There are two clear ways to approach the Chris Gayle/West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) situation. One is to judge him based on his apparent preference to make money playing for franchises rather than represent the country he once captained. However, the other less popular stance is to see him as a banished pariah who has finally taken a stand against a system that is beyond reproach. Perhaps the truth lies somewhere in between, but given that option one has been given so much airplay, I want to discuss in detail the merits of the latter.

I guess the idea for this article first germinated in my skull when I saw Gayle cheer on and then embrace his former teammates at Sabina Park in a game against India. It was clear then that whilst Gayle was certainly having a dig at the administrators, he was also still passionate about his team, as were his teammates upon noticing him being there. Since then Gayle has been plying his trade for the Royal Challengers Bangalore and will soon travel to Australia to play in the Big Bash League. Meanwhile, his national teammates are playing a series in Bangladesh, which may sound inconsequential, but actually pits seventh against ninth in the ICC rankings. As such, it is quite an important series.

So, with this firmly in the back of my brain, I was shocked into action today when I read the following headline on Cricinfo: ‘Gayle to be considered if he retracts statements’. The following is an excerpt from the first paragraph:

Chris Gayle will only be considered for selection for the West Indies if he retracts statement he has made about the West Indies board and its officers

Now, the last time I heard about a player not getting picked because he hadn’t said ‘sorry’ was in the schoolyard! What a joke! The only conclusion to draw from this absurd situation is that the WICB is so offended that they’d prefer their team to not have it’s best player who is quite possibly at the peak of his considerable powers.

Clive Lloyd, the director of the WICB, has at least commented that he believes Gayle can still ‘contribute meaningfully’ to the team, but only if he retracts his criticisms of the Board. I think anyone who has seen Gayle in action of late could probably attest to the fact that Gayle could contribute a damn site more than just ‘meaningfully’. As such, the WICB are biting off their nose despite their face, particularly given anyone with half a brain would criticise the WICB. I mean you would hardly call them the envy of all cricketing boards. They serve up rotten stadiums with unplayable pitches and seem to provoke player strikes every second year. So, if a player who has been treated like dirt by his own board choses to speak out, what do they do? Tell him he can’t play until he grovels on his knees. Now that’s leadership.

While it may appear otherwise, I don’t want to seem that I am completely on Gayle’s side. I do think that he probably likes the easy money of T20 a bit too much. However, I think that his penchant for ease is based on a situation with his national side that is simply too hard, and as such, until the WICB change their attitude I’ll be happy to woop and scream when he’s smashing sixes in the Big Bash this summer.

Sri Lanka in England

Well…who would have thought that after such a dour test series, these teams would produce such a scintillating ODI series?? At various times in the series both teams looked far superior than the other, but in the end it was England who took it 3-2 with a thrilling victory in the final match at Old Trafford.

After posting an impressive 268, with thanks to Mr Reliable John Trott (72) and Eoin Morgan (57), England successfully defended the total by bowling Sri Lanka out for 252. I must say that at one point it looked as if Sri Lanka would coast it in, as the middle order got on top of England’s bowling. Kumar Sangakkara posted 48, the impressive Chandimal hit 54 and Angelo Matthews and B Mendis got 62 and 48 respectively. However, none could go on and finish the job, and England got the chocolates.

It was certainly good news for the English, who haven’t been in great ODI form, but Sri Lanka too can take something away from the series, as they battled impressively in foreign conditions and with a very much transitional squad. Credit too must go to Graeme Swann, who has elevated himself to the top ODI bowler in the world. Swann has that unfortunately rare quality of good skills and feisty temperament, and although sometimes he goes over the line, it is refreshing to see a top cricketer have a personality…so…well done Swanny! With the series over then, England will prepare for an epic tussle with India, whilst Sri Lanka has gone home to take on Michael Clarke’s Australia.

India in the West Indies

A 1-0 scoreline in a three test series might suggest a fairly boring set of matches, however that couldn’t be further from the case in this surprisingly close series. After battling it out for a draw in the second test, the Windies again managed to hold on in Dominica for an impressive draw. After posting a pretty disappointing 204 in their first dig, the Windies couldn’t capitalise on some good early bowling by Fidel Edwards, as India amassed 347 in 108 overs. All of the lower to middle order stood up for India, particularly VVS Laxman (56) Suresh Raina (50) and MS Dhoni (74), with Edwards capturing a five-wicket haul.

So, the script for the Windies, had it been based on their performances in the last ten years, would have involved a quick capitulation and probable innings defeat. However, this side has some real substance, and they posted 322, with debutant Kirk Edwards (110) and Shiv Chanderpaul (116) posting superb centuries. Credit must also go to Harbhajan Singh who wheeled out 42 overs and took 4/75 (that’s a economy rate of just 1.78!). India then flirted with the idea of chasing down a modest total under 200, but after some early fireworks from Ravi Rampaul, they quickly changed their minds and simply batted time until the umpires offered the captains the draw.

Some may ask why Darren Sammy, with India on 3/86, didn’t pursue a series leveling victory, and part of me would probably also question this approach. However, after further contemplation I realised that the actual end scores are not really relevant for the Windies yet. For too long they have been simply obliterated in test matches, and haven’t even been near getting a result. But in the last two series against Pakistan and India they have been right in matches, and although a drawn series with India would have been fantastic, they should be happy enough with being tough, resilient and stubborn in their resolve. It was heartening to see Darren Sammy use these performances as a blueprint for the next few years, and let us hope that the progress continues.

Shiv the Magnificent

Finally this week it is time to pay tribute to perhaps one of the most unlikely test batting greats. In the final test against India, Shiv Chanderpaul became the most capped West Indian test cricketer, and he duly celebrated the occasion with a typically dogged and gut-busting century against the odds. Chanderpaul is an odd cricketer all around. His batting style, where he walks into the delivery, is unique, he marks his crease by hitting a bail into the ground, and most importantly, unlike many of his generation of West Indian batsmen, he has resolve.

Shiv Chanderpaul

Honestly, Shiv must’ve seen a million young, flashy Windies batsmen come into the team and then head out again after dying on their sword. But not Shiv. He has been magnificent, and really, along with Brian Lara, one of only two great batsmen from the Caribbean in the last twenty years. So, in case you don’t believe me about just how good this dogged little guy from Guyana is, I’ll leave you this week with his unbelievable test record…good on you Shiv!

MATCHES: 133

RUNS: 9367

AVERAGE: 49.04

HIGHEST SCORE: 203*

CENTURIES: 23

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Sri Lanka in England

The one thing about writing a weekly column during ODI series is that you have to catch up on a whole hell of a lot! So it is with this series, where no less than three games have occurred since last I wrote.

In the second and third matches, magnificent centuries from Jayawardene and Chandimal saw Sri Lanka post impressive victories. Of particular note was Jayawardene’s 144, which was just majestic. I really think that it’s easy to forget just how good this guy is, but time and time again he performs at the highest level. In fact, in the third ODI he managed 79 too, but was outclassed by Chandimal’s fantastic 105. Spare a thought too for new England captain Alastair Cook who smashed 119, and seems to be continuing on from his great Ashes form.

With the series on the line then, England pulled out a good performance just in time, posting a 10 wicket victory in the fourth match at Trent Bridge. Sri Lanka were in dire straits at 5/57, mostly thanks to good swing bowling from Jimmy Anderson and Tim Bresnan. Kumar Sangakkara and Angelo Mathews managed to salvage 174 from the innings, but it was never going to be enough. Congratulations must go to Stuart Broad too, who posted his first wickets for the series…woo hoo!! In reply Cook and Kieswetter knocked off the runs in under 24 overs.

Sorry, but one last thing to note about this series. Never content to leave their team be, it was extraordinary to see English pundits try and talk themselves out of having Cook and Trott in the same team. Just absurd talk really, given Trott averages over 50 with a strike rate of 78 and Cook is smashing runs for fun. Anyway, hopefully the selectors will hit the mute button, but English supporters could do well to let the Sky commentators know that they are barking up the wrong tree.

India in the West Indies

All hail Ishant Sharma!! Ten big wickets in the second test was a great return to form for the big long-haired one. However, no matter his heroics, the Indians just couldn’t do enough to get a result, as the Windies held on for an impressive draw. In another low scoring contest, the bowlers were right on top, with Fidel Edwards also bagging eight for the match. Standout innings came from Marlon Samules in the Windies first dig (78*), VVS Laxman (85 & 87) and Darren Bravo (73) to save the match.

All of this has led to a do-or-die contest in Dominica, with the Windies trying to battle back for an impressive series draw, and India trying to flex its muscle to win a rare series in the Caribbean. The first day was badly effected by rain, with just 31 overs possible. But in that time the Windies managed to lose 3/75, moistly due to an excellent spell of 2/23 from Sharma.

Ramnaresh Sarwan

Perhaps the biggest talking point however has been the dropping of Ramnaresh Sarwan from the team. With Sarwan and Brendan Nash dropped, and Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo not in the squad, the Windies are fielding probably their most inexperienced team since that ridiculous series a while back against Bangladesh. Much pressure will now fall on Shiv Chanderpaul and the still inexperienced Darren Bravo. We will see how that decision plays out in the days to come.

Brave Kumar

Finally this week it was great to see one of the true thinkers of the game stand up and make his voice heard. In an address to the Marylebone Cricket Club, Sangakkara openly criticised the political nature of his cricket board back home. His lecture came in light of the recent ICC conference which called for a reduction in political involvement with cricket boards, but surprise surprise, the Sri Lankan board came out and angrily criticised Sangakkara’s comments. The former Sri Lankan captain is recognised as one of the real gentlemen of cricket, and any of his comments on the state of the game should always be noted. Let us hope that he can make a real difference and enforce some kind of change on the make-up of his Board back home.

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Sri Lanka in England

After a dreary, rain sodden, test series, England and Sri Lanka embarked on a single T20 and their ODI series under fairly grey skies again. The T20 saw an emphatic victory for Sri Lanka, largely thanks to a superb knock by out-of-form maestro Mahela Jayawardene (72 from 57). Kumar Sangakkara also hit 43, and the Sri Lankans chased down England’s modest 136 in less than 18 overs. So, not a great start for new England T20 captain Stuart Broad, who could soon overtake Darren Sammy in the ‘only picked because I’m captain’ stakes, as his form has been pretty ordinary of late.

The first ODI was affected by rain, and saw England post an impressive 229 from 32 overs. Much has been made of the potential of the next South African turned Englishman, Craig Kieswetter, but until his impressive 61 in this knock, it was hard to see what the fuss was about. Honestly though, South Africa must be pretty annoyed that these super-talented players keep hopping off to England. Imagine a Proteas team that still had Jacques Kallis, AB De Villiers and Dale Steyn, but also boasted the likes of Kevin Pietersen, John Trott and Kieswetter…sheesh.

In reply, the Lankans could only put up 121, with Jimmy Anderson taking 4/18 in swinging conditions, and Graeme Swann picking up 3/18. It’s important to note that debutant Jake Dernback (great name!) grabbed two middle-order wickets, and none other than Whispering Death Michael Holding labelled him as ‘lively’. With four matches to go, we hope that this series finds some life, but at the moment that feels as far off as a sunny day in England.

India in the West Indies

The first test in Jamaica finished up earlier this week with India posting a fairly close 63 run victory. With no team scoring over 300, and in fact the Windies posting the biggest single innings score (262 in their second), it was certainly not the whitewash that some commentators expected. Credit must first be given to Rahul Dravid, whose 112 was just magnificent, and he was duly awarded man of the match. The other real standout for India was Ishant Sharma who snared 6 wickets in the match, and certainly looked the most explosive bowler of either side.

Ishant Sharma

The Windies had to be heartened by the close nature of the match. Although it was always unlikely they would be able to chase down the final total of 326, to post 262 was impressive. Adrian Barath and Lendl Simmons got the innings off to an extraordinary start, scoring at more than a run-a-ball. But once they were dismissed I think most thought the Windies would collapse calypso style. But, fighting innings from Darren Bravo, Shiv Chanderpaul, Darren Sammy and Ravi Rampaul, saw the Windies at least get close. Credit too must go to Devandra Bishoo, who took seven wickets for the match and now has 16 wickets in just three tests.

The second test currently underway in Barbados has been badly affected by rain, but it was interesting to note that the Indians suffered another shocking batting collapse to be all out for 201. Again, the only real resistance was from an old-timer VVS Laxman, and the Indians must be worried about the resiliency of the new generation who have been brought up playing ODI and T20 cricket. The Windies are currently 5/98 in reply, with another three wickets to Sharma.

Vale Sanath Jayasuria

Finally this week, it gives me great pleasure to honour one of the all-time greats, Mr Slash and Dash himself, Sanath Jayasuria. Honestly, there are not many sportsmen who last over twenty years at the top level, and if there are, they tend to be those quite unassuming types…well…not Sanath! What a star! Let’s review his record:

Tests

110 matches

6973 runs

14 centuries

340 highest score

98 wickets

ODI

445 matches

13430 runs

28 centuries

189 highest score

323 wickets

Just an unbelievable record really. That combination of batting prowess and his amazing left-arm orthodox spin have made Sanath one of the all-time great players. As he is known as more of an ODI player, I really had no idea he’d played that many test matches, with such a fantastic record; averaging over 40 with the bat. But, as stated, ODI cricket is what he is most renowned for, and a glance at his record tells you why.

However, as we know stats are just numbers, and really I’ll remember Sanath for revolutionising the role of the opening bat in ODI’s. He and Romesh Kaluwitarana were the first opening pair who decided to target 100 by 15 overs. At their peak during the 1996 World Cup, they were unstoppable, and the likes of Adam Gilchrist, Herschelle Gibbs and Chris Gayle would never have been the openers they were without the trailblazing efforts of Sanath and Romesh. I guess the last thing to note is the way Sanath played the game. Always with a smile on his face, seemingly adored by his teammates and loved by opposition players and supporters, Sanath played the game the right way.

So, let us hope that he can enjoy a great retirement making money on the mercenary T20 circuit and hopefully giving back to Sri Lankan cricket as it moves forward to the next generation.

Watch an amazing knock by Sanath in the ’96 World Cup

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