 35 off 38 balls in the third match when Edwards stroked his way to a run-a-ball 104, studded with 12 fours and three sixes.
When everything is analysed, and the fact that Carter was also called up as a reserve in the home series earlier this year, neither Edwards nor Deonarine should have been selected ahead of him in the ODI side.
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