WI failed in tactics and on the field

THE EDITOR: As a long-time cricketer who played in almost every ground in the country and who read all the cricket books in the public library in the sixties, I would like to say a few words on the failure of the Caribbean team in this year's T20 World Cup in Australia.

Cricket today is played on two grounds, unlike decades ago. One of these grounds is the cricket pitch and the other one is the brains room, where tactics and strategies are discussed.

I am of the impression the grounds in Australia are wider than what we have in the Caribbean, about 130-140 metres in diameter. And when the pitch is moved, it could be that one side would be 80 metres to the boundary and the other is only 50-60 metres.

I asked myself, why are there so many catches from hook shots on the long boundaries?

The answer is clear. Most of the big-time hookers on the WI team have been caught out on the long boundary because the bowlers were educated in the brains room to entice them to hook to the long-sided boundary by certain short-pitched balls on the off side. And the Windies batsmen fell all the time to this ploy.

I bowled to Sir Learie Constantine in my last year in Fatima College, when I was a member of the college team. Sir Learie showed me how to hit sixes by going forward, getting behind the ball, getting under the ball and lifting your head high when you are making a vertical shot.

That evening, Learie hit more sixes from good balls I have ever seen in my life.

As far as the WI team relates, except for a few, like Brandon Smith, the rest are all voopers who are cross-batting from off to leg, in trying for a six, and it is worse when the hit aims for the long boundary.

Most of them therefore got caught out easily. Russell, for example, has now become a victim of the brains room and has now been neutralised.

The talent is there, but not the brains. The team was outfoxed by other, intelligent cricket coaches.

PETER MORALLES

Cascade