WHO?SHOULD?really take the blame for Barbados’ depressing display of cricket against Jamaica in both the Regional Super50 and 4-Day matches, which ended in humiliating defeats for the home team?
Since it appeared the bowlers did a commendable job in limiting Jamaica to relatively modest totals of 239-8 in 50 overs and 165 and 188 in the four-day format, most pundits will lay the blame firmly in the lap of the batsmen, especially those who played injudicious shots at critical stages.
Some will take the selectors to task for choosing teams without balance and leaving out some key individuals like former captain Ryan Hinds, who could’ve made a difference.
Still others will also castigate the captain, coach and even the groundsmen who prepared the pitch and make excuses about football being played at Kensington Oval.
When all is said and done, the batsmen must be held responsible after failing to reach 200 runs in any of the three innings they batted.
Totals of 164, 162 and 128 are just not acceptable for a team in which only Miguel Cummins, who must be commended for his superb swing bowling, can be considered as a tailender.
Something must be fundamentally wrong with Barbados’ cricket when our national senior side, comprising players who are considered the best in the country, cannot make a further 179 runs out of a victory target of 192 with two entire days to bat.
What made it even more astonishing is that the team had an extra batsman and the bowling was thin, badly missing a specialist spinner.
Each time, it was the Jamaican spinners, led by the experienced left-armer Nikita Miller, who mesmerized the Barbadian batsmen. But it was really painful watching Jamaica’s heavy-set captain Tamar Lambert bamboozle our batsmen with his ordinary off-spin bowling in last Thursday’s Super50 match when his figures read 10-2-22-3.
I felt Barbados lost the match even before a ball was bowled – because of the composition of the team. Readers will recall that in last week’s column I had included Hinds, Derick Bishop and Kenroy Williams in my squad.
I did so because they are three of the best performing all-rounders in Barbados and with Sulieman Benn unavailable, should be part and parcel of any national teams.
But, lo and behold, I was taken aback by the final choices of the new selection panel, chaired by Hendy Wallace. Then when Carlos Brathwaite was injured, I felt that was the perfect opportunity to recall Hinds.
First of all, I thought the teams selected lacked balance and needed the experience of Hinds, especially after the second innings capitulation for a meagre 90 runs in last year’s final at Sabina Park by the Shamarh Brooks-led side.
For example, for the Super50, there was just one spinner, Ashley Nurse, in the final 11 when all and sundry know that spin bowling is the bane of Caribbean batsmen. As Jamaica’s captain Lambert showed with his gentle off-spin, any ordinary slow bowling can reap rewards.
Hence, it was shocking that last year’s captain Williams was left out of the starting line-up, only for Jonathan Carter to be asked to trundle his unpractised off-spin midway into the Jamaican innings.
Williams might not be a favourite of many cricket fans in Barbados, but his performances at the club level and in trials speak volumes and once he continues to outshine others vying for similar positions, he should be selected.
For the past two seasons, he was the leading all-rounder in the Sagicor General Super Cup and had an encouraging all-round performance in Barbados’ last 50-over match against Guyana in 2011, when he led the team.
In the two One-Day trial matches at Queen’s Park, Williams made 69 and had figures of 10-2-36-2 in the first match and scored 45 not out and had figures of 7-1-24-0, each time helping his team to victory.
Just imagine, Barbados are playing traditionally strong Jamaica, who have won the four-day competition for the past five years and are also the defending Super50 champions – and the selectors have the gall to omit Hinds, Barbados’ most prolific batsman and leading all-rounder in regional cricket, with 6 753 runs at an average of 38.15 and 227 wickets at 27.34 in 120 first-class matches!
There is no way a player of Hinds’ ability should be begging to play in a Barbados side with an unproven middle order, but we have a way of treating our senior cricketers with scant respect.
Only last year Dale Richards, who is good enough to represent the West Indies in Test and One-Day cricket, was “water boy” for six straight Caribbean T20 matches. He wasn’t even selected in the meaningless third-place match against the Windward Islands. Respect is due to Barbados’ cricketing stalwarts.
ezrastuart@nationnews.com.