Watching the English batting order collapse is a bit like watching speedster Usain Bolt run the 100m... blink and you miss it...
Thought that it would be a good way to kick off this blog post, seeing as the West Indies cricket board has a picture (left) of Bolt partying it up after thumping the English...
It's good to see the Windies on form at the moment and it is helluva important for world cricket.
As for the Poms and their decline over the last decade, maybe they've just accepted the inevitable that their mud island is slowly slipping away into the sea and the empire will never return to its glory days.
It is so important for world cricket at this point to have a strong West Indian side. The Australians and South Africans have slogged it out over the last few months and India have been right in the mix with tough series against both these powerhouses.
But cricket cannot be about three sides at the moment... especially with the emergence of the big money IPL.
Pakistan can be explosive on their day but ill discipline continues to plague them and away from home tends to be one disaster after another.
Sri Lanka and the Black Caps are always there or there abouts without really threatening away from home conditions (current Aussie tour aside).
The English (AKA South Africa's B-side with KP and Strauss leading the charge) hold no real worries away from home.
Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and Kenya simply lack a decent number of quality players to be of any real threat... but I do have high hopes for Bangladesh over the next 10 years or so.
Which leaves the West Indies as potentially the fourth quality touring side in the mix. These guys have no problem winning away from home - when it suits them - and they have quality fast bowlers and some serious firepower in the batting lineup... again when it suits them.
A quality West Indian side would be great for world cricket right now and a thumping of the English may just give them the confidence to step up their game.... In other words - Give the english CARROTS!
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4 comments:
I'm really glad that you started writing about other teams as well. It always makes of good discussion. I think you are right about how much WI was needed in World Cricket and with some consistency, they can certainly return. For me it isn't really just about WI cricket but their laid back style and the music that they bring to cricket. WI have their own way of celebrating and high-fiveing. I remember during the mid 90s, they started using their hats to high five another player, whenever there was a fall of wicket. The likes of simmmons and jimmy adams was always cool to see. With Usain Bolt and now WI cricket, they are certainly putting their country back on the map.
As for England, I think for the past 10 years, they can only remember the Ashes 05 as their big occasion. I think it is good for cricket now because teams are becoming unpredictable. There will be more ups and downs then there have been in the past 10 to 15 years, when Australia has been the dominant force.
Thanks Jawad... Big hopes for West Indies...
Love their attitude to cricket.
Agree with every word, and for a cricket purist I was pretty thrilled by Jerome today. Been expecting something like that from him for a long time, and today he showed what he's got 'in the locker' so to speak.
England have a lot of head scratching to do, and if I read anything about shenanigans involving pedalos and the likes tonight, i'll laugh til i cry.
Yo Cricket bet King - welcome to the blog. Thanks so much for your thoughts.
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