An abysmal performance

WHAT an unpredictable sport is cricket. The hackneyed statement of the glorious uncertainties indeed comes into play in this instance. The Trinidad and Tobago Red Force cricket team which, just a few weeks ago, marched past the Barbados Pride at Kensington Oval in a truly triumphal manner in two days, were truly and convincingly whipped by the Jamaican Scorpions in three days.

The continuation of the four-day first-class CWI regional competition in the Brian Lara Stadium, at Tarouba, was the venue of this comprehensive beating at the hand of the Jamaicans.

It would be interesting to learn what this victorious team over Barbados, away from home three weeks ago, did in the line of preparation between the two games. How many practice sessions did they have and was it concentrated or just light stuff, taking it easy, a sign of overconfidence?

I don’t think that could be it, however, because already they were missing two of their main men, fast bowlers Jayden Seales and Anderson Phillip. Although the side would be weakened without these two, especially Seales, no matter how brilliant, it would still take the contribution of eleven players working together as one unit to win a game.

Shannon Gabriel was brought in as a replacement fast bowler. Although he didn’t bowl badly, he’s definitely over the hill and his bad habit of leaving the field so often during a game leaving the fan who is watching on, plus the commentators, a bit mystified as to his reasons, only serve to discourage his teammates.

The team was an unbalanced one. It was lacking in the fast bowling department. There were three fast bowlers, Gabriel, along with Joshua James, a 2025 newcomer, who has been bowling a tidy line and length and looks promising. Then there was Terrance Hinds who is certainly not up to this standard. Khary Pierre, the slow left-arm orthodox and at present, the leading wicket-taker in the competition, was the main man.

The off-spinner Bryan Charles and Yannic Cariah are the other two specialist spinners. Yet, with the injury suspect Cariah in the team, it signalled problems. He was chosen as an all-rounder to bat at number 6, but his obvious disability prevented him from bowling and although he batted at number 11 in the first innings (and this was after Gabriel, so one could imagine how badly injured he must have been), he could not bowl in the second innings. Nevertheless, he moved up in the batting order from 11 to 8. Unable to move his feet comfortably he was bowled for zero.

Cariah had not been fit for a couple of weeks, yet he was selected in a vital position as an all-rounder, expected to bat at 6. He bowls right-handed, back-of-the-hand leg spin. Unfortunately, he played no serious part in the game. The selectors and fitness trainers who pass a player as fit have to answer for this.

Thus, the batting was thin from 6 to 11. That burden was too much for the top four batsmen. The opening batsmen, Cephas Cooper and Kamil Pooran, appeared out of depth, while the two main batsmen, Amrit Jangoo and Jason Mohammed, were careless and nowhere near their best form, an absence of concentration.

This should not be. The only time that batsmen who are rated highly, plus enjoying recent scores that reveal their good form, nonetheless display nothing like their true ability, is because of a lack of practice. The captain, Joshua Da Silva, exuding self-confidence, picked up the ball early out of the bowler’s hand, feet moving swiftly into position with bat-swing confident and positive.

All that is written here is not to take away from the Jamaican team whose bowlers bowled steadily, the fast bowlers moved the ball off the seam and the spinners extracted turn from the pitch. Marquino Mindley always looked dangerous but his partner Ojay Shields, needs more control to maintain a proper line and length. Abhijai Mansingh, the right-hand leg-spinner, is a useful cricketer who has places to go as his bowling approach, angles and flighted deliveries promises a bright future if he works at it.

Their batsmen played well. Javelle Kenny’s century showed excellent concentration and determination. He was well supported by Jermaine Blackwood and Mansingh, both scoring half-centuries.

Da Silva won the toss and decided to field. It was a risky decision in the absence of his two main penetrative opening bowlers Seales and Phillip.

One should never take cricket for granted.