THE World Cup in South Africa is almost five months away and there are still at least eleven more matches - in the Champions Trophy and in India and Bangladesh immediately afterwards - for the West Indies to finalise the jigsaw that will be their most effective team.
One has already fallen into place. It is Ramnaresh Sarwan at No.5, the so-called “finisher” position that the Australian left-hander Michael Bevan has perfected.
“Bevan’s shown what can be done in the closing overs without having to slog, just by working the gaps in the field, running hard between the wickets and taking toll whenever the loose ball comes along,” coach Roger Harper observed yesterday.
“Sarwan’s a similar type of player and he’s shown he appreciates his role since we’ve moved him down,” he added. “It’s important that we have everyone settled into their best positions.”
Sarwan has cemented his position at No.3 in the Test team but been shuttled around the order, from No.3 to 7, in his 18 one-day internationals. His record at No. 5 and 6 demonstrate that is where he is best suited.
His strike rate (runs per 100 balls) in four innings at No.5 is 85.27 against 61.55 in his seven innings at Nos.3 and 4. The only time he has gone in No.6, against Kenya in Nairobi last year, he signed off the innings with an unbeaten 32 off 16 balls.
His last three matches, all at No.5, have emphasised the point.
In the St. Vincent thriller against New Zealand in June, his 52 off 55 balls in St. Vincent, with only three fours, helped propel the West Indies towards their winning goal of 292 that they reached with Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s 14 from the last over.
In the warm-up match against Australia here, his unbeaten 72 (with a six and five fours) was made from 63 balls. Two days later, he gathered 36 off 34 balls (a six and two fours) in the official match against South Africa to give impetus to an innings virtually stalled by Chanderpaul’s 45 from 95 balls.
His runs were scored each time by authentic strokes that found the gaps in the field by use of wrists and nimble footwork. Cross-batted swiping does not become him and there was none.
His six against the Australians was a neat pickup over long-leg off a knee-high full toss from Andy Bichel. Against South Africa, he lifted the bustling Alan Dawson over the ropes at long-on with a clean, straight-batted blow.
They are the methods of Bevan, a manipulator who looks to exploit the deep set fields that usually obtain in the late overs and relies on the hitters at the other end to deliver the big shots.
Harper accepted captain Carl Hooper’s line that the team is getting better at the shorter form of the game, as evidenced by 3-1 margin over New Zealand in the Caribbean in June and what should have been a victory over South Africa on Friday.
“We fought back well to put ourselves on top on Friday,” he said. “At one point, when (Boeta) Dip-penaar and (Jonty) had their partnership going, South Africa looked to be cruising.”
“But, once we’ve got ourselves into a winning position, we’ve got to be able to finish things off,” he added.
One detail that needs to be established is who should bowl the closing overs.
It is a critical task that not every bowler can handle. Even Malcolm Marshall and Courtney Walsh sent down last overs as costly as Merv Dillon’s on Friday and soon shunned them.
Even before his last ball wide, Dillon had been smashed for six over midwicket by Mark Boucher in the penultimate over and by Shaun Pollock off the first ball of the last.
He is a key wicket-taker but Hooper, Harper and the think tank are likely to review the strategy now.
“We have several options,” Harper noted. “We’ve used Chris Gayle in the past and now there’s Vasbert Drakes with his experience. But I don’t think we should be too hasty in judging Merv on one match.”
There was another chance of experimentation today in the match against Kenya at the Sinhalese Sports Club, venue of the loss to South Africa.
Eager for a convincing victory, the West Indies have maintained the same eleven from the opening match.
It means that Corey Collymore and Runako Morton, both included only for this tournament but not for the imminent tours to India and Bangladesh, will return home with only the warm-up match against Australia to show for their visit.
The teams:
West Indies: Carl Hooper (captain), Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Brian Lara, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Wavell Hinds, Ridley Jacobs, Mahendra Nagamootoo, Vasbert Drakes, Merv Dillon and Pedro Collins.
Kenya (from) Steve Tikolo (captain), Thomas Odoyo, Joseph Angara, James Kamande, Hitesh Modi, Collins Obuya, David Obuya, Maurice Odumbe, Peter Ongondo, Lameck Onyango, Kennedy Otieno, Ravindu Shah, Tony Suji and Martin Suji.