A new Caribbean dawn? Pull the other one

After their latest cricket humiliation - the 10-wicket defeat to Pakistan at the World Cup - West Indies coach Otis Gibson has taken some pretty serious action. From the ODI squad for the upcoming series against the same opponents, he has dropped Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan and, most eye-catchingly of all, Chris Gayle.

Given that Chanderpaul is nearing 37, his omission isn't very surprising: he has no chance of playing in the next World Cup. The death of ODIs may have been greatly exaggerated, but the death of bilateral ODI series has not been. Where they are interesting, it tends to be because they are played before the Test series, lending them context. Piggy-backed onto the end of the Tests, they are essentially meaningless. So it makes sense to ditch Chanderpaul, in this form of the game at least.

Sarwan and Gayle, however, are both 30, so clearly haven't been dropped for reasons of age. Sarwan has struggled for form for some time now, and was never fluent at the World Cup. Gayle was, but the view that he doesn't care much has always lingered, albeit unfairly at times. If you are trying to build a new team with spirit and work ethic, it probably makes sense to dump Gayle. Keeping him in, for all the brilliance of his batting, risks sending a symbol that it's fine to act in such a nonchalant way with so little apparent passion for the West Indies (with his decision to arrive back from an IPL stint only two days before a Lord's Test perhaps the best example of this). To a degree, Gayle is probably slightly unlucky - he strikes me as a man for whom, like David Gower, endless hours of training would be counter-productive. Nevertheless, dropping him is a powerful symbol.

Yet the most disheartening aspect of the selection news concerns two all-rounders who should be integral to a West Indian revival. Both Dwayne Bravo and Kieran Pollard will miss international fixtures to play in the IPL - and the West Indies board don't even bother threatening not to select them in future. Of Pollard, the statement even said, "It was mutually determined that Pollard would be best served by being allowed to hone his T20 skills in the Indian Premier League, which will bring future benefit to West Indies cricket". Who do they expect will believe that?

With commitment levels like that from their best players, it is no wonder the board have said they want to make it 'special' to represent the West Indies again. And it's why talk that the West Indies won't exist as a cricketing entity in 2020, but a series of nations, continues to linger.

Tournament review: West Indies

Bowling Bangladesh out for 58 was perhaps the most impressive feat any bowling side managed but West Indies still can’t win against the ‘big eight’, having failed to do so since 28 June 2009. They seem to lack belief against the best, as the manner in which they subsided against Pakistan after Chris Gayle’s dismissal was testament to, and weren’t helped by Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shiv Chanderpaul enduring grim spells. The bowling was better, with leg spinner Devendra Bishoo impressing.

Star man
Kemar Roach showed himself to be a genuinely incisive quick, and claimed 13 wickets – but he needed more support.

Disappointment
Sarwan and Chanderpaul failing to manage a 50 in 11 innings between them, utterly lacking in any fluency.

Prospects
They look a better-balanced side without skipper Darren Sammy – Andre Russell is a similar player but superior with bat and ball – so his position may come under threat. Coach Ottis Gibson has promised big chances after the quarter-final humiliation, and this side does have better players than the performances suggest. Vivacious all-rounder Dwayne Bravo will be key on his return.

2008 Season Review: Durham

Continuing our season reviews, 'Durhamfootman' offers an assesment of Durham's triumphant campaign.

Final placings:
Championship Div 1 - Winners
FP Trophy - Semi-finalists
Twenty20 Cup - Semi-finalists
Pro 40 Div 1 - 3rd place

After the euphoria of 2007 and the club’s first piece of silverware, it was always going to be hard to live up to the expectations, some of it optimistic, of its supporters in 2008. Yet that is precisely what Durham did, by winning their maiden county championship title, just 16 years after gaining first-class status.

The central core of Durham’s success lay in its seam attack. The loss of Ottis Gibson was always going to be difficult to overcome, but England, in their wisdom, saw fit to provide the solution, by dropping Steve Harmison from the test team.

Harmison, with a point to prove, set about demolishing division 1 batting line-ups with vigour. Re-discovered rhythm, pace and accuracy saw him return figures of 60 wickets at an average of 22, ably supported by Callum Thorp (50 @ 19s) and Mark Davies (39 @ 15s). A less successful season for Plunkett and Onions, both suffered from injury problems and struggled to get going, once fit. More will be expected from them next season, once Harmison returns to the England fold.

Ben Harmison made steady, if not spectacular, progress with the ball, but was found a little wanting, with the bat. Nevertheless he has shown that he may well have the ability to play a bigger role in 2009. Spin has never been one of Durham’s strong suits, but Paul Wiseman was an ever-present, chipping in with 16 wickets and scoring some very useful runs. Gareth Breese had limited CC opportunities, yet averaged 184 in the final two games of the season. Reason enough, I think, to thank him for.

The batting department was less successful. Batting collapses were an all too familiar feature of Durham’s season, without ever proving truly fatal. DiVenuto (1058 runs) and captain, Benkenstein, (783 runs) were the bedrock of the batting line-up and the team’s reliance on them, in the early part of the season, at times bordered on the embarrassing.

The introduction of Will Smith steadied the ship and he chipped in with 925 runs from 12 matches, which included 3 big hundreds, one a double hundred, and 3 fifties. Fortunately for Durham, of those three players, only one of them was ever out of form, at any one time.

The overseas players did little to rectify the batting imbalance, McKenzie was poor and Chanderpaul only came good towards the end of the campaign. Phil Mustard failed to improve on his 26 average from 2007, but his final innings 84, helped get Durham over the line. The fact that Durham secured 8 batting points less than Surrey, is probably a ‘flattering’ reflection on Durham’s batting. This will need to be addressed for the 2009 season.

Durham were able to make a determined defence of their FP title, losing out to Kent in the semi-final. They established themselves in the Pro 40 division 1, after promotion last term, finishing a creditable 3rd. The biggest improvement came in the Twenty20 cup, where Durham’s record of being the worst county in T20 cricket was redressed with a maiden appearance (albeit woeful) at Twenty20 finals day.

2009 will be an interesting season. Benkenstein looks set to relinquish the captaincy, but is likely to remain Durham’s most influential player. Harmison will be a big loss. The contracts of some senior players will end next year, which is likely to lead to some retirements.

The challenge for Durham will be to continue with the development of its young players like Harmison jnr, Stoneman, Smith, Coetzer, Muchall and Park, all of whom have now got first team experience. These are the players who must step up and be ready to fill the places that will be left in 2010 by DiVenuto and the, poorly selected, overseas batsmen. Hopefully Durham will then be able to acquire the services of a world class spinner. It is now time for the team that convincingly won the 2nd XI Championship, to lead Durham's 1st XI to further success, in the coming seasons.

Player of the Season:
Probably a toss up between Harmison and Smith

Most Disappointing Player:
Neil McKenzie

Highlight:
Stupid question

Lowlight:
Twenty20 Cup semi-final

If you're interested in writing a season review for your county, please email it cricketingworld@hotmail.com

Australia and West Indies show why Tests are best

For those of us for whom England's 12th consecutive match against New Zealand is a less-than-enthralling prospect, West Indies' Test with Australia has captivated and reaffirmed what we already knew: Twenty20 may come and go but Test cricket remains the pinnacle.

Three days in, the game has showcased cricket at its very best. A majestic century from Ricky Ponting in tricky circumstances, followed by a fine half-century from Brad Hodge, benefiting from a series of ill-fortune to earn a surprise recall. The West Indies then rallied commendably. Australia's bowlers struggled, but were bailed out by Stuart Clark. Exhibiting the virtues of line, length, a touch of seam and the most phlegmatic of temperaments, Clark showed why he has enjoyed such a phenomenal start to his Test career.

West Indies then fought back, before Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson, having previously suffered from no-ball problems, responded superbly, in a way the shorter forms of the game allows ample time. Lee then hit Shivnarine Chanderpaul on the helmet. The West Indies feared he would go off. Chanderpaul remained resolute, exploding into life and reaching a majestic century. His performances over the last 12 months have been little sort of astounding; his idiosyncratic technique and unrivalled concentration making bowlers the world over thankful for the brittleness of his team-mates. In his last 16 innings, he has passed 50 on 11 occasions, with four centuries and many others denied by being undefeated or resorting to slogging when left stranded, as so often, with the tail. Despite his brilliance, an Australian lead of 119 seemingly made comfortable victory inevitable.

How can a game played over five days change so much in so little a timespan? How indeed. The West Indians were simply lethal on the third evening: Fidel Edwards and Daren Powell were outstanding, hostile and able to swing the ball late - with devastating results. The sight of Michael Hussey's stumps being decimated as Australia slipped to 12/4 was testament to the capacity of this game to produce sport at its most riveting and astounding. Twenty runs off an over simply does not come close to matching the simmering of tension; the personal, sometimes gladitorial, duels; and an even contest between bat and ball.

As the cricketing world threatens to lose all sanity in its approach to Twenty20, a worthy and sometimes captivating game but one that risks saturation, Test cricket has been done sterling service by this match just when many appeared willing to forget its merits. And if Test cricket is to enjoy a resurgence, wouldn't it help if these shoots of a West Indies revival grew into something more substantial?

Test XI of 2007-2008

With a new domestic season fast approaching here in England, we take a brief look back on the last 12 months and the top performers at Test level, using those wonderful statistics...


Top 6 Test Openers (Last 12 Months – Minimum 5 Games)

McKenzie (SAF) - ave 77.62
Sehwag (IND) - ave 73.11
Hayden (AUS) - ave 62.87
Jaques (AUS) - ave 56.10
Smith (SAF) - ave 55.35
Cook (ENG) - ave 43.72


Top 3 Number 3 Batsmen (Last 12 Months – Minimum 5 Games)

Sangakkara (SRL) - ave 96.63
Khan (PAK) - ave 58.33
Amla (SAF) - ave 51.57


Top 3 Number 4 Batsmen (Last 12 Months – Minimum 5 Games)

Jayawardene (SRL) - ave 84.92
Kallis (SAF) - ave 76.68
Hussey (AUS) - ave 73.87


Top 3 Number 5 Batsmen (Last 12 Months – Minimum 5 Games)

Chanderpaul (WIN) - ave 91.44
Misbah-ul-haq (PAK) - ave 78.71
Clarke (AUS) - ave 66.50


Top 3 Number 6 Batsmen (Last 12 Months – Minimum 5 Games)

Symonds (AUS) - ave 85.50
De Villiers (SAF) - ave 54.26
Laxman (IND) - ave 53.35


Top 3 Batting Wicketkeepers (Last 12 Months – Minimum 5 Games)

Akmal (PAK) - ave 42.30 (3 ct per match / 0.33 st)
Prior (ENG) - ave 40.14 (2.8 ct per match / 0 st)
Dhoni (IND) - ave 37.47 (1.93 ct per match / 0.36 st)


Top 3 Dismissal Wicketkeepers (Last 12 Months – Minimum 5 Games)

Gilchrist (AUS) - ave 31.00 - 5.83 dismissals per match (5.83 ct / 0 st)
McCullum (NZL) - ave 27.33 - 4.43 dismissals per match (4.43 ct / 0 st)
Ramdin (WIN) - ave 18.00 - 3.44 dismissals per match (3.33 ct / 0.11 st)


Come back for the bowling line up and comment...

2008 Season Preview: Durham

Continuing our series of county previews, Rob Dixon assesses Durham's chances in 2008.

2007 in a nutshell
What can you say…it was the year Durham came of age. An Ottis Gibson inspired team led them to both Friends Provident Trophy and Pro 40 Division Two success. They also finished second in County Championship Division One: a ‘Roy of the Rovers’ story for any Durham supporter.

2008 Prospects
It will be tough to repeat what happened in 2007, but they have kept the majority of the side that did so well last year. They have lost Otis Gibson to England management but have managed a major coup in re-signing Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Michael Di Venuto, the latter taking advantage of his Italian passport to qualify as a non-overseas player. Until Chanderpaul’s arrival in July, the club have signed Neil McKenzie to start the season and Albie Morkel will be at the club for the Twenty20 campaign in June.

Batting:
Despite being resigned to losing Collingwood for most of the season with England, the batting looks solid with Di Venuto likely to open the batting with McKenzie at the beginning of the season. Kyle Coetzer came on leaps and bounds last season and will hope to cement his place in the side. Hopefully this will take a bit of pressure of Dale Benkenstein whose runs have been invaluable over the last few years as well as his shrewd captaincy. Phil Mustard will hopefully translate his one-day form to the county game as he has the talent to reach 1000 championship runs

It will be a big year for a few of the other batsman attempting to get in the side. Gordon Muchall is getting to the time now where he has to deliver his undoubted promise. Will Smith and Garry Park are also young batsman hoping to take their chance and Mark Stoneman, who scored his maiden century against Sussex last season, will aim to be the next star of the flourishing Academy system at the Riverside.

Bowling:
Losing Gibson is a major blow but it has been softened by the fact that Durham might get a full season out of Steve Harmison, his wickets will be crucial for the club as he has quality back up with Liam Plunkett and Graham Onions, both of whom should be pushing for winter tour spots. Mark Davies and Callum Thorp have hopefully got over their injury worries of the past few years and add the ever reliable Neil Killeen and Mitchell Claydon to the mix and Durham have a rich seam of pace bowling options. One thing they do lack, as in recent years, is a quality spinner and should we get a hot summer then they may struggle with only the spin of Gareth Breese and Paul Wiseman

Probable sides:
Championship
Michael Di Venuto
Neil McKenzie / Mark Stoneman after July
Kyle Coetzer
Gordon Muchall / Shivnarine Chanderpaul after July
Dale Benkenstein (c)
Phil Mustard (wk)
Gareth Breese
Liam Plunkett
Graham Onions
Mark Davies
Steve Harmison

Pressing for places: Will Smith, Garry Park, Ben Harmison, Mitchell Claydon, Callum Thorp

One-day and Twenty20
Phil Mustard
Michael Di Venuto
Kyle Coetzer
Neil McKenzie / Chanderpaul
Dale Benkenstein
Gordon Muchall
Gareth Breese / Albie Morkel (Twenty20)
Liam Plunkett
Graham Onions
Neil Killeen
Steve Harmison

Key Man:
I’m going for Michael di Venuto. Good starts are invaluable if they are going to challenge for honours and the likeable Aussie (Italian!) will hopefully help that come to fruition. His county record is second to none and despite his advancing years, he will hopefully nurture the young batsmen at the club to better things, as well as continue his high standards.

Rising Star:
Kyle Coetzer showed last year that he is a quality young batsman. A former Scotland U19’s captain, he broke into the side in the middle of last season after a run of decent scores in the 2^nd XI. He also scored 61 in the Friends Provident Trophy Final looking accomplished against the spin of Shane Warne. He has the talent to score hundreds this season and maybe force himself into international reckoning.

Captain and Coach:
Geoff Cook had a fairytale first season as coach after taking the reins following Martyn Moxon’s move to Yorkshire at the start of last season. Dale Benkenstein continues as captain for his third season at the helm.

Outlook:
Surely it’s impossible to emulate the performances of last season…or is it? The Championship is the Holy Grail and I believe this team will go close; a lack of a quality spinner might just prove costly however.

One-day performances will hopefully continue to be strong, don’t rule out another Lords final and maybe just maybe we will get out of Twenty20 Cup north group after years of trying!

The amazing crab-man

Idiosyncratic, crab-like and with extraordinary powers of concentration, Shivnarine Chanderpaul is in the midst of a quite phenomenal streak of form. He has scored at least 50 in each of his past seven Test innings - equalling the world record - but, more incredibly still, he has top-scored for West Indies in every of those innings.

Chanderpaul's batting seldom invites gushing tributes. He is not, and would never claim to be, any sort of stylist. But, as the unique way in which he marks his guard - with a bail - demonstrates, he has no qualms about not doing things by the coaching book. Almost uniquely amongst batsmen with comparable records, he virtually eschews the V as an area in which to score runs. His trigger movement may look bizarre, but it has helped him establish one of the finest defensive techniques in the world today. As importantly, he is the most phlegmatic of players. As if in a cocoon, he is content to leave balls indefatigably without seeming the slightest bit concerned. But he is invariably ruthless with loose balls outside off stump and with anything on his pads, flicking the ball to the legside boundary with tremendous placement.

How does one ruffle him? His technique occasionally leaves him susceptible to losing his balance early on in his innings. Over his 105-Test career, he has struggled relatively speaking, in South Africa, New Zealand and Australia, averaging between 29 and 35 in each country. But, as he demonstrated today in his 253-ball vigil against a powerful pace-bowling attack, Chanderpaul is a better player than ever before now; his improved pull-shot makes him more comfortable dealing with pace bowling. Another weakness, oddly for a man for whom concentration has been so fundamental, has been his ability to convert 50s into centuries. But, much like another resourceful left-hander, Graham Thorpe, as his career has gone on Chanderpaul has learnt the art of conversion. He is now onto 17 Test centuries, though it would have surely been more had he not been handicapped by the perennial brittleness of the West Indian tail. But to his great credit, and unlike other players who place such a premium on their wicket, Chanderpaul is able to play a more expansive game when surrounded by tailenders.

At 33, Chanderpaul is in the form of his life. His sequence of epic innings in England defined the series in a manner almost unheard of for a man on the losing side. He averaged a scarcely believable 12 hours between dismissals. Chanderpaul is a certainty to be one of Wisden's Five Crickters of the Year - and a worthy candidate for Wisden's Leading Cricketer of the Year for 2007. He has indisputably raised his game after the retirement of Brian Lara, and should now have greatness in his sights. And, happily, it seems some of his team-mates are beginning to follow his lead.