WESTERN BUREAU:
ON A RECENT visit to the new Greenfield Stadium in Trelawny, I was pleasantly surprised at the brisk pace of the work that is being done to get the facility ready for the opening ceremony of the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup, which it is slated to host.
Except for the grassing, which is now taking place, the outfield is all but ready. So is the newly-laid strip for the wicket. In addition, the two permanent stands are at an advanced stage, clearly leaving no doubt that the facility will be ready ahead of schedule.
As one who was doubtful that the facility could be completed on time when Prime Minister P.J. Patterson broke ground there this past November, I must admit that I was very wrong. The Chinese, who are spearheading the construction, are clearly showing that they have the capacity to get the job done on time, as they had promised.
Having grown up in a culture where I saw local construction workers taking several months to complete a few prefabricated houses on a housing scheme, I guess I wrongly used their standard to gauge my expectation of the Chinese. Thankfully for the organisers of the World Cup, the Chinese are showing what can be done with discipline, dedication and hard work.
As we continue to look ahead to the World Cup, my concern has now shifted from the erection of playing facilities to our cricketers. Based on what I have been seeing, I am becoming increasingly doubtful about whether or not we will have a team that is capable of making more than a token impact on the tournament.
On the evidence of our dismal showing in recent years a scenario which is currently playing out itself in New Zealand I seriously doubt that the West Indies will be able to handle the firepower of the mighty Australians, England, South Africa, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India. In fact, I would not be surprised if they struggle against the likes of a Bangladesh.
From a batting perspective, outside of the ageing Brian Lara, there is very little to get too excited about. While we could always look for the occasional good knock from the likes of Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan, skipper Shiv Chanderpaul and allrounder Dwayne Bravo, we can't be too comfortable because, as the saying goes, one swallow does not make a summer.
As for the bowling, I am quite fearful for what quality batsmen such as Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist, Sachin Tendulkar and the other big guns will do to our bowling. Surely, on the evidence of what they have been doing in recent times, there is no reason to expect much from the likes of Fidel Edwards, Jerome Taylor, Daren Powell and Corey Collymore.
NOT READY
As for the captaincy, God help us. Chanderpaul is definitely not ready for the job, and coach Bennett King, who I understand has the responsibility for helping him to plan team strategies, appears clueless as to what is required to get the players properly motivated to give of their best.
While we can give thanks to the Chinese for bailing us out where the facilities are concerned, I seriously doubt that there is anyone there capable of doing the same for the cricketers. Surely, Bennett King is not the answer, and as far as I am concerned, neither is Viv Richards, Roger Harper and Gus Logie, who we have tried before.
Maybe the time has come for us to call a spade a spade and acknowledge that we are no longer the same West Indies team which won both the 1975 and 1979 World Cup and lost to India in the 1983 final. So as to avoid frustration, I believe we should forget about the West Indies team and try to soak up as much entertainment as possible.
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