WI vs SL SUMMARY

ON THE FIELD OF PLAY

Taking full advantage of their conditions, a dominant SL romped home to victory on day 5 of the first test convincingly by a healthy margin of 187 runs. From a position of 18-6, it was heartening to see two batsmen show what playing a test innings is all about. Both Bonner (68 not out) and Joshua Da Silva(54), played with determination and skill, and will hopefully take with them some much-needed self-confidence into the second test.

DA Silva in particular, whose wicket-keeping is quite impressive, faced 210 deliveries in this match, more than any other WI batsman, got out only once on the last day… a welcome return to form.

OFF THE FIELD OF PLAY

I thought that unfortunately; we started this match on the back foot, by getting the starting XI horribly wrong. But no time to grouse. That’s already done and dusted. Some truths need to be said… time to exhale. Deep breath…

As I have some time, I’ll write a bit about the bigger concern. Watching the WI batsmen in general, albeit in tough conditions, trying to play well against some quality spin bowling, was like watching WI vs South Africa in the recent test series in the Caribbean all over again.

Against SA, their technique against top-quality pace/swing bowling looked woefully underdeveloped. Clearly evident, the same applies to spin bowling as well.

Against good spin bowling, it often requires batsmen to:

1. Be light on their feet, understanding when and how to advance down the track. This is critical, as it makes it difficult for the bowler to understand what is a good length to bowl, and almost eliminates the chance of getting lbw.

2. Go deep into their crease to give them time to play back-foot strokes.

3. Play the sweep shot effectively.

4. Concentrate for long periods, as one has to constantly adjust to the varying flight and speed of the deliveries.

While some players got starts, only two of them showed this level of developed skill. It tells me that the bigger picture is that our regional players have very underdeveloped batting skills.

Yes, test cricket is very much about bravery and determination, etc, but as a cricket lover, it was enjoyable watching the Lankan players using their feet to meet the pitch of the ball regularly, utilize some deft touch and sweep shots to ensure they’re not tied down for too long, nudging the ball into gaps to keep the score ticking over and being aggressive when needed. It was like almost one team playing cricket, and the other playing a completely different sport altogether.

OUR REGIONAL BOARDS

I will say it over and over and again and again until someone listens. The responsibility for the development of our players is largely incumbent upon our regional boards. We must constantly hold them accountable for this. When a WI player arrives on the scene, graduating somewhat from our 4-day tournament, that’s the end product, not the finished article, as only time and experience will create such.

As a people, we have a false expectation that magically, the WI coaches can suddenly, in a very short time, take these players and instantly make them into world-beaters. Dream on.

Youth programs must exist. School, zonal, club structure, and regional competitions must be strong. Junior academies with quality staffing have got to be a priority in order to create the end product that we all want to see.

But when you have a local administration that will leave behind a legacy of ABJECT FAILURE, we vote them back in for another 4 yr term, to round it off to a healthy 20 yr path of utter destruction. We didn’t reach where we are just like that. It took time, effort, and misuse of resources to rip apart our international sport. Youth programs are woefully non-existent and under-funded, club structure has disintegrated into just teams coming together to play matches, and all of this promotes a weak regional competition.

When will we wake up to that reality? I cannot say. So one can expect much more of the same ole, same ole, But as fans, I don’t recommend giving up. Keep supporting our boys, as I believe they are giving it their all.

Eagerly looking forward to the next test match.