Sport

WICB 's bold move

Chris Gayle - file

THE WEST INDIES selectors have taken a very bold step by naming Shivnarine Chanderpaul to lead the regional team for the rest of the four-Test series against South Africa.

Playing in his home country, Chanderpaul led by example in the first Test against South Africa and the pre-match underdogs came out of the Test wagging their tails and flexing their muscles for the challenges of this weekend's second Test.

Chanderpaul's retention as captain ahead of former skipper Brian Lara was not surprising. The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and its selectors would have felt let down by Lara's refusal to accept the invitation to play in the first Test.

Losing battle

The fact that the so-called second-string XI came out of that match with the South Africans on the run meant that the board now held all the aces and could play them whenever they wanted. There is no doubt in my mind that the players and their union, the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) were fighting a losing battle with regards to the WICB and its new overall sponsors Digicel. There is no way the board could have allowed a competing communications company to remain with a strong foothold within the team after they had been displaced as overall sponsors.

The pedigree of Lara, opener Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan is well known and they have a lot to contribute to West Indies cricket but the XI which played the first Test should have been allowed to have a go at the South Africans a second time. Despite the 'second-string' label, the West Indies' performance in the first Test showed that cricket is not about individuals. The XI with Chanderpaul at the helm appeared to have developed some sort of chemistry which the team under Lara had lacked in recent Test and one-day international matches.

Second run

It is for this reason that the Bourda XI should have continued for at least another Test and Gayle, Sarwan and Lara, possibly in thatorder, would then be gradually inserted in upcoming matches. While Gayle and Sarwan have been playing in the regional tournament, Lara has played only limited-overs cricket competitively since last September.

It should also be remembered that the West Indies' weak area in recent matches has been their bowling so there is really no pressing reason to include three batsmen all at once.

Jamaica's left-arm spinner Nikita Miller could have been considered. Ryan Hinds, the top allrounder in the 2005 Carib Beer Series and promising fast bowler Dwight Washington have both been called to the West Indies team yet Miller, the bowler with most wickets, has not been called. Jamaica batsman Donovan Pagon also made enough of an impression to be given a second chance.

He had already shown during the recent Carib Beer Series that he can stay at the wicket for long periods and make big scores.

The second Test will be interesting. The West Indies batting from one to five - Wavell Hinds, Gayle, Sarwan, Lara and Chanderpaul - will be very, very strong. To win, however, the bowlers have to get South Africa out twice and they have not shown that they can do that just now.