West Indies face daunting task

West Indies face daunting task

By Donna Symmonds Caribbean cricket broadcaster

The decision to hand Brian Lara the captaincy of the West Indies team for the second time was part of a near clean sweep of senior personnel for the series against Australia.

A new coach, assistant coach and vice-captain in Ramnaresh Sarwan were named, with only Ricky Skerrit remaining as team manager.

Brett Lee and Brian Lara will not be so friendly when play begins

RECENT MEETINGS

1992-93 Aus 1-2 WI

1994-95 WI 1-2 Aus

1996-97 Aus 3-2 WI

1998-99 WI 2-2 Aus

2000-01 Aus 5-0 WI

Problems remained as it was announced that the coach, Bennett King, would not take up the post until later in the year and Sarwan's fitness was in doubt.

Then, three days before the start of the first Test at Bourda in Guyana, Lara's predecessor Carl Hooper withdrew from the team and King turned down his job offer.

This was hardly an auspicious start to the series.

The decision to change the captain does not appear to have been a totally unanimous one, but one made to meet a great challenge ahead.

For some time, there have been comments made about Hooper's captaincy which included adjectives like "conservative" and "defensive".

Recognition of his work in constructing and developing a promising nucleus of young talent has not been overlooked but it must have been felt that, against Australia, a different approach would be needed to compete.

Feature: Hooper reaches final chapter

Australia may be second in the International Cricket Council's Test rankings, but few doubt that they are the best in the world - and the best by quite a distance.

West Indies have only two batsmen with more than 50 Tests behind them, Lara and Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Hooper's exit leaves the team without a spinner on what is a notoriusly slow surface.

It is likely that four fast bowlers - Mervyn Dillon, Pedro Collins, Vasbert Drakes and Jermaine Lawson - will play with Marlon Samuels, who can bowl a few overs of off-spin, likely to be preferred to seam bowling all-rounder Dave Bernard Jnr.

With Chris Gayle not selected, it is anyone's guess who will open the batting with uncapped Devon Smith, recalled Darren Ganga and regular Wavell Hinds in contention.

Carlton Baugh is hoping to win his first Test cap

Most surprising, however, was the selection of two wicket-keepers in the squad for a home series for the first time since 1973, so the researchers say.

Ridley Jacobs is under serious pressure from young Jamaican Carlton Baugh, who took a century off the Aussies in their three-day warm-up game.

Undoubtedly, this series will be a big test for West Indies.

With all the expectations surrounding Brian Lara because of his ability, his previous heroics against the same adversaries in the Caribbean in 1999, and the captaincy, he will bear the heaviest burden.

The hope must be that it does not also come with the over-dependence on him that was too often a hallmark of West Indies teams in the past.