Ever heard the story of the Mosquito who had to fight the Giant? Well neither have I but that image came to my head yesterday as I watched the West Indies being battered by Australia on the second day of the third Test at Kensington Oval.
For all his hard to believe reasons for fielding first and upbeat attitude on Thursday afternoon, West Indies captain Brian Lara seems to have no answer to the constant pounding inflicted on his young team by the undisputed heavyweight champions of world cricket.
The West Indies captain again called for patience and said his team will improve. This was after his team had chased leather all day on the first day.
Tell that to the thousands who paid hard-earned money and flocked the ground to ‘Rally Round the West Indies’. For them and millions of other West Indian ‘die hard’ fans around the region, patience has run out and the hope of seeing an improvement, at least in the attitude of the players to fight, is fast dying.
The West Indies fielding was sloppy and the bowling, with the exception of Drakes, below Test standard. Banks is high in contention of being the worst specialist off-spinner to play at the highest level for the West Indies - once an invincible force in International cricket.
By the end of the second day Steve Waugh, dropped three times, had made 113. This means that every batsman from one to six in the order has scored a century for Australia in this lop-sided series.
Australia piled up a massive 606-9 before declaring for the fourth time in five innings so far in the series. By the close yesterday the home team were 89-0 still away from avoiding the follow on.
As the close to 2,000 flag waving Aussie fans enjoyed the sun, rum and runs feast yesterday, Ramanresh Sarwan had his first chance of leading the West Indies team as Lara left the field before lunch.
There was much speculation as to why Lara, who celebrated his 34th birthday yesterday, left the field. I am almost sure that it had nothing to do with planning a massive birthday bash last night.
Lara said on Wednesday that if he had his way a spinner would play in the side. He got his way and Banks responded by being clobbered to all parts of the ground - and on a few occasions out of it - to finish with 3-204, the most expensive spell by a West Indian on debut.
You need 20 wickets to win a Test match and even if you make a million runs and can’t bowl out the opposition twice you at best earn a draw, or at worst end second best. The selectors packed the team with seven batsmen in Trinidad and Lara told reporters “I honestly feel that with seven batsmen in the side we cannot lose 20 wickets in the match.”
The fact that the home team lost before tea on the final day, despite Lara’s first Test ton on home soil, is now history.
On Wednesday Lara told the press that he was confident that four bowlers could dismiss Australia twice. Maybe the West Indies skipper meant in the series. The record shows that of the five times they have batted so far in this series Australia have declared four times.
So when Lara explained that he decided to field first in this game after winning the toss on a batting paradise because he was backing his batsmen to bat well in the fourth innings to chase a victory total or play for a draw, many felt the biggest man in West Indies cricket had to be joking.
I wonder if Lara knew that Australia’s first innings score could be so big that the West Indies might be forced to follow on. If this happens then there is no way that they will be able to bat in the fourth innings of the match.
Lara is now in serious danger of becoming the leader of the first ever West Indies team to be white washed in their own back yard since West Indies entered Test cricket in 1928. Lara stated that he will not declare in this game and is hoping to bat for as long as possible.
At the rate things are going Lara might be right. The West Indies will not declare because they will be bowled out, twice. And Brian Charles Lara will score another brilliant century as defeat number 13 goes against his name in his 21st match as captain.
But as Steve Waugh said in Guyana “I don’t mind if Lara makes a century in every Test and Australia win.”
To some people pride of country is more important than personal achievement.
Is it unfair to expect this young team to perform better than they are doing at present or is it a hopeless case of expecting a Mosquito to beat a Giant?