UST as Pakistan is getting ready for its scheduled assignment against the West Indies, the latter also seems to be getting into the act by way of several players regaining form at the fag end of their Test series against the visiting South Africans.
Chris Gayle is the prime example in this regard. He was lying low till he played that grand knock in the last Test which saw as many as eight centuries scored by batsmen from either side. Ramnaresh Sarawan is another who had a somewhat up-and-down series where he either scored centuries or nothing. Captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul was already having a stable series, and his innings in the last Test was simply a continuation of his good work. For good measure, young Dawyane Bravo joined the party, bringing up the eights century of the Test, which, I am sure, represents some kind of a record.
According to news reports, there have been as many as 53 centuries scored in the 20 Tests that have been played at that ground, Antigua. That makes it just under three centuries per Test, which definitely speaks about the easy nature of the surface. But still a Test century is a Test century, and it never comes easy. One has to be there long enough to score that many runs, and it will be a folly on our part to dismiss these West Indian centuries lightly.
The only man missing out in the last Test between West Indies and South Africa was Brian Lara, who had earlier in the series made two huge centuries under fighting circumstances. While Lara’s two earlier knocks were reflective of his undoubted skills and matchless class, his failure at Antigua, at least to me, was also a reflection, albeit an indirect one, of the difference in his mental attitude and that of his team-mates.
Lara scored his runs when they mattered, and lowered his guard when others were able to stand up and be counted, and he could relax in the knowledge that pressure was not on him; the others scored when the series was already lost, the intensity of the contest was that much less, and the playing surface suited the batsmen. These are two different mental approaches to the game, and add to the greatness of Lara.
However, in the context of the discussion here, the centuries by the others represent a return to form of mainstream West Indian batsmen, and the Pakistani fast bowlers would do well to keep an eye on what is happening out there before they actually land there and find themselves in the thick of things.
This naturally brings us to the composition of Pakistani pace attack for the tour. The recent decision by the selectors and other officials of Pakistan Cricket Board to leave out Shoaib Akhtar from the touring party has given rise to certain controversies. Former players have differing opinions on what has happened and feel free to give voice to their respective opinions in the media, especially the print media which is carrying a report or two on the issue almost on a daily basis. This naturally is the easiest way to keep the controversy alive. This, in turn, has the potential to disrupt the team’s preparation for a tour which may well turn out to be a tough one.
I have nothing to say on the matter because my sole source of information happens to be the newspapers, which, as I said, are carrying more views than news on the issue. All I wish to say is that a fighting-fit Shoaib Akhtar is vital to the long-term interests of Pakistan Cricket. Period.
UST as Pakistan is getting ready for its scheduled assignment against the West Indies, the latter also seems to be getting into the act by way of several players regaining form at the fag end of their Test series against the visiting South Africans.
