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| November 2, 2005 | Wednesday | Ramzan 28, 1426 |
Walsh, Holding at odds over Windies’ chances
BRISBANE, Nov 1: Bowling greats Courtney Walsh and Michael Holding differ on the chances of the West Indies making a fist of their three-Test cricket series against Australia, getting underway on Thursday.
One-time wicket-taking world record-holder Walsh believes the West Indies can surprise by winning a Test in Australia, something they haven’t done since February 1997.
“Definitely, I think the way they’ve started (the tour) would have given them a lot of confidence,” Walsh said on Tuesday.
“It’s the first time this team has played together in about two or three tours because of politics (over sponsorship).
“These guys have a chance to gel here, and I’m sure that they’re going to play some good consistent cricket. They’re up against the best team. It’s going to be hard but if you want to make a mark you’ve got to play against the best.”
Holding, another former West Indies great, disagrees and forecasts the Caribbean tourists will be drubbed 3-0 by Ricky Ponting’s side, determined to prove they are still world cricket’s top team after losing the Ashes to England last September.
“People don’t like to hear the truth, but this group does not possess the right attitude to win Test matches,” Holding said this week.
“I’m concerned about their general focus. They aren’t focused on their game enough. They aren’t focused on representing the Windies enough.”
The Windies are the last touring team to win a series in Australia, winning 2-1 in 1992-93, but they were spanked 5-0 by the Australians on their last visit down under in 2000-01.
The one-time powerhouses of world cricket have fallen on hard times and are looking to recapture lost glories under the coaching of Australian Bennett King, who went to the Caribbean last year with the pedigree of coaching Queensland and the Australian Cricket Academy.
“I think you’ll see a change in their fortunes sometime, but certainly it’s quite young in their development,” King said this week.
The Windies had the better of Queensland in the warm-up four-day tour match here last weekend.
Marlon Samuels was the stand-out with his highest first-class score of 257 and best return of five wickets with his off-spinners.—AFP
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