The three Ws were a bit before my time, but their legend endured and their successors, the ones I actually saw play, were epic enough to satisfy the most stringent fan. Sobers, Kanhai, Lloyd, Hall, Griffith, Gibbs made up my first instalment of heroes and then, in 1974 on their tour of India, I saw a new trinity of gods make its entrance: Gordon Greenidge, Viv Richards and Andy Roberts. Lloyd was captain by now and we haven’t even mentioned Roy Fredericks, Alvin Kallicharran, Lawrence Rowe and, not least, Michael Holding (who debuted the next year). The Caribbean assembly line just kept turning out titans: Malcolm Marshall, Desmond Haynes, Joel Garner, Curtley Ambrose, Richie Richardson, Courtney Walsh and so on.

What went wrong? I think I know what happened to the West Indies, though the more important question, why it happened, is a mystery. For some reason, the islands stopped producing fast bowlers. If you look at the West Indian squad, its batting is okay. Not stellar, but serviceable. There’s Lara, of course, (who ought to be pickled because he embodies West Indian batsmanship in all its flourishing glory and he doesn’t seem to have any successors), but there’s also Ramnaresh Sarwan and Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who, once you get past the hideous stance, is a resilient bat.

	Oh ... for a Viv Richards © Getty Images

The trouble is that great West Indian sides were defined not by their batsmen but by their fast bowlers. Important as Viv Richards, Gordon Greenidge, Clive Lloyd, Alvin Kallicharran etc. were to their sides, the fast men — Michael Holding, Andy Roberts and Malcolm Marshall — were more crucial still. And I mean ‘fast’ bowlers, not fast-medium or medium-fast or medium. The reason Courtney Walsh kept going as long as he did was because as a loyal servant of West Indian cricket, he tried to buy time for the islands to produce someone to whom he could pass the fast bowling flame. But no one turned up.

The present squad has one bowler, Jerome Taylor, who is genuinely quick. There’s Corey Collymore, a decent fast-medium bowler with some experience; Dwayne Bravo, a promising all-rounder but no more than medium-fast, and then there’s Daren Powell, a twenty-eight year old rookie of no great promise, who is billed as fast-medium. A team that used to have a battery of four quicks, with a couple of others, equally fast, on the bench, doesn’t have a single exceptional bowler. Sri Lanka has a scarier pace attack. Mashrafe Murtaza and Sreesanth would fancy their chances (given the right passport) of forcing their way into this West Indian team.

The squad has three players of Indian origin: Chanderpaul, Sarwan and Denesh Ramdin, the wicket-keeper. That’s unusual. ‘East Indian’ players always figured in West Indian teams — Sonny Ramadhin, Rohan Kanhai, Alvin Kallicharran, Raphick Jumadeen to name a few — but in ones or (rarely) twos. One speculative explanation for this larger presence is that the poor rural Indian communities of Guyana and Trinidad supply an increasing proportion of West Indian cricketers because they haven’t yet been seduced by American television and the NBA. If that’s true, it might explain the decline of West Indian fast bowling because India and its diaspora aren’t exactly famous for producing tearaway quicks.

On the other hand, I’ve also heard West Indian commentators rubbish the idea that Afro-Caribbean youngsters, having found new role models in black American basketball players, are abandoning cricket en masse. A lack of infrastructure, arguments about central contracts, the difficulties inherent in managing a team made up of citizens from several nations are some of the many causes cited for the absence of good fast bowlers.

So there isn’t one persuasive theory for the extinction of West Indian quicks any more than there is a reasonable explanation for the recent awfulness of West Indian fielding. Right through the Sixties and Seventies, the West Indies were the best fielding side in the world. Sobers, Lloyd, Richards, Greenidge set very high standards when it came to litheness and sure-handedness and speed. Recent West Indian squads have been almost comically inept in the field. How has this come to pass is even more baffling than the decline in the quality of their fast-bowling, because most people assume (perhaps wrongly) that fielding skills, based as they are upon a culture of outdoor sport and athleticism, ought to be more resistant to the fluctuations in form that plague batsmen and bowlers.

I hope the West Indian team has a great World Cup: which is to say, I hope it gets to the semi-finals. Getting that far would be a coup. Getting further would be a schoolboy romance: wonderful for nostalgists like me, but a poor advertisement for contemporary cricket.

Postscript:

In response to the post on Australia, I read more than one comment making the point that the West Indies, who dominated cricket before the Australians took over, were as arrogant, thuggish and verbal as the Australians. A reader reminded all of us of the way the fast bowling quartet used to demoralize opposing batsmen by injuring and intimidating them. As an Indian fan I need no reminders: I remember vividly Bedi throwing in the towel with half the Indian team left to bat.

But, with respect, there is a difference. And Sunil Gavaskar, who, helmet-less, scored more runs against more West Indian fast bowlers than anyone else in the world has testified to this difference over and over again. Malcolm Marshall, Michael Holding, Joel Garner, Curtley Ambrose, Andy Roberts and Courtney Walsh let the ball do the talking. A look, as Gavaskar is fond of saying, a narrowed stare and they were back to their marks, leaving the batsman wondering anxiously if there wasn't a safer way of making a living than taking guard against this lot. Perhaps it's a cultural thing, but like Gavaskar, I find the sight of Lee or McGrath (or Sreesanth) following through all the way up to the batsman, snarling obscenities, unpleasant, unnecessary and a form of sharp practice. I like Sreesanth but I find his elaborate aggro as a bowler ridiculous: he doesn't even look the part. If he wants a role model in the business of menace, he'd be better off studying archival footage of Malcolm Marshall. (I have to confess, though, that I find Sreesanth's bat-twirling, hip pumping routine as a batsman wholly wonderful, specially as a response to abusive bowlers like Andre Nel.)

An earlier version of this post published in The Telegraph, Kolkata, is available here

I have to say Mukul, your assessment is a little harsh and lacks perspective. The West Indies have quality players and have been successful recently...India were on a roll when they got beaten 4-1 in the West Indies. So if the Windies win the World Cup it won't be an upset or anything. I think they are a genuine contender, their only problem being their inconsistency.

'Eleven dwarfs'? Perhaps I'm thin skinned...but that's just resorting to cheap insults. Certainly this WI side is poor compared to that of the 1980s -- but every side excepting the Australians of a few years ago would be equally lacking in that sort of comparison. The WI sides of the last few years has lacked as least as much in belief and application as it has in talent, and has suffered significantly from the woes of a confused and confusing administration.

I grew up in the era of WI supremacy too, and your comments, such as they are, provoked me to thinking about their bowling lineup. It's a long time ago now and I haven't looked at the statistics, but I remember it as being extremely settled; it was always the same guys. Did they never get injured? It seems they played a lot more consistently than fast bowlers are able to these days. Incidentally, my opinion is that the reason they were such a dominant side for so long stems from three things -- their batting, their bowling, and lack of depth in other international sides -- rather than just the ability of the bowlers. If they had not had the best batting lineup as well as the best bowling one, they'd have been merely the best, rather than practically unbeatable.

Regarding your anti-Australian diatribe masked as an anti-sledging campaign, are we to take it that you regard physical intimidation as 'okay' and verbal intimidation as 'sharp practice'?

I agree that the sledging and poor verbal behaviour of McGrath and some others in the Australian side is cringe-worthy and embarassing at times, and as you say, unpleasant and unnecessary. However, I take issue with anyone singling the Australians out as being the poster-boys for this behaviour. It's universal, sadly. And I take issue with you comparing it with organised crime, with calling it 'sharp practice', and with putting it a peg below physical intimidation. Is intimidation necessary or useful on the cricket field? If so, can you call one form of it sporting and another not?

I give the Windies every chance of making the semi-finals, and going beyond that would only take a bit of luck and a lot of application. If Pakistan is an unpredictable quantity capable of going all the way or crashing and burning (as is so often touted), surely the Windies are not much less so?

ALTHOUGH AUSTRALIA IS FAVOURITE THEY HAVE TOO MANY PLAYERS PAST THEIR PRIME SO EITHER SOUTH AFRICA OR ENGLAND STANDS GOOD CHANCE.WEST INDIES ARE DARK HORSE THEY CAN WIN THE WORLD CUP.

The sad decline of the west indian pace bowling is perhaps a social history yet to be written. my earliest memory of watching an west-indian team play is from the mid-eighty's: marshal,walsh, and richards were the dramatis personae. do remember the indian newspapers calling them the titans. seems to be quite a different era. I wish them luck and hope lara has a good world cup.

Mukul Kesavan:
It looks like you are underestimating the current WI team. I agree that they are inconsistent but on a given day they can beat any side.

Have a look at the statistics, they have beaten the full strength Aussies twice recently and had a very close game once. If you look at the star studded Indian team, i cant remember when they last won against Australia. Also, in the ICC champions trohy they beat the Proteas convincingly where as India were thrashed by them.
What I would like to convey is, if WI are in the finals of ICC WC 07, it will not be a school boy's dream.

You have missed Ravi Rampaul of Indian orgin, who is emerging as a good fast bowler for westindies. He may not have succeded last time but I am sure he will play a key role in West Indies team after this world cup.

I dont believe that this WI team compares very unfavourably with the other nations in this WC.
For one, it doesnt appear that express quick bowlers will have too much of a sway (or say). The pitches (per the experts) are supposedly on the slow side. (Mebbe, another cause-effect discussion on state of pitches versus quantum of quicks in a country?). The batsmen compare favorably with what other countries can showcase too.
And dont forget that most countries make poor travellers anyways.
Id still rate Aus as 1 and 4-5 other countries (WI included) as 2.

History is inundated with rise and fall of superpowers. Be it the Romans, the Mayans, the Byzantines or closer to the home, the Mauryas they all saw spectacular flourishing of their civilizations and equally sudden and at times mysterious downfall. Its the circle of life.
West Indies suffered the same fate. I am not a big proponent of a thought process that says we need a certain entity for overall betterment of the big picture. India was a dominant force in hockey before its saddening fall and the world of hockey did not collapse without us. I think cricket would not be the same again without the calypso Kings. Nevertheless it will thrive.

Hi Mukul

Thanks for the article.I was always wondering why the West Indies can not produce fast bowlers like that of the previous generation.Your article gives an insight to the real problems of West Indies cricket.I hope this article can give light to the Cricket authorities in the country to analyse the problem and find a way to attract younngsters to come up in to the game.

My speculation is, the two things with which West Indians feel they express themselves best is their cricket and their music. On a nationalistic note, in the days of old they perhaps saw cricket as a means of proving that they were indeed the equal of the first world (Tony Greig's 'grovel' comment comes to mind, which although taken out of context, seemed to spur the side on). Maybe as a result they played with a lot more collective pride in those days? Of course, there are other more convincing reasons as to why the side has been in decline for so long. I'm certainly not suggesting the colonial hangover was the sole driving force behind west indian teams of the past, but it did provide a little extra motivational factor which obviously the current team woudln't have. But it's a great pity, because West Indian people know and love their cricket.

As regards fast bowlers, there have been a few of them who keep coming up and fading away - franklyn rose, Reon King, Mervyn Dillon, Jermaine Lawson, Tino best, Fidel Edwards - I guess the loss of work ethic and discipline may have something to do with it. Also, the caribbean pitches have been awful, generally dead, of late. That can't help matters either.

The west Indies are a decent side on paper, and I for one wouldn't mind them winning if it does indeed lead to a long term revival. But that's a big if.

PS: Mukul, if you hadn't included 'pun unintended' in your article, I'm sure no one would have conjured up the 'Lara's team' pun. That was cringe-inducing!

That's correct.
In spite of all their great characteristics, they never showed signs of complacency and pride.
They always let their talents do the talking. A decline in the West Indian standard of cricket is basically because of the decline in its popularity among the region.
I was reading an article by a former West Indian player writing about how the domestic games weren't covered on radio any more.
Twenty years ago, this would have been impossible-- he said.
What I love most about West Indies is the humbleness portrayed by its greats.
I was at the stadium when Brian Lara addressed to the crowd in what was his last ever international ODI in Pakistan.
The crowd went berserk. They were roaring. A majority greeted him with a standing ovation. That's the sort of love you don't just win by performance. There has to be an extra element of positive emotion added to your characteristics. I doubt if the crowds here would pay such tribute to Ricky Ponting or Shane Warne.
The world cup in the Caribbean is a great chance for its keen supporters to thrive upon and revive some passion for the game around. But one must feel a lot will depend on how their national team performs.
And as far as their role of dominating coming to an end is concerned, I personally believe a team's era of brilliance is related to a team's era of great players existing in the current squad.
It might just be Australia's turn to topple down after the departure of Shane Warne, Glenn Mcgrath, Justin Langer and Damien Martyn.

There's an end to everything. Sad, but true.

surly india going to won the world cup

If the writer is a West Indian supporter, then i have to ask whether this article was written a year and a half ago. The traits he describes were the features of the West Indian team that just came back from Newzealand. After that they have got a lot better in the field. Apart from Ian Bradshaw there are no obvious passengers there. Their bowling, though not fast and furious, is very efficient for the one day game. I think Gayle and Samuels are the best middle over bowlers in ODIs. And batting...........just a look at the previous year will suggest how Windies have reached two major finals without Lara contributing too much - he has not scored a century in 3 years I think - and that in itself is testimony that the likes of Gayle, Chanderpaul and Sarwan are good enough on their own. So, in this World cup with no clear favorites and with each side having one defficiency or the other, no one needs to check their temperature if Windies win. All they have to do is look at the players who would have brought in the glory & Lara will not be the only one filling Tv screens

Sir,

I have been writing on cricket from last few years in almost all top newspapers and sports magazines of Pakistan including Dawn and The News. I am also writing for Indian cricket website stickiewicket.com and my work has been part of New Zealander cricket magazine “Offspinnz” as well.I just want teacher like you who could tell me how to write with such command and clarity.I really like your style and way of proving your point. I contacted many famous cricket writers but all refused for being my teacher. I am 28 years old heart patient trying to do something with my writing. I cannot go out and talk to people and cricketers that could have broaden my insight or style.I want a guiding hand. Just tell me how to improve myself and reach greater heights.Kindly reply me. I am waiting for your reply. Sir, just one mail.

Regards,
Syed Ahsan Ali.

It may well be that the future of West Indian cricket actually lies in the break-up of the West Indies itself. Not a single team with players from several countries, but single island-nations pitted against the best in the world. Jamaica vs England or Antigua vs Australia or Guyana vs South Africa, that would definitely give new life to the game besides making it more manageable. There is really no alternative against the all-engulfing power of US TV sports.

I think you have got it spot on. Sadly I feel it has been a long, long time comming that the Windies end up in this state of affairs.

I have to say that when you are as great a team as the Windies were, it is very difficult, if not impossible to keep producing players of that quality. Legends are, simply because they can't be replaced. I think any side in the world today would take on a team of Ambrose and Walsh - even those who think they have a good pace attack.

As for the constant "sledging" the less said the better. Let the bat/ball do the talking. I find Andre Nel to be an embaresment half the time, the other half of the time just plain silly. And he doesn't appear to be the exception, but rather the rule these days.

Anyone who refers to cricket as the gentlemans game obviously hasn't seen a match in 15 years!

hi Mukul,
what have to written is not a proper way to treat a good quality west indian team.....they have beaten all the best team in the world in last year ODI... they r one of the front runners to win this edition World cup.... with LARA at the helm... he has became captian of captians..."Think before u ink" that is what i can say to U.....

mukul, lovely post. The thing with Aussie fans is that not only do they condone the churlish behaviour of their team but also find refuge in lame arguments like the WI team was as arrogant, which is just balderdash. I dont think you can call an abusing, screaming, bullying McGrath or Lee as belonging to a different 'culture'. They lack culture. Plain and simple. No cultured, civilized person would behave the way the aussie team bullies do. This whole "abusive-behaviour-is-actually-mind-game" thing was brought in by Aussies. And if other teams are following the same tactics, shame on everyone involved.
Aussie cricket culture is an oxymoron. Aussie Cricket and Culture no longer go together. The 'twain shall ne'er meet!

Reading your article bought some wonderful memories of my childhood. I grew up in the 80's in India and was fortunate to watch the 1987 world cup on TV. Watching the great west indies batting at that time consisting of greenidge ,haynes and richards was a great pleasure and they were my heroes. I still remember the swagger with which viv richards used to bat. And ofcourse who dosen't remember his famaous words " You know what it looks like..go and fetch it" after a county bowler told him "It's(ball) round and red in color" after bowling a bouncer to him. i don't think any of todays flat batting tracks heroes(tendulkar,ganguly,ponting ,gilchrist etc) cause that kind of awe among the bowlers. Sadly though i was never able to watch holding and garner bowling. i also hope that West Indies and India do well in the world cup.

Your comments are very harsh. WI would definetly have a chance in winning the world cup.Brian Lara, Gayle, Sarwan, Chanderpaul, Bravo...Stnads along with any name around the world. Just they need to act as a team and pick up the momentum. They have very good fileders in chenderpoaul, bravo,dwayne smith. lara. west indies victory would always be good to cricket. And i love the brian charles lara to bow out in style.

Yes, even to harbor the notion of winning was unthinkable during the really Invincible Windies era beginning post WSC and until late eighties. As his wont, Mukul serves a delicious platter of nostalgia pepppered with epochal events and an amalgam of authentic heroes. Lloyd's team was the very definition of utterly dominant cricket. Not for them the lowly sledging and as Dujon remarked once that the batsmen were scared enough not to merit any sledging.

I clearly remember the 1982-83 India's(Amarnath's)tour of West Indies. Following passionately on Radio, we pictured Mohinder's epic deeds....598 runs in 5 tests against Marshall, Roberts, Holding, Garner....the very acme of courageous batting! Little did we realise that Marshall could be so devastating even after he took 5 for 32 in Port-of-Spain test. How would he wreak utter devastation in 1983-84 series in India....it would be very hard to capture the 'fear of god' he induced in every batsmen....would Shoib/Lee similarly evoke even half as much menace....moot point!

To see Windies plumb to shameful depths currently from such a very exalted state of affairs is very very painful. I would have never thought Windies would need 'Sympathy'of this kind back in their halcyon eighties.

The bottomline is.... Windies needs true-blue fastmen who could bundle out any opposition in one full session. The question is not about infrastructure or NBA weaning away talent but it's question of finding a true leader who could spot talent/nurture and turn into Worldbeaters!

Though I agree with your assessment of WI making to the final I think as many other similar comments already made that this is too *too* harsh.

This WI team does not stand close to any of the earlier WIndian teams but with relative to other teams WI is much better. WI will make it to the semis and with some luck they can be in the final.

I think the Windies are a much better One Day team than Mukul suggests. They have not got the test team yet but they have been pretty effective in the One Day game. I expect them to make the last four. Any time the West Indies are competitive it is good for cricket so I hope I'm right.

Of course, the South Africans are finally going to win the big one and Australia are going to be confronted with their own mortality!

I think generally the standard of teams was better in 70s and 80s than it is now. Few excpetions can be Australia, New zealand and maybe India. Let's look at the teams in that era :
West indies had Lloyd, Richards, Greenidge, haynes, Fredricks, Rowe, Roberts, Holding, Croft, Garner, Marshall, Walsh, Ambrose, Dujon. Except Lara in the current team no one can be spoken of in the same breath.

Australia had 2 Chappells, Walters, Lillee, Marsh, Thomson, Walker, Hughes, Yallop, Border, Alderman. The Australian teams of 90s till date have been actually superior ones.

England had Boycott, Amis,Edrich,Greig, Knott, Snow,Botham,Willis,Underwood,Fletcher,Gower,Lamb who in my opinion were agian better than the current lot the ashes win in 2005 and CB trophy wins notwithstanding.

Pakistan had Majid Khan, Sadiq, Zaheer, Asif Iqbal, Javed Miandad, Wasim Raja, Imran, Sarfaraz, wasim bari who again as a team were much stronger than Pakistan sides of last 2 decades.

South Africa though were out of world cricket had some of the most outstanding players in 70s and 80s. Barlow, Barry richards,Pollock brothers, Lee Irvine, Denis Lindsay, Mike Proctor, Garth Le Roux, Clive Rice, Jimmy Cook, Henry Fotheringam were simply a few levles aobve the current South Africal team.

So overall one finds the standard has perhaps gone down in world cricket. Some slides are more remarkable than others like the West Indies team.

I tend to disagree that current WI team has no chance to win the cup or that their win signifies an alarming downslide for other teams. In one day cricket the better team on the day wins and in the context of the world cup any team probably needs to play 4-5 days of really good cricket(in key matches) to win. The current west indian team is quite capable of producing that. After all they won the champions trophy in 2004 and were the runners up in 2006.

Although I want WI Team To Do well in The WC up,but I dont think they can win it,The reason simply being at times this team does not seem to be a team,they lack unity,Lara himself is inconsistent and i have very rarely seen Lara and chanderpaul both scoring in the same match you will see individual performances from this team but every player performing their role that very rarely happens.
As far as fast bowling is concerned there was a time when only Australia and WI had Genuine fast bowlers but that is History now every country produces fast bowlers, and the modern batsmen are not as scared to play them as batsmen from 15 years ago,I think this is one of the reasons why WI fast bowling at times does not look good as their predecessors.
Also thanks to new rules and ODI cricket fast bowlers are no longer a threat for modern day batsmen,the biggest weapon of afast bowler was a bouncer thats been taken from him.
Flat high scoring tracks have send too many potentially good bowlers into oblivion,also now the faster you bowl in ODI the more expensive you are,and last but not the least with so much cricket being played its very difficult to survive
year after year without injury,Its a sad state of affairs too much International cricket is killing
Fast bowlers they will soon become extinct.

Mukul,

I do agree with most things you said about the WI side. But i'd really like to believe that the current side does have the potential to make it to the semi finals. It might be a biggger hope than an expectation. But this side beat Aus twice in games that mattered last year. And both on nuetral venues. I believe that if you want to win the cup, you have to beat Australia at least once in the tournament. So WI, if anyone at all, should be more confident than a few others.

And on the comparison study of the old WI untouchables and the current Aussie crop, the less said the better. Aus are nothing more than a bunch of arrogant rowdies who think they've become world beaters with their attitude alone. Forget about being respected and liked by people around the world, are they even respected in their own country?

Its good to relish the past ie the great West Indian fast bowling era. As we grow older we all like to think about how great the past was. But very few talk or think about the under currents today and what the future might be like. That is more important. Perhaps one day cricket is now all about all rounders who chip in a few good balls at the death or in the middle yet can annihilate bowlers - the likes of Gayle, Bravo for the Carribeans and Oram, Afridi from the rest of the world. Dont we enjoy these brand of cricketers as much?
As far as world dominance is concerned, looking back it was the West Indies till the mid eightees - then no one (if you agree) and then the Aussies for a decade. Given that Aussies era is considered dented today, i see that no one is ready to take the helm today: we have to wait another few years for that.

I agree with the comments above: you completely underestimate the West Indies, and make me wonder how much attention you pay to cricket outside India. Your comment that if they won the world cup, world cricket should be worried, is ridiculous.

The West Indies have found a very successful one-day formula - they have a long and talented batting line up, a good pair/trio of quicks, and a batch of all-rounders who are very difficult to score runs off. Perhaps you were not impressed with what you saw of them in India recently - that is a weak basis on which to make a judgement though. India were desperate to find a settled team in that series - the West Indies have known their best team for a long time, and were clearly not as driven as India.

Four years ago your comments would have been reasonable. Now they are simply poorly informed.

Personally I think that only Sri Lanka and England have as balanced a side as the West Indies, and indeed the World Cup winners will be one of those three sides in my opinion.

Mukul, I have been a fan of your blog untill today. your assesment of the windies is totally flawed. u called the west indian fielding a joke, to find an even bigger joke of a fielding team you dont have to look far.. its staring right at ur face..

Croft shoulder charges the umpire, Holding splatters the stumps with his foot, Haynes threatening opposing players with physical violence, slowing the over rate down to a laughable level to avoid defeat, Lara's endless racism etc etc. I seem to remember the whole world complaining about their intimidating bowling.

Pakistan, what a joke they are with their endless ball tampering and cry baby "we won't play" if any decision happens to go against us attitude.

Gavaskar, now there is a role model for all generations, complains about the umpires every single time they lose, wants his team to leave the field if he is out Lbw, scores 30 odd not out in a 60 over one day match.....real classy guy.

Ranatunga, what a superb example for the future he is. Is there an umpire he has not argued with? The bloke probably needs a runner to get his morning paper.

I think intimidation started with England and Jardine. Read comments he and the likes of W.G.Grace made about the opposition and it will be clear where sledging began.

South Africa have tried the intimidation and sledging tactics only to be outclassed in that department and now resort to the whinging tactics perfected by the English.

Does anyone honestly believe an Aussie would have escaped unscathed if the roles were reversed in the Chris Gayle, Michael Clarke incident??? Just keep bashing the Aussies because the rest of you are so perfect!

If you run the stats on all teams in their last 10 ODIs the West Indies team is at the bottom of the pile. If you go by the ICC ODI ranking, the West Indies rank above Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and Kenya. If you look at the results for all teams after the Champions Trophy, the West Indies are second from the bottom. (In the third case, India comes last. In the ICC table it's 5th and in the last ten matches comparison it's 2nd.) The ICC ranking takes all ODIs played since August 2003 into account: in the case of the West Indies this means 39 matches.

Now Mukul, What have you done? a la Chappel, you've said something about WI. Don't be surprised if WI win the world cup (or reach the final) and Lara announces 'this particular post acted as a spur':)

Infrastructure is indeed the problem. The selectors as well too. Ravi Rampaul just came back he took 7 wickets in the last innings on a flat pitch to win the 5 day match and he bowled the last over to win the limited over competition for Trinidad. Trinidad has the best infrastructure and has been developing a lot of young teenage talent. Not only trinidad but this year barbados had a few and last year guyana. The youngsters perform and are held back and eventually they leave the game cause the same guys get picked even though they don't perform regionally.I am very impressed with the opening batsmen this year. I am from Trinidad and I can say there is a Bajan keeper who should be on the team from his regional performances, i would also say Dwayne Smith shouldnt be cause he fails miserably regionally. We don't select the best team , that is our problem.

I saw Samuels stating he is going to step it up he said the same thing when he scored a double in a practice match in australia, then proceeded to fail. In my opinion his arrogance and now his shame warrants him not being in the side. Ryan Hinds who performed remakably this year should have had his place.

Chris Gayle and Sarwan need to wake up and the selectors need to support the young guys who are making the runs in their position. If you can't perform regionally you shouldn't be on the team.

Having said all of that. West Indies have reached the finals in a lot of competitions with a substandard team. We have recently beaten Australia and India only to falter at the finals.We won the champions trophy and was runner up this time. We may not be book favourites but at least respect our performances.

I think you are a superb devil's advocate. I don't think it's such a school boy's dream if WI wins the world cup, all they need to do is click. Once they click and everyone's in sync they will win the world cup. As a West Indian myself (Trinidad and Tobago) I can tell you that the issue of this team is mental approach, mental toughness and strategy. You don't need lightning fast bowlers, you need bowlers who can get wickets. I think the likes of Shaun Taitt, Shoaib Akthar, Brett Lee and Shane Bond will tell you that they would all cut their pace for the genuine ability to outfox the batsman and take his wicket. Personally I believe that once WI pass the first round they will win.

I don't know who you are, but this article shows that you know absolutely nothing about cricket or sport for that matter. Last Summer Italy would have been the last team you would have expected to win the football world cup in Germany, yet they did and nobody has for one moment said the state of world football is sick. That is the beauty of sport, and the beauty of cricket-something unexpected is always waiting around the corner. The team that wins the world cup will be the team that plays the best cricket over these next 7 weeks, and we should praise them for it...not say that everyone else was rubbish.

Windies will win the World Cup.THAT IS FOR SURE.

i live in the west indies....Guyana to be exact. and some of what you say is true. but i dont think that excuses "found more inspiration in NBA players".....much interest has been paid in recent times to improving and encouraging cricket in the region. Talk about Stanford 20/20.....now that would lead to development. At this point in time, west indies has an equal chance of winning the world cup 2007 as any other team.
Jai Maha West Indies!

Punk thrash talking WI cricket. It is only a pity this piece was published!

Mukhul, why do you do this? Come on Pal ... what is your assessment of the Indian team? Not long ago we were thrashed and cast aside in West Indies and Malaysia followed by a dismal performance in ICC cup. On the other hand the windies have performed well with their dwarfs compared to India.

What? WI winning the WC makes you think that rest of world crick is sick??
I reckon you to check ur-self..they just blasted a so called - STRONG India 4-1, pummelled them again in DLF , and chased them all the way home to reach finals of Champions trophy. If they win that shows their ability to play out of their skins not others being sick.

All points are well noted, but the current West Indies team have been on a rebuilding programme, and the team selected is indeed the best for the WC.The pitched in the Caribbean have been changing over the last 10-15 years, and the days of a 4 pronged fire attack is over. The fastest picth in the Caribbean was in Barbados, where WI dominated until a few years ago. This has changed.
India could not have asked for a better venue than Trinidad. Crowd support will be tremendous for them. They will meet WI in the final, if they use the preliminaries to fine tune their batting line up. Ganguly holds the key for India. Chris Gayle will do likewidse for WI.

In the final, WI, or India- the team batting second will win.

WI may lack genuine quick bowlers, but Lara will grace us with a perfromance worth watching.

mr .mukul last 10 odis are mostly used for experimentation dude....anyway 96 srilanka 92 pak 83 india all won as underdogs only......they might not be the favourites but they are good contenders

I am with Mr.Mukul on this one--the West Indian team has probably the worst bowling attack barring Bangladesh amongst the test-playing nations; they move around in the field, on an average, as well as Saurav Ganguly in slow motion; and their batting is decent(not spectacular), with one Superman and 3 Robins(Of Batman and Robin fame). Even if they win the World Cup(Something that is as probable as Dwayne Bravo scoring the maximum number of runs in the cup), I am not sure they would be "feared", nor am I convinced that they would continue their winning ways--it would be a freak occurence, one that no one should make a mistake by reading too much into...
PS: Contrary to views endorsed by many in the comments section, Dwayne Bravo epitomises, in my opinion, a typical case of much-hyped mediocrity. Had he been born in another test-playing country, his might have ended up not having played international cricekt at all...

Mukul, I think it was the comment that the West Indies are "so second rate that if they get to the final, world cricket ought to worry about how competitive it is" that people have taken issue with. You can debate statistics endlessly - I would argue that none of those you have produced are relevant, but we can agree to differ on that.

What I think most people on here recognise is that the West Indies have found a one-day strategy that works for them over the last couple of years, combining dangerous cricketers who can turn a match when inspired with a parsimonious bowling attack. They may not be favourites, but they are far from the no-hopers that you seem keen to present them as.

u are too concerned abt last 10 matches man..... and the rating difference of a maximum 4-6 points between india and westindies....if u want to tell that india is a great team on the basis of performance of last 10 matches then god help u for having such poor analytics

Mukul is probably living in another world. You don't need to go far back to realize the potential of the current West Indies team. Remember they won the Champions Trophy in 2004, runners up in 2006 and they have beaten almost all the major teams within the last two years including Austrialia. I agree they can be complacent but but on ther day they can beat any team in the world. Lara is also King in the team but there is no shortage of quality players and raw talent.

Good luck Windies.

That was extremely harsh. I can think of enough players who can win the West Indies the world cup."Resilient bat" does not nearly do Shivnarine Chanderpaul enough justice,and being an Indian fan you should know this. He has won them games against us with crab-like resilience. The West Indies had a fast bowler called Jermaine Lawson,who I remember was genuinely quick and demolished Australia in the match when the windies successfully chased down 418.He was an exciting prospect, but sadly he hasn't been seen in a while now. There is potential, and being a member of the generation which missed the west Indies in their pomp,this article was disheartening. I can only hope that they take better care of their talent and discover another piece of magic like lara.

Just look at the results or last one year or so between WI and India. Poor WI beat World-Winning Indians so many times, which makes this article ridiculous.Be rational.

Not only were they the undisputed champs, it was a beautiful sight to watch them win. They had the swagger in their batting...Richards, Greenidge, Richardson, they also had players who would build the platform....Haynes, Lyod and Gomes. They had the pace and the bowlers would let the ball do the talking. I remember the best of test cricket when Imran Khan's team toured the West Indies and the return series. It was a true clash of titans. It is sad to see their decline and we do hope for a resurgence. Australia are the present day champs...but their is a stark difference. With them, somehow cricket has lost its distinct identity.....its no longer a gentlemans game. With all their sledging, their obscene remarks, the so called mind games....cricket has lost its charm. Remember the recent ICC Finals...how Sharad Pawar was pushed off the dias. That what Australia is. Cricket is not Rugby. Teams like Australia ( and the likes of Andre Nels and Co.)dont paint the original picture of cricket as we knew it and would have liked to pass it to our children.

In my view I believe that you're right with regards to the Windies team not being able to come up with the quality of bowlers compared with the likes of Andy Roberts, Malcomb Marshall ect. which is as a direct result of being too srongly influenced by American sports e.g. basketball. I need to say this, for as much as there is a freedom of choice we in the caribbean need to protect, maintain and respect our achievements, especialy on the international scene. The Americans are protecting what's theirs, baseball in place of cricket, American football in place of soccer. However, the West Indies team is quite capable of winning the world cup given the talents and skills that exists in the batting department and the ability of Bradshaw, Collymore and Dwain Smith to slow down the run rate.

Nick,
Greg chappel ordering his brother to bowl underarm in order to prevent losing. Real sportsmanship there! Exceptional cricket, if i may add. Slaters outburst at dravid for not getting a decision in his favor. Pontings physical push to harbhajan when he got out to him for the umpteenth time. I guess, all these could be classified as sheer class. Or maybe because all others are just PERFECT, according to you.

Hey Mukul,

I agree with you on most of your comments regarding the WI team and I too lament about lack of menacing quickies in the team and am nostalgic of their past glory. I remember as a little kid sitting in front of the radio and imagining guys nay giants like Griffith,Hall etc charging in to bowl at our Indian batsmen. But hey, I don't get the "pun" part of your comments on Lara's team!!!

Best regards

This article is rubbish. Chris Gayle is one of the world's best one day batsman, as is Sarwan. In fact Gayle is probably the best all-rounder in one day cricket. Dwayne Bravo has the potential to be special. Dinesh Ramdin would get in a lot of other sides, as would Jerome Taylor.

Didn't the West Indies win the Champions Trophy a few years ogo?

All I can say Mukul is I hope you enjoy eating paper for lunch, because WI will prove you wrong and you will have to eat your words. Want a Carib to wash it down?

I found the comments on WSest Indian cricket very interesting and thought-provoking

You were always a poor writer. Now you risk degrading yourself to the wholly incompetant.

I'll be very surprised if the W. Indies dont make it to the semi finals.

I agree WI are inconsistance, i did not surprice when they reached final in mini world Cup. world cup is all around Eight teams. Every one can predict what are all eight team come thru top eight. Do not forget WI came to final in mini world cup out of these eight teams only. If they would have been continued flow of run what they had in first 10 over of mini world cup final. They would win the world cup. That would not be surprise.

While the whole world is looking forward to a long awaited turnaround in caribbean cricket fortunes, here comes a writer who knows nothing about cricket and puts in his harsh comments about the calypso kings...how many teams have beaten aussies recently?how many teams possess a self-less skipper like Brian Charles Lara?and when westindies win its not just the team but the game that wins...cuz their game is never short of flamboyance or drama in the right mix..if ur a strong patriotic indian supporter do support ur team but do not try to brandish other teams..it will indeed be a once-in-a-life-time-chance to watch if Brian Lara lifts the Trophy on April 28th,a fitting tribute to one of the greatest batsmen ever and that list does not include one mr.sachin or one mr.don bradman....
Sit back and enjoy the Gilchrists the Gayles the Dhonis the Jayasuriyas the Orams and the Pieterens...dont write rubbish like this and dont let people like us drift away from the ''home of cricket"

This article is straight trash,Mukul were you on any illegal substances when you wrote this,perhaps too much alcohol. While the Windies are not on the level of Australia or South Africa they have the capability of murdering any side on any given day with Lara, Gayle , Chanderpaul and Sarwan who is the best finisher in cricket when fully fit. Windies no longer have any tearaway fast bowlers but their bowling attack is one capable of keeping things in check. You should check yourself this same Lara and the Eleven Dwarfs made The Dlf Finals and Champions Trophy finals.You are probably still hurting from that 4-1 defeat last year in the Caribbean.(even though India won 3-1 in January)

Mr.Mukul

I am not sure I would quite agree with your analysis on the current West Indian team. I couldn't agree more to the fact that this side lacks the fire power that it had during the 70's and the 80's but I still believe that this side is as competent as any other side in the world on its day. Don't forget the fact that the same team beat us ("Star studded"Indian side) 4-1 in the home series last year and defeated the World champions twice. Infact, with the talent that it posesses, I would be surprised if it can't make it to the Semis.

I think you don't know cricket. Don't write these kind of articles in future.

Some valid points, but you're almost as Lara-bedazzled as the WI selectors. A point to consider is how well the team has fared without Lara on the pitch (for example WI v Aus at the ICC Trophy last year). Lara's greatness causes us to forget how many really good players are on the team. Just as, once, Sobers was the only man on the team, despite Kanhai, Fredericks, young Lloyd, etc etc. Unfortunately, when merely great players live in the shadow of the awesome and eternal, lame performances happen on the field.

I also think bowling requirements have changed in the last years. Flat-out pace isn't the automatic winner anymore, and WIndies mediums and fast-mediums are matchwinners in any weather. Your memory is short re. Daren Powell, and you forgot Jerome Taylor. What WINdies needs in the bowling dep't - especially for ODI's - is a top-of-the-line spinner. Wrist, finger, leg, off, doesn't matter. Just a good one, and a couple tours to give him some confidence.

That was the most melodramatic piece of tripe I've ever read.
Anyways, no surprises here, the hype of lamabasting West Indies cricket continues. This is one day internationals for Christ's sake!

Unfair and uncharitable.

Unfair because you are comparing them to arguably the greatest cricket team ever (only Bradman's invincibles compare to Lloyd's team). Any team will look pedestrian against those guys.

Uncharitable because the present West Indies bowling attack is far more varied than Australia's or South Africa's, the two 'favourites'. For one, they have a couple of seemingly harmless 'spinners' who run through 20 overs for a niggargly 60-65 runs between them before the batsmen figure out what has just happened. They have a pretty quick young fast bowler who can match Brett Lee for pace, and also has a one-day hattrick against.... Australia. They have the left-arm equivalent of McGrath in Bradshaw (not express but metronomically accurate and niggardly in line and length), and they have a canny medium pacer Dwayne Bravo (think slower yorkers to win matches).

Batting wise there is Brian Charles Lara. Nothing more needs to be said. They have an explosive, in form opening pair in Chanderpaul and Gayle. Marlon Samuels, when he wakes up from sleep, is a treat to watch. Ramnaresh Sarwan and Dwayne Bravo round out a fairly decent batting line up with their ability to knock the ball around and frustrate the bowlers. The wicketkeeper is a problem as Devon Smith seems off colour and out of form.
Definitely not the mighty West Indies of Clive Lloyd, but capable of greatness in their own right.
I for one bill them as definite semi-finalists, with a good shot at the Cup.

is mukul really losing it? calling an international team dwarves is point blank insulting and basically betrays just the sheer obsession with big names rather than the actual beauty of the game which primarily is a team game.

India '83...who did they have? kapil , a decent all rounder and bunch of other bits and pieces players and yet they provided one of the greatest world cup final ever. too much has been put on the "genius" of batting and star values....

i think this has become such a bane on any average cricket fan and in particular us indian fans, we tend to associate quality of a team as to how many stars it has.....and this is where cricket is a loser....
appreciate the beauty of the game , the shock values of different characters....
they are giants...none are dwarves in this motley of players representing their nations in this world cup.

disgusted.....cricinfo if it needs to maintain is high status should apologize for this article...

i also beleive that the windies dont have that fire power and sting in their bowling line-up that was there say 2 decades back.....but with the nature of odi criket 2day it would not be wrong 2 say that a team without these attributes can still be in with a chance and a very good one........obviously u r being pesimistic bcz the windies are not the same they used 2 b once but that does not mean they cant win......their feilding is contrasting with people like bradshaw and colllymore being on the wrong side of the average mark while bravo and smith being superb feilders......i hope windies do well

Just remember, in 2004 Windies gloriously win the champions trophy out of the blue...has no such 'catalyst' effect, as they proceed to get thrashed by pakistan and australia. I fear that even if the Windies DO win this cup (which, admittedly, is not too much of a stretch given the relative ease with with flukes are achieved in ODIs, and given the Windies considerable inconsistency), nothing will change significantly in the balance of world cricket.

Also given the slow, low wickets we should be seeing in the WC, the lack of a real 'fast' bowling attack (apart from Taylor) would not truly hamper the Windies. Teams such as Sri Lanka and India, who have experience on such pitches, might well have a gay old time in the tourney.

I watched Grrenidge and Richard make their debut in Bangalore, and that West Indies team was THE DREAM TEAM. Whilst I agree with Mukul that they seem unlikely to win the Cup this year, they are not as bad a side as he would have us believe - I predict a repeat of the 1983 Final, and because I am first an India fan and only after a WestIndian fan, I hope the result is the same, although we would love a higher-scoring closer match!!

If India could upset the Windies in 1983, then any thing can happen in a semi or final match in this world cup. I don't think Windies going past semis is a schoolboy dream, if and when they get there. Except in 1975, 79 and 03, the World Cup semis and finals have witnessed many upsets and underdogs going all the way to win the cup. With all due respect, Windies lost the cup in 1983 more than India won it. India lost the 1996 Semis than SL won it. England lost the finals in 1987 than Australia won it. SA lost the semis in 1999 than Aussies won it. So, all you need is a suicidal team such as an under-pressure India or South Africa against an underdog Windies in the semis and you may see them going all the way to the top.

Windies fast bowlers of the 70s and 80s played in a different era when pitches were more "fast-bowler friendly" and there were no helmets. All those advantages have been neutralized these days. Pace alone may not do the trick any more. If Lara and Gayle hit prime form (at least in alternate matches) and get good support from Sarwan, Chanderpaul, Samuels, etc. then they may have a good outing this time. Tricky medium-pacers with well-disguised variations and wobbly slow bowlers are crucial in this world cup and Windies are not short of that. Although world cups in the past have been won by good all-round team effort, you cannot deny that the past champions have also had one or two ring leaders to take them through the tough times. Lloyd, Richards, Kapil, Akram/Imran/Miandad, Aravinda, Waugh, all contributed towards their success than their team-mates. If Lara doesn't have the potential to be in this league, then no one in this tournament does. As a Sri Lankan, I want SL to win it a again. Nevertheless, As an Asian, I'd be still very be thrilled to see any one of the other three Asian teams (Ind, Pak, Ban) to win the cup. Failing that, a Windies victory will be the next most satisfying result for me.

Ppl believe it or not Trinidad and Guyana don't support India. We support West Indies. Fazeer Mohammed (trinidad commentator) made the idiotic statement that we prefer see Sachin perform than Lara. The fact remains we respect Sachin but no West Indian in their right mind would support Tendulakar over Lara. Just as Lara ws never on top of Akram and Younis , Tendulkar was never on top of Ambrose and Walsh.They are two entirely different and gifted batsmen. We want to see West Indies do well and thats it. There are no second choices for us.

As a west Indian I cannot totally disagree with the point about the paucity and ineffectiveness of our fast bowling regime. To be honest our batting is also average. Lara was once great. As to our chances of lifting the World cup? Love to see us do it but reality check tells me that is more wishful than realistic thinking.

Mukul,
It was a good thing you wrote this article, which i suspect may have been a little tongue-in-cheek.the reason i say that is because i think you have a sneaking admiration for all things West Indian, and your article may have been designed to provoke indignation.
Well, bro', guess what? It worked, and how!
obviously, the true lovers of cricket come from all over the globe and they all agree that WI cricket is beautiful and necessary and STILL ALIVE!
Guess what folks. You're gonna love the next few weeks, because I can tell you we (WI) will put on a show you wont forget. ENJOY!!!!

His comments about past memories are fine and my memories match with his. I feel one of the factors contributing to WI's decline in bowling department is the change of rules regarding bouncers, and advent of helmets.

As for sledging, the WI bowlers did not have to resort to cheap methods adopted by Australians and South Africans.

Finally , no one worried about Sickness of World cricket when India won the world Cup against all odds. Had Mukul given even a 1% percent chance to India for allhis Cricketing Knowledge ?

I like Mukul's style of writing, and I generally agree with the spirit with which it was written -- nostalgia of bygone glory days of West Indies cricket. If he is seen as blasting the current team, it's only in comparison to its hey days. I don't think this post/author deserves the bitterness spewed on here.

Bala, I think the pun in "Lara's team" is the word "team". He probably doesn't think "team" is a word to be applied to 'Lara and his eleven dwarves'. Now that is funny but unfair in my book.

As for you Nick Schneider, his comments on the Aussie team resonates with his earlier post that the Aussies "could have been liked, not just admired" says it all. It's not that other teams are perfect but that champions also need a certain charisma.

well...west indies by no means is a weak team...they hve got one of the best batting line-ups....that includes lara,gayle,sarwan,chanderpaul..nd the emerging samuels...though they r inconsistent,but hello...that makes them even more exciting.they reached the finals of icc held recently...nd has beaten austrailians twice very recently nd indians also took a lot of hammering...so do they look a weak team? as far as bowling is concerned..i dont think they hve the worse bowling line up either..bradshaw been the pick of the bowlers with tayler being new sensation....nd collymore though unlucky at times but does job as far as one day cricket is concerned..nd rest gayle and samuels does the job...so we here we have a team that can beat any team ...and they are gonna be dark horse !!!

I strongly believe that if people cant write factual reports then the shouldn't be in journalism.A team that goes to the finals in a tri nation series against 2 of the so called stronger teams ( Australia & India), then goes to the finals in the ICC champions trophy a month later and you have the audacity to suggest that if they make it to the finals in the World cup then we would have to all test our temperatures. Let me take you to school in the world of cricket and look at how you single out possible results.
Pakistan is in the wosrt shape of the eight teams due to injury and nandralone levels...they have no chance.
S/A as most people are predicting also dont stand a chance.This is the W.I ,the S/A strength is in their bowling and these pitches aren't gonna assist them as it would in S/A. Remember this is the same S/A bowling attack that was taken to the cleaners in the Semis of the ICC Champions trophy by you know who.......the W.I
England will not fear well in the Super 8 as well. Too much pressure is on Flintoff & Peterson and they won't be able to take them all the way.
India,the dissapointment for over 1 billion people is neigh.This is not the Sub continet with flat pitches, the only Indian batsman that wil enjoy the world cup excluding the first rd will be Dravid.Tendulkar is not as good as before, Gangully doesnt have the temparament and Sewag's form is woeful.There bowling attack can neighter contain nor destroy teams so thats why they wont pass the super 8.
If your calculations are better than your journalistic work ,then you will realise that the last 4 teams will be Australia,New Zealand, Sri Lanka and yessss, the W.I.
You and many others may ask how I came by this prediction,simple : New Zealand barring the defeat by the Bangladeshis'
and I wont say surprise because I think Bangladesh and Kenya are improving teams as we
willall see in the World Cup. Newzealand has an allround team of no star players but players who play as a unit and support each other,just ask the Aussies.
Sri Lanka also has a very balanced team , the best spinner in the world and good attacking in-form batsmen and the old swing bowler Vass.
Australia will also make the Semis. They are not as good as they were in the last worldcup but
they will definately
taste defeat in the Super 8 before qualifying for
the semi-finals.
The WI, the team you dont give a chance and why I really dont know. The WI have a very good fielding team contrary to what you might say,They have depth in their batting, they have containing spinners in Gayle and Samueuls who will probably bowl 18 overs between them at about 4 runs per over,a young and promising bowler in Taylor, and the economical Collymore and Bradshaw with Bravo and those cleverly disguised slower balls at the end of the innings. Mark my words bcause Nostrodamus couldn't have predicted it better, the semis will be New Zealand,Australia,WI and Sri Lanka with the winners being anyone of the last 3,and I just hope its the WI so you will see your docter not for a temperature check but for reccomendation to a good specialist for counselling from the shock created by the WI

West Indies have a good chance of winning the world cup. Gayle, Lara, Sarawan, and Chenderpaul make a strong batting line up, plus they have some good utility bowlers as well. They will be like Pakistan, a bit unpredictable, but hard to write off.
Coming to sledging, you forgot the one famous name: Andre Nel. I have seen Australians sledging, but I find it difficult to compare them with what South Africans have been doing lately.
We can talk about sledging for a million years, but, most likely, this is how it will remain. In that sense, personally, I applaud Sreeshant's behavior: It is time Asian teams catch up with this, it is just too important a part of the game not to be good at.
I agree with the writer's opinion that there are cultural differences, it will be hard for Asians to give it back. But how long will the asian teams take it?
Remember Gayle against Australia in the Champions trophy? A taste of thier own medicine, and Australia crumbled.

I think the shoddy article didn`t need to add stereotyping to make it an even more ugly read.

"The squad has three players of Indian origin: .... That’s unusual. ‘East Indian’ players ....in ones or (rarely) twos. ".. Do you have a problem with that??? What's the point?

"If that’s true, it might explain the decline of West Indian fast bowling because India and its diaspora aren’t exactly famous for producing tearaway quicks."....??? so is it only bowling that suffers or maybe it can be extended to batting, fielding and everything related to decline of WI cricket!!!

"Perhaps it's a cultural thing, but like Gavaskar, I find the sight of Lee or McGrath (or Sreesanth) following through all the way up to the batsman, snarling obscenities, unpleasant, unnecessary and a form of sharp practice."....Because U and Gavaskar share the same thoughts you can`t generalise it as culturally!!!

Home teams always do well, not just in cricket. WI have always been gud at home and they play with great pride at home. Like SL in 1997, they have a great one day side and similarly, the conditions are very favourable to their kind of cricket. They should do well in this tournament. If I am not mistaken WI beat Aussies in Malayasia some time back? I think throughout the tournament history the home team has done well. They may not go all the way but they will do well.

Mukul,

Just a guess - could what happened to the Indian Cricket team after the late 80's have happened to the WI ?

As a college student at Mumbai, I remember watching Ranji / Duleep trophy matches regularly, where -

Gavaskar played with Vengsarkar
Vengsarkar played with Patil
Patil played with Shastri / Manjrekar
Shastri / Manjrekar played with Sachin / Kambli.
Once Sachin / Kambli moved to the Indian team, the link seemed to die for a while.

I have seen Bedi / Prasanna / Venkat / Kapil et al bowling in the domestic competitions, but no Srinath / Agarkar / Zaheer unless unfit / out of form.
In the absence of Sachin / Azhar / Kambli etc.,
Indian bowlers never got to bowl to India's best before taking on the Inzy's / Lara's / Pontings of the world.
Indian batsmen after Sachin / Kambli did not get to play India's best bowlers before taking on the Warne's / McGrath's / Akram's of world cricket.

Given this kind of domestic competition, selection for international matches is going to be a gamble. The success of Sehwag / Yuvraj / Pathan / Dhoni could only be a stroke of luck more than anhything else.
Maybe WI will get their own bits of luck at some point.

Well said Gavin, I totally agree with you. This so called journalist has insulted West Indies and its people. Obviously this man hasnt watched cricket in recent times to observe West Indies cricket at its best. I agree this team isnt the most focused, the most disciplined or the most consistent in world cricket, but even a blind man can see the rise in the standards of West Indies cricket, esp in ODI. And West Indies will definitely win the world cup.. Have that with ur roti Mukul

Gayle a dwarf? I really like this post this time but a few players have been missed. Gayle, an excellent and solid hitter and bowler, Chanderpaul plays well, so does Sarwan. In fast bowlers, the World Cup squad has just one but they have a total of three in Best, Taylor and Edwards and have a history of almost twenty.

I like the way you are rating every team and pointing out strengths and weaknesses.

West Indies winning the world cup will be bad for contemporary cricket? man, you are crazy... it is probably the best thing that could happen to the game..

A rather poor article.. for starters, it is not Lara on whom the team is primarily dependent at this point in time, it is Chris Gayle. Secondly, their bowling lineup (though not threatening on paper), is well suited to the kind of tracks they have in the country. Lest you forget, Ian Bradshaw is one of the most successful and consistent bowlers in odi cricket in the last couple of years. Furthermore, they have one of the best batting lineups in the world- they have a team that bats deep, a luxury that many other teams do not enjoy at this point..couple these things with the fact that they are playing at home (yes yes, i know that no team has won the world cup at home- but that is more ill-luck than anything else, and it does not mean that there is no such thing as home advantage), and that they have been more consistent of late.

people are talking of an australian decline. if there is any such thing happening, a lot of the credit has to be given to the west indies, for it is they who defeated the australians twice in the last few months preceding the ashes (and these australian teams were full-strength ones with damien martyn playing as well).

your earlier posts were really good, but i think you've lost the plot on this one.. please do not say that it will be bad for contemporary cricket if west indies wins the world cup..

pray, why?

The article shows lacks of knowledge about the players and understanding of the conditions in which this world cup will be played.It would have been good if the writer cared to check the odds being offered on this team. West Indies is the third favourite team to win the world cup , behind SA and Aus, and it is ahead of India and Pakistan .
The article seems to be written in the great Indian tradition of "throw a stone in the air and watch people watching it come down".Pls don't waste people's time by writing such articles.
Postscript : Your postscript has better content then the article . Maybe you should start writing "postscripts" before the main article .

If it is a school boy dream for West-Indies to lift the world cup, then it is for a lot of other teams. Seeing that the Windies has beaten the top teams in recent times. And with the armour of invincibility punctured, Austrailia is ripe for the taking, albiet with difficulty.
I am a West-Indian and take umbrage with some parts of this article.

Is this guy actually getting a salary to write this? I sure hope not. He owes Cricinfo a refund

C'mon Mukul...you can do better than that utter nonsense you wrote bout Windies cricket. It is utterly insulting to the Windies team, me (I am a West Indian) and the entire region to say that a World Cup triumph at home will be a poor reflection of world cricket. Tell me....would an Indian win be good ? they lost 4-1 last year in the caribbean and were soundly beaten in the DLF and Champions trophy at home. This WI team has beaten the best over the last two years..Australia, England, India, South Africa...so do your research when writing your articles! If you call yourself a cricket writer...well you need to go back to school. And as for East Indian players...you say they come from poor rural communities thats why so many have progressed to the current team !! I will have you know that you obviously refering to somewhere else...they have progressed because of a committment to hard work...willing to do the hard yards...I will have you know that this East Indian characteristic...Ambition and Productivity...has seen the community rise over the last twenty years...to such an extent that they are many times better off than their fellow Indians in India...Thanks

I remememer Gavaskar's book, Sunny Days, where he referred to the islanders as a bunch of apes, or some disgusting phrase of that sort. There was a bit of fuss too then.

If wi comes out top in their D group, they will play 3 matches in guyana which should guaranteed 3 wins since they rarely lose in guyana. also guyana is Chanderpaul's den..this guy never fail to perform in guyana..he loves batting in front his home country..so i pray they come out on top of their group.

In response to Nick Schneider's comments where he has listed some examples of sledging/bad behaviour from other countries and also says "Just keep bashing the Aussies because the rest of you are so perfect!".

So does one need to be perfect to critisize others? So if you say the law and order situation is bad in Haiti (just used as example), does it mean that not a single crime is committed in Australia? That's the technique some of the politicians employ (especially the Republicans here in the US) to point out a couple of faults of the opponent in order to hide hundreds of their own.

It's not always just black and white. Many times it's a question of how much is too much. Obviously there have been all sort of incidents from players all across the world. But in case of some such as Mcgrath, Warne and Andre Nel, it has become a routine. It's not even spontaneous or just an occassional reaction, it has become pre-meditated and is being employed as a tactic. No matter who does it and how old the practice is, I think that is wrong. Just shut up and play the game. There will be occassional fights and disagreements and let's just keep at that.

Mukul certainly does not lack knowledge about the players or conditions.

He certainly, like all of us, has his own views. He could be a cold statistician, that I don't know.

But it's not only about statistics, otherwise we would not be playing matches.

Statistics is a thing of "past". One shouldn't dwell on it or focus on it except taking a cue from it. It's like "history" or the way we should be dealing with our "past".

The focus should be the "present", as we should be living in present, though always keeping the past and future in context and right perspective.

So I think most of the readers who have taken time to comment agree that WI is a team that is more capable than others at present, has necessary components and combinations which would take them to the top four in the World Cup tournament.

Only time will tell if anyone who thinks like Kesav has to eat their words or otherwise but ironically the small-Kesav's-world at this time seems to believe that WI is no where even close to what Kesav has made them transpired through his blog/write-up.

David,
I like Mukul's style of writing too and I too thought that it's written only in comparison to its hey days and found 'Lara and his eleven dwarves' title funny though unfair as you have mentioned.

But then the article fell apart and did not hold water whenever there was an assessment of the current team whereas the speculation and theories were eye-opener for people like me who does not go beyond a certain level for things concerned in cricket and it was, thus, "definitely" an interesting read except the assessment of the current WI team vis-a-vis other cricket teams at this time.

I feel for Mukul for getting lambasted on this site by so many bloggers from all over the world. I don't blame them. In my previous feedback, I too rubbished mukul's claims and wrote that the Windies have a good chance of winning the cup.

However, to be fair to Mukul...while Windies have all the potential to go through to the top if and when they reach the semis, there is a concern about their consistency. Like Pakistan in 1992, and SL in 1996, they need to get lucky with some rained out or boycotted matches to go into the semis with their gunpowder saved for the big matches. DLF tropy and Champions trophy are not as long as this world cup. This one is the longest WC I can remember and a consistent and professional approach is all the more important in this world cup / barring any rain or storm related disruptions to the tournament. Windies are capable of beating the best Aussy team on their day but also capable of losing to Scotland the next day. They play more with their natural instincts and flair than with their minds. They are more like Pakistan and to some extent Sri Lanka. At times, it clicks and at times it doesn't. However, all that could change in the WC since they are playing on home ground with lots of crowd support. This factor alone may help them "stay focused" throughout the tournament. If Brian Charles Lara and Chris Gayle can summon all the mental toughness they have to "stay" focused through the next 6 weeks, they WILL, in my opinion, lift the cup in April.

But Mukul got it reverse. He said that Windies will not go beyond semis. That's where, I think, he got it all wrong...If windies last it through the semis...they will be unstoppable beyond that.

cheers

Why have you not mentioned Ian Bradshaw in terms of WI bowlers? WI have a potentially brilliant attack, I think Samuels and Gayle will be v difficult, remember how effective they were against India last year? Bradshaw is one of the best in the world at ODI cricket, Jerome Taylor took a hat trick against Aus and has impressed all, Collymore is the unluckiest bowler in the world, he is in the McGrath/Pollock mode and is excellent when not injured. Dwayne Bravo is a match-winner and a contender for man of the tournament. Batting is strong even though Morton was inexplicably dropped. They showed flexibility with Bravo making a century at no 3, Sarwan, Chanderpaul, Gayle and Lara are formidable. Also Samuels is in great nick, which is maybe the missing piece of the jigsaw.

Fielding - don't know when the last time you saw WI, but have you seen Dwayne Smith, definitely in the top 3 fielders in world cricket? Apart from that they're occasionally lethargic but pretty safe hands and certainly no worse than India, Pakistan in terms of fielding.

WI should make it to the semi finals at least.

It's sad that this got published because it gives blogs a bad name. WI beat Australia twice last year. How many teams accomplished that? They also beat SA when it counted. SA are the ultimate chokers but you think it's bad for cricket for the West Indies to win the world cup? I wonder who you are rooting for?

Dwarfs? That's an inaccurately theatrical analogy in both contexts - comparing WI players with Lara or with players of other teams. Two points:

(1) Last 10 matches /rankings need not be a good yardstick. Last few series / tournaments might be a better one. Having followed WI cricket over the last year or so, somehow the gut feel is that the Windies have latched on to a more-than-serviceable strategy. USP: a strong opening pair (Gayle-Chanderpaul are THE BEST 30+ ODI opening pair) and stifling middle-over slow bowling options.

(2) We are not talking test matches here; we are talking ODIs, and a World Cup at that. Noone is a dwarf here. Heck, even the associate members could pull off upsets. My 2-paisa take is that WI is a strong contender for the title, along with India (despite some awful performances over the last few years), Australia and Sri Lanka.

I think if Bangladesh can beat one of the favorites Newzealand any thing can happen so dont discount This WI team,Its true that this team is not as great as the Team Of 80's or earlier.But still have some good players the only thing lacking is they donot play as a unit, I am only saying from what i saw in series against Pakistan And India a few good individual performances and the rest of the players failed to carry on the task, Jerome taylore and collymore were impressive but the rest of the bowling was not up to the task,
But having said that do not discount any team out
as all the teams have some problems but still anybody can beat anybody on their day, I think teams which will enter into the tournament with over confidence will get a rude shock.
This tournament will be won by the team which will
find the right combination and strategy from the beginning,and in my opinion nobody is favorite
So please dont take any thing seriously this blog is only to spice up things untill the real action begins,so kindly spare MuKul.

The analysis is not accurate. Had you considered the results of the 2004 and 2006 ICC Champions Trophy you would not have written nso much trash about the West Indies.

regarding the lack of FAST bowlers, i think the main problem is that the majority of youngsters simply don't play any sport whatsoever. 30-40 years ago, EVERY boy played cricket in the dry season and football in the rainy. with very small populations, as prevails in the windies, you need such mass participation in order to have a decent pool of players to choose from. the painful and ironic thing is that today's generation is on average bigger and taller than previous ones, but most of them are soft, effeminate and totally uninterested in PLAYING. they prefer to strut the streets or prop up buildings, dressed in NBA garb or as gangsters. sometimes i ask them: 'why don't you try cricket?' they laugh and say that they don't like to sweat!

Please don't swayed by the comments from the one Oman Pakistan. Your articles on peripheral issues on cricket are so much more enjoyable.
This is a horrible article showing complete lack of knowledge of recent history and insight.Also,are you sure you have been following cricket of late?Of late,WI has been a fantastic ODI team. Their batting line-up is second to none and all of them are in reasonable form.Man to Man-only SA can match them in batting. Admittedly, their bowling is weak but surely not many teams can boast of a good one.

Sreesanth making the WI team???Was that meant to be "the funny line" in a dry article? He's lucky to even be going to the World Cup and that too in a squad of 14(What is Irfan Pathan doing,I can't understand)

And finally,why is it titled "lara and the eleven dwarfs"- there's hardly a paragraph where you talk about the present players. Most of it is the usual stuff about the great west Indian legend.

I agree completely with the couple of above comments-you have completely lost the plot here. I repeat,please stick to writing about peripherals of cricket and don't get swayed by opinions from across the border!!These mundane team analysis stuff is being done by numerous others,most noticably dry,boring blog completely bereft of any sense of humour from an esteemed writer from the Dawn.

theis write is enept, he lacks any kind of knowledge, depth or writing skill and is obvoiusly either blind, dumb or deaf, or maybe he is writing about baseball. one must realize that west indies is certianly not short on extremely quick bowlers (tino best, jemaine lawson, fidel edwards etc.) but he muust also realize that quick bowlers are slaughtered in ODI cricket.he also must have short term memory, champions trophy 2004 ( WI won), champions trophy 2006, (Wi finalists). To conceive the idea that Wi have no chance of winning the world cup, and that their squad is poor, the ''journalist'' must have a fantastical imagination. the bowlers are very economical. Bradshaw is ranked no. 3 in the world. most batsmen cannot touch balls delivered by collymore. bravo's slower balls among the most deceitful in the world. d. smith's bowling is tight and efficient. the two spinners, gayle and samuels are among the most economical in the world, specially at the death (which this incompetent writer would know if he would read the factual columns on cricinfo; or maybe he cant read?) the talent in the batting line up,while it may not be consistent, is definitely explosive, any does not by any stretch of the imagination depend upon brian lara as seen recently)...gayle, chanderpaul, smith,samuels, bravo,sarwan. and the bowlers may not be the best of fielders, dwayne smith certainly is, and with dwayne bravo, they make a pair of athletic sportsmen unmatched by any other fielders in world cricket.WI certainly have a chance, and a great one at that, and i am not sure who should be the one checking the temperature ( maybe the writer is ill?).this article certainly ought to be disregarded by any thinking fan of cricket, and cricinfo should be bisgraced to have such an inept and poor writer on their staff. Postscript: WI were not abusive of their lesser cricketing counterparts in the past, but maybe the writer is seething and looking for revenge after many past defeats of his favoured team. if one is not good enough to stop a cricket ball from hitting him, he should not be playin cricket. if i may add, the writer is a complete fool.

Mukul Kesavan you are either ignorant, arrogrant or plain too ancient to understand the game. Do you even follow or read about the game? Have you seen recent statistics? 11 dwarfs? well you surley present a the biggest dwarf. You should be ashamed to write this nonsense despite your agenda. This West Indies team will confirm.

Ah Mukul, two articles and two great sledges. The Aussies are "untouchables" and the Windies are "dwarfs". For a bloke who professes distaste of insulting behaviour you are doing well. Although I do agree Sreesanth's jig was just about the funniest thing I've ever seen.

You are a very stupid individual who thinks just because you are educated your opinion is correct. I will admit that the West Indies team of present isnt the best....but who are you to makes such insulting remarks about them. Just the other day teams around the world couldnt even dream of beating the west indies, including australia. The West Indies team has some promising players who need to believe in themselves.This team is not only Brian Lara show,If you check the records most of Lara's major acheivements were not in winning causes. The west indies team have on paper has a strong batting line up, but they need to perform as a team and not individually. Our bowling is not the strongest, but we have also some okay bowlers. Pedro Collins is the pick of the crop with his left arm swing bowling, and his has picked up Tendulkar on numerous occasions who is 3rd best to Lara and Pointing. There is also Jerome Taylor and Jemaine Lawson. Lawson is out of cricket for a while now with a suspect bowling action.Once he corrects this he shud b back in action. Mr I think you should comment on Indian cricket.....that is the cricket you should be concerned with....and try to solve their problems on why did dont perform as well as they do on those DEAD wickets yall prepare so your spinners can get wickets and your batsmen cant score runs. You should look at why your batsmen cant score runs on bouncy pitches(excluding Tendulkar and Dravid)....that is what you shud assess

People have the habit of rubbishing the West Indies team before a major tournament. The prowess of the WI team of the '70s-'80s have hit far and wide and for a long, long time. Will it ever end? Mukul may have to eat not only his paper, but his question marks and full stops as well.

Oh! I just read that Mukul is a fiction writer.

To quote 'Non-Vegetarian Third Party':

"As a Sri Lankan, I want SL to win it a again. Nevertheless, As an Asian, I'd be still very be thrilled to see any one of the other three Asian teams (Ind, Pak, Ban) to win the cup. Failing that, a Windies victory will be the next most satisfying result for me."

What sort of drivel is this? Can you imagine a caucasian Englishman writing "I'm white, so while I want England to win, failing that I'd be happy to see Australia, New Zealand, or South Africa win it...as long as Pollock takes more wickets than Ntini." Anyone writing such a thing would be ridiculed from the forum, there would be calls for prosecution, and there would be a flood of posts lambasting the evils of institutionalised white racism. And rightly so. The fact that people like this still exist (whatever their origin) bothers me. I'm Australian, and while I'd like Australia to win, if they don't I'll be just as happy to see India win as New Zealand, or the Windies, or the Netherlands -- as long as whoever wins has played GOOD CRICKET.

Kunal,

You have obviously missed the point my friend,of course the Aussies are not perfect I'm just sick and tired of people like you nit-picking at Australia. We are all equal, each country has been guilty -at some time or another- of misbehaviour, please just remove your tinted glasses next time you point the finger.

mukul

A sincere advice. Don't dig your grave any deeper by throwing more stats on this blog. It further exposes your lack of real "Cricketing" experience. Although I might not have agreed with your earlier blogs, I respected your intentions of generating healthy debates about "debatable" topics for those of us who are hopelessly procrastinating at work and home! I often noticed that you let the readers fight out the topic.

However, on this one, you seem to have been a little annoyed by the strong (negative) response you have received. All we are saying is that you have focused too much on the numbers than on the "cricket" that was on display over the last 2 years. There are so many factors that can affect a player's or team's performance. Luck being one of the most common factors. A knwoledgeable cricketer would know that at this level a decent player is only a stroke of luck away from stardom or drug test or call from a bookie away from disgrace! But You failed and continue to fail to recognize this important aspect of international cricket. Cut your losses and run and perhaps apologize to the West Indians in this blog.

To be fair to you, people here (including myself) have gone into a mob mentality (justifiably outraged by your article) and will not hold back on attacking you since this blog is mostly anonymous.

As I said earlier, if the Indian team of 1983 could win the world cup against the Windies of the 80s, no team in the world should be considered dwarfs, not even Bangladesh and certainly not the Windies with Lara, Gayle, Chanderpaul and Sarwan. Lets face it...Who the hell are Yashpal Sharma, Kirti Azad, Balwinder Singh Sandu, Roger Binny, Madhan Lal, etc etc. to the non-Indians, really? Apart from being the ones who won the world cup for India. Are they truly world class cricketers in the same league as Gayle, Chanderpaul, etc.?

Indian teams in 87, 92, 96, 99 and 03 were much stronger than the one in 83 and in some cases (i.e. 87 and 96) were certainly worthy of the title. But what happened? Arguably lesser teams beat them to the chase with some brilliant performances in crunch situations and a lot, and i repeat, a lot of luck also carried them through till the end?

A deflated but ruthlessly competitive Australia, an inconsistent yet talented Windies, a well balanced and organized India, a disorganized but unpredictably talented Pakistan, a consistent and competitive South Africa, a rising and well-knit New Zealand, a resurgent England, a spirited Bangladesh and an above average but confident/daring Sri Lanka all make this World Cup as wide open as it can be and as a result all the more exciting to follow and watch. Some of the heavyweights could very well be the first ones to exit. It could be India, SL, SA or even Australia. Don't hold your breath!

I would be extremely insulted by this article were I a West Indian player or supporter. It gives no credit to a team that I think will perform OK at this World Cup.

The comments comparing Aus v W.I. are way off as well. The West Indies weren't arrogant and didn't sledge?!? Come off of it! Didn't anyone see the way players like Viv Richards conducted themseleves on and off the field? I'm not saying there's anything wrong with the way they behaved, but to basically suggest the Australians are arrogant bullies while the West Indies were humble good sports is laughably ridiculous!

No doubt I will be howled down for saying this, but might the Australians lack of popularity in the cricket world compared to the West Indians have anything to do with the colour of their skin? Yes, the Australians have been involved in incidents that do not cast them in a good light (as have all teams), but some people seem to be looking for any excuse to direct vitriol towards Australia and Australians.

Great comments by Nick Schneider, he hits the nail on the head with his post. Unfortunately there are people like Kunal who are incapable of grasping the point Nick is getting at. No one is saying the Australian cricket team is perfect, but there are plenty of unsavioury incidents involving other teams/players that get nowhere the same focus as they would were Australians involved.

It is especially interesting that people talk of sledging as though they know every single thing that every player says on the field. But this is not the case, the people sledging Australians here do not know what is said by their own players, so this seems more of a forum to slag off Australians than to discuss things based on factual knowledge.

This is regarding the absolute rubbish Nick Schenider worte above. Holding and Croft did behave badly during that tour of NZ sure but how many other examples do we have of those two behaving badly? You could fill a large book with the antics of the current aussie lot.....Lara's endless racism?Where the hell does that come from?Darren Lehamnn's comments and the abuse Panesar suffered in Australia were much worse than whatever he's ever said.

Pakistan's endless ball tampering was actually England whining because they could handle Wasim and Waqar. Doesnt anyone else find it hypocritical that all of a sudden reverse swing is not taboo anymore?As for the "we wont play" claim, it was douchebag Hair's fault more than Inzamam's at the Oval.

Gavskar asked his partner to leave the field coz of Lillee's abuse.(I wonder if Holding ever did that? hmmmmm....).Besides he never needed an aluminum bat or a bat laced with graphite to score runs....

Ranatunga was standing up for Muralitharan because 2 stupid Aussie umpires couldnt get it into their heads that the guy's arm is deformed from birth....Micheal Slater in chennai in 2001 reacted as if his pants were on fire when the umpire ruled that his claim of a catch was false.....which non-aussie cricketer has ever reacted this way?

Do some research the next time you go shooting your mouth off

In the World of Cricket some stupid but funny controversies have happened but during that time it reffers to a phrase that all's that well ends well. Some example are
Andre Nel giving a bouncer to Sreesanth (India)and showed his wrath on him. The next ball was a big six and guess what Sreesanth danced like anything. The match was also won by India

Sri Lanka before the 1996 WC final was been criticized by Shane Warne(nothing to be surprised of) who called them blacks. Ranatunga defended his country's pride by saying that, "We know where the Aussies have come from".And Sri Lanka finally won the World Cup.

Before criticizing any team it must be remembered that they can be stealthy. So people criticizing West Indies or even Bangladesh you dont know what they are up to.

Zakiul
Dhaka,Bangladesh

The current West Indies could be justifiably considered as being unpredictable and or inconsistent. However, we all know that any team can win one day matches, provided it plays the best cricket on the given day. In follows therefore that anyone who chooses to write - off this West Indies Team does so at his or her peril. West Indies has as equal a chance as any of winning the World Cup, given the present balance in strengh of the opposing teams, and apart from surprising many, I suspect the team will cause a lot of people (critics) to end up eating their words. I hope it does.

Comments posted above by "Non-Vegetarian Third Party" would have to be endorsed for an impartial assessment of how most teams stand a fair chance to progressively gain ground.

There would be some surprises in the way. Take another look at team Bangladesh who are already causing a flutter or two with a degree of unease in both rival camps in their group.

Don't you think that with a bit of luck on the day, they could prove real tough and even inch ahead? This scenario cannot be discounted altogether.

Likewise, it all depends on how the West Indies respond and shape up as a team after the first round - they could set themselves on a smooth sail all the way up to the finish line.

After the early calls, the pundits may be wrong footed again. Of the four (04) teams named as probable finalists, two could easily slip up. This is as good a call as the one made earlier. The equation got figured out prematurely without counting the probability that some teams could rally around and make a late run. The wait may not be that long before this reality begins to dawn.

Keep your fingers crossed but the vigil up, meantime. Raising too high hopes so early could lead to despair later on.

If the 1983 Indian Team with their given strength of the day could win, the current West Indies team has all those ingredients plus some heavy weights in their ranks to make a dash for the home run.

Mind you, this tournament could take a lot of twists and turns - not factored in even by the pundits, earlier on. Never mind, the stage is really set now for some interesting run up for all.

The heat is on. So, stay tuned to keep up with the pace and enjoy your cricket at the same time.

In my eyes West Indies has a very good team but they lack a bowling attack. The batsmen need to come off and not try to leave the burden on Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul. If West Indies can play as a team they can go far into this tournament. West Indies selection committee made some very bad choices in selecting a team. They should of never had chosen Kieron Pollard from Trinidad with no international experience he comes into the side. There must be some strings pulled by his fellow countryman Brian Lara. Narsingh Deonarine should of been given a shot at the team. A class batsmen and a mediocre spin bowler. He would of made a big difference in the team. It is all on the shoulders of the frontline batsmen to make huge totals to supplement for their lack of bowling.

Hey Vivek what's this abuse Panesar copped? Someone called out they couldn't believe he was English? Terrible stuff that.

Where will you be for the on the 28th April for the biggest caribbean carnival? Is ok you're forgiven so come on down

I find it necessary to add my voice to Mr Mukul's views of our present West Indies team. Apparently Mr Mukul has no indepth knowledge of West Indies cricket apart from what he knows of them under Clive Lloyd's leadership which then passed on to Viv Richards, Richie Richardson, Brian Lara, Courtney Walsh, Jimmy Adams, Carl Hooper then Brian Lara again. It is true to say that since Lloyd and Richards led the team and ruled the world the West Indies have never got themselves up to the standard that those two captains had set.Mr Mukul claimed that should the Windies find themselves as finalists in this tournament then the cricket authorities should have a look at the way the World Cup is set up because no way should they be anywhere in or near the final. Now I find that as being very disturbing because as much as they are not the team they used to be they are still a force to reckon with in the limited overs game. The one thing that most people can agree with the present group of players is that they are not consistent in their games, but so are the Pakistanis too. Imagine if the West Indian team was even a little bit consistent as the New Zealanders then I am sure that Mr Mukul would not be so quick to come to his conclusions of the team. He mentioned that the Caribbean does not produce any great fast bowlers anymore but take a look at India and tell me if there are anymore Bedis, Prasanas, Chandrashakers, Venkats or Kumbles. West Indies still lives up to it's reputation of producing fastbowlers, the only difference is that they are no Croft, Garner, Holding, Marshall or Roberts of the 70s and 80s. We later came to see very good fastbowlers like Ambrose, Bishop, and Walsh and some more than handy ones like the two Benjamins (Kenny and Winston), Patterson, Gray and Rose. Before the seventies West Indian fast bowlers were really in bits and pieces with the only outstanding ones being Wes Hall, Charlie Griffiths and Roy Gilchrist. To say that the West Indies had to depend on their bowlers to win matches in the time when they "ruled the roost" (so to speak) is the biggest understatement of this so called writer. If so was the case then how is it we see Greenidge, Haynes, Richards,and Richie Richardson having runs of over 5,000 in test cricket and over 4,000 in one day. As good as the bowlers were in those days the batsmen were just as grest. If the bat failed the ball did the work and when the ball could not come up trumps the bats were there to do their job. Mukul also mentioned that Sunil Gavaskar that great Indian batsman has scored the most runs and the most centuries against th West Indies in tests. No doubt about that but if staticians would take a look at these scores they will see something interesting about his runs. On his first tour of the Caribbean im 1969-1970 the home team had no real fastbowler except for Vanburn Holder and Garfield Sobers and to some extent Grayson Shillingford and was heavily dependent on spinners. That was an opportunity for a young talented batsman as him to make use of. In 1976 when he returned this was a different story because now he came up against genuine pace (Wayne Daniel, Michael Holding and Andy Roberts) this time though the story was not the same except for when he batted on dead tracks like that which Queens Park Oval in Tinidad offered and so his tally of runs were far less than the previous tour. Over in India in 1978 he again found his touch against a team with quality bowlers but who were raw and inexperienced, (there was Marshall, Sylvester Clarke and Nornrt Phillips) due to to leading bowlers having taken up contracts with World Series Cricket (the introduction of Kerry Packer). Gavaskar again came out on top in the series but it would have been a big injustice to recognise him as great if he did not score a mountain of runs on the deserts called cricket pitches in India and other parts of the subcontinent. In 1983 when the real fastmen returned to West Indies cricket a different story was told again on their tour of the Caribbean except again for that "India I love you" track in Trinidad. Suffice it to say against men of genuine pace and as a quartet (or triplet) he has not fared well on pacy wickets.
Another point of note was Mukul's accusation of the West Indies being intimidatory fast bowlers in the days when they ruled. This is reminiscent of when England had the ICC under their control and could not beat the West Indies thay also claimed the same thing and began to instigate and initiate rule changes to suit them and to nullify the Windies fastbowlers which did not help their cause. Yes there may have been one particular incident in Kingston Jamaica in 1976 when a couple bowlers got carried away with their entusiasm and treated the crowd to what they asked for. That however is no reason to think of them as mr Mukul has done. Let's be real, in the 1970s India went to Australia when Dennis Lillee, Jeff Thompson and Max Walker were in their prime and by the time the tour ended the Indian team looked like they had been through World War 3 but they did not cry that it was intimidated bowling. England went there in 1974 and on more than one occasion had to send home for replacement "troops" to fight the battle in a six test series because their batsmen had been mauled by the above mentioned Aussies. The West Indies folloed the English in 1975-76 and they too encountered a barrage of short pitched bowling that laid up a few of them but they did not cry or complain to anyone but took it like men and that prompted captain Clive Lloyd to stock his team with four genuine quicks. All who came up aginst the West Indies fast bowlers and could not handle them because of sheer cowardice should not have playing at the highest level.
Now to the matter at hand I would just like to ask Mr Mukul or whoever he is to pay attention to his team and to what is around him and give Brian and (in his Mukul's words) his eleven dwarfs a chance to prove themselves because what do you know they may just turn out to be the GIANTS of the World Cup.

the west indian team of 2007 is not a replica of the team which played in the 70's and 80's. period. but that does not mean they are not cup contenders. they are very good at home. they had won the icc champions trophy and even made it to the finals this time. they beat australia in the dlf cup. now, what more do u want out of a team? if you are saying that you need genuinely quick bowlers to win the world cup, yes sire, you are absolutely right.it is a batsman dominated sport at the moment. but hold your horses, because, the west indian wickets are conducive for medium pace bowling. all you need to be doing is line and length..line and length! keywords!!we dont need 160 km/hr in those small grounds. now consider india. Our bowling attack is in shambles. that is the reality. other than zaheer khan who at the moment is taking wickets regularly, no one is a genuine promise. and mr. pathan was struggling to penetrate the dutch batsmen. plus, he was bowling at 125 km/hr. to win the world cup, you need a collective team effort. for the first time, in many years, i think, there are 6 genuine contenders. aussies as always, s.africa..never know when they could choke. sri lanka..revitalized under jayawardena with good overseas record. new zealand...beat the aussies, 3-0. so they do have something in them. west indies...more consistent now, home advantage+ brian charles lara. when cornered, the guy elevates himself into something else. india, as always, we have to claim to be contenders! but yeah, we are good enough this time. hopefully, the bowling comes good. trust me, this is going to be a fascinating world cup. Too many greats going off stage. Its going to be a classic.

Helmet. Before it you could keep 4 or bowlers who were fast. Now it does not work. WI did not have a plan B. They get them once in a while Taylor, Fidel Edwards, et al. But they fail to be long term prospects, because a Sehwag gets hit on the helmet and then hits the next intended yorker to the boundary.

David M and Rajesh,

Two more who seem to be oblivious to the obvious. Once more then..... my post was meant to clarify that NO TEAM has a perfect record regarding sledging and intimidation or other unsavoury actions.

Vivek,

My my are you sledging me with your "rubbish" comment? Regarding Lara the racist you might want to get your facts straight, after a series in Australia and several verbal clashes with a few Aussie team members he promptly took out his rage with a racial tirade directed at his teams Aussie Phsyio. After the West Indies lost to Kenya in a world cup match he commented to the Kenian team that he would prefer to lose to them than some "white team". Darren Lehmann made the comments and admitted making them, he apologised and copped his punishment, Brian lara denied all.......hmmmmmmmm. That Panesar was racially abused in Australia is news to me, sorry I was under the impression that he was very popular with crowds everywhere.

Your memories are short. Can't you remember? The The ICC changed the laws of the game, so that the threatening type of fast bowlers could not dominate the game and a new breed of fast bowlers emerged. - Line and length quickies.

To a large extent you are right. But to call the team dwarfs is a bit immature from your part. Whatever you say, it is the same team that lifted the champions trophy in 2002. And before the kiwis managed to stun the aussies, this same team beat them twice. That can be rubbished as the classical David versus Goliath I suppose. I just happen to be a West Indian fan, and there is no sweeter sight for me to than watch Brian lift that trophy at the end of this World Cup. Remember that he is the last remaining titan in the world of cricket. Never had anyone carried any team solely on his shoulders in the modern era, barring maybe Andy Flower. So it could be a fitting reward for the great man if he can win the cup for his team. This West Indian team surely is not Lara and eleven dwarfs. They are a bunch of underperformers, a small spark will do the trick for them. I hope that spark is the impending retirement of the PRINCE.

Nick Schneider,
I think you are obviously very hurt by your perceived persecution complex, and it is reflected in all your postings. It has narrowed your mind and affected your love of cricket. dont you want to stop the pain in the pit of your stomach?

the only way to do so is to PROVE to the world that Aussie cricketers are good sports, never mind what preconceived misconceptions about Oz are out there. Ricky Ponting realises this and tried halfheartedly to address this issue a few years ago, but wrongly insisted that everyone else must play fair too. what he fails to realise is that karma is not dependent on anyone else's actions but your own, and that respect for the Aussie cricket team can only be regained through a determined longterm effort on THEIR part.

Remember, the world still sees Australia as the INSTIGATORS of "mental disintegration" tactics, and whether or not that is entirely accurate is immaterial, since it is the PERCEPTION of reality that emotion rests on. Therefore Aus must be SEEN to be the most Sportsmanlike of teams for several years, before the world likes you again.

The saddest thing about the world's general loathing of Aus cricketing behaviour is that since the baby gets thrown out with the bathwater, much that is great and beautiful about Aus cricket has been overlooked.

I wish Ponting and his Successor all the luck in the world, and I hope , Nick, that you find some peace as well.

Another naive and controversial blog from a man who clearly has no business talking about cricket, particularly the contemporary type. It has already been pointed out that the Windies have reached the finals of two tournaments in the last year, not at home unlike most other nations. Apart from his ludicrous assesment and observations that border rascist, Mukul takes a jab at the Australians (AGAIN!!!) for sledging. Perhaps it would be best if Mukul crept back into that glorious nostalgic world of his, where fortunately the rest of the world would not have to read his blogs. Cricinfo, get your act together, this man degrades the quality of blogs on this site. Why o why, of all the people in India, did you choose this sorry excuse to represent us all?
"his credentials for writing about the game are founded on a spectatorial axiom: distance brings perspective." I believe the collective perception is that he should be distanced a little further.

i think your article is a bit disrespectful of the windies current team. of course they will compare favourably to their countries best ever team. why dont we compare ricky ponting to don bradman. or single out dwayne bravo for comparison with garry sobers.

why dont you compare some of the indian stars reputations against any recent achievments.

does anyone else think the semis will be the kiwis lankans windies and aussies? all have depth and variety.

To the enlightened soul that is called as Nick Schneider,
Lets not talk about the history or the origin of sledging-rather lets take the issue of sledging on face value.
Would you mind telling me as to why to best slanging clashes invariably involve an aussie?Apart from the odd incident India and Pak, and of late SA,virtually every sledging contest/ unsavoury incident has Australia being part of it. Pure coincidence,I presume.poor,innocent australians seem to at the wrong place at the wrong time ever so often.Rajesh's comments serve to illustrate this point-ranatunga and inzamam standing up against the "hypocritic racist" by the name of darell hair.I agree,though that they are very generous and impartial in this regard not even sparing the poor zimbabweans(remember eddo brandes who was equal to the task?)

Sledging has become part of the Australian psyche-a few years from now,why else would a magical bowler like warne be remembered as much for his bowling as for his sledging,conveniently renamed "psychological warfare?".There has to be a line drawn betw and more often than not,they cross the line.I don't remember any other team's bowlers talking so much to the batsman or walkign up to them for each and every ball.It is as if it comes for free with being an aussie.And the worst part is that aussies are proud of it-the great steve waugh(and great is nto within quotes because I believe he is truly great) wants your players not to be too friendly with the poms(to win back the ashes) and to get back to the snarling,gnaring ways of the old. And then the Australian cricket captain,who is supposed to be the ambasador of your country,is all smiles and beaming from end to end while professing that they do try and create a hostile atmosphere for the opposition.

Scoring 36 in 60 overs may be laughable but "unsavoury"? Are you sure you looked up the dictionary? I do not know about the croft incients,so will refrain from commenting on that.

Grep chappell's underarm incident remains the biggest blot on cricketing history-apart from being truly distasteful,it proves the level to which aussies will stoop to win a match.no incident till date matches that(except may be the kiwis running out a coupld of people recently).
Even more unsavoury are the ACB covering up of the bookie revelations of warne and waugh for 5 years and letting them off with a worthless fine.And who can forget the "poor,inocent kid whose caring momma" gave him a diuretic for a cold.I wonder where the precedent for later "unsavoury" incidents of match fixing and doping were set.
Crying about losing-may be you haven't seen ponting's tirade after being run out by a substitute.

My whole point here is that every sledging contest and more than enough share of "unsavoury" incidents always involves an aussie either a bowler,batsman,fielder,spectator,unpire,referee- anything and everything involved with cricket.

I agree that no team is perfect-every team has its share of trouble mongers,but while in most teams they are exceptions it is the norm in australia.A case in point being the serenading of Gilchrist as a saint for "walking".Well,he may well be a saint but the point is that he is the exception while in India(I can't speak for others),people who dont walk(ganguly is the only i can think of) are the exceptions.

To end,I will say every city has its big share of casinos(sledging) and brothels(unsavoury incidents) but it is always Las Vegas(Australia) and Amsterdam(Australia) which are regarded as the leading lights in this regard and rightfully so!

Lara’s theme for THIS World Cup is to affix question marks all over the cricketing nous of a little Indian fella named Mukul Kesavan, who has been having a private chuckle with himself at the expense of Lara’ team (pun intended) and all cricket lovers worldwide... especially of the West Indian and East Indian kind...

Excerpt heard over talk-back radio

Another one of those mindless blogs by Mr. Kesavan. Please get someone who actually knows his cricket to write a blog.

The Windies winning the world cup will only reflect a talented team finally playing upto it's potential and believing in itself.

I fully endorse the statement that the WI team had lost much of its sheen after their debackle in mid 80s. But one should clearly know, i believe most cricket lovers would go with me, that the game of cricket is payed between the ears and it is more a mental game with definitely an iota of luck attached to it as cricket is always labelled as a game of luck. It takes only one good ball to take a wicket.

Hence with so many fights for contracts, salary , coaches and other other irking parameters affect their game very much. The very feeling of not in the upper class or creame has fired their casual approach to the game. This is the main reason for their inconsistency.

But, this being the last WC for the Great Son Of WI, BC Lara, he might be successful in rekindling their old status in the minds of the youngsters and make them strive that bit harder to achieve the desired level of success.

Sorry folks... the previous post got misreported... Replace the word "fella" with the word "dwarf", and you get the picture right. (Sorry Mukul... just reporting what happenned)

Joel,

Very amusing post. Please read all previous posts before you judge me, get off your high horse and you may actually understand.Oh yes I also feel for you,hope your anguish is not permanent. Learn Joel.....dispute the argument don't judge the person it really makes you look like a loser.

Krishna,

How many of you ignorant people are there? For the last time.....At no stage have I lifted Australia on a pedestal......Every country has had regrettable incidents in the past.....All I would like is that the criticism is more evenly spread, if that is so hard to understand then I guess I have no choice but to leave you all to simmer in your bias and stupidity..
Get it???? Some bad Aussies,some bad West Indians,some bad Indians etc etc etc.....Just keep it real.
Goodbye all....World Cup final Australia versus India (again).

Mr. Kesavan,

As a West INdies supporter I too would be surpprised by a championship, but I am not sure that it really makes a comment on the state on International Cricket. This is a team that won the ICC trophy in England and made the final recently. If they play well and consistently they have shown that they can get results and being at home may focus them as the hurricane fall out did when they won ICC. In terms of decline of quicks, the reasons are complex but the role of pitches in the West INdies which are generally slow have not helped...would you really bend your back and bowling at 90 mph only to find you get no help from the pitch?

West Indies are the new Pakistan. If there is any team in the world which epitomises unpredictability, it is this West Indian outfit. They are quite capable of beating Australia one day and losing to Bangladesh the next (the horror!) They can be 128 for no loss and get dismissed under 150. Man, hope they win this cup. Remember Pakistan in 1992 played only two good matches, the semis and the finals.

cricinfo, are u looking at this. dont have blogs from misinformed, pathetic writers who have absolutley no idea of what they are talking about. this article was utter rubbish. stick to fiction mukul. cricket isnt for u!

I think he ie the biggest joker and dwarf. I am quiet confidently say Lara is the greatest batsmen of ever. On his best he can do anything which noone even Sachin cant even dream. If Lara is at his best , everybody knows WI will win this world cup.Mukul Mind your words.

I think he ie the biggest joker and dwarf. I am quiet confidently say Lara is the greatest batsmen of ever. On his best he can do anything which noone even Sachin cant even dream. If Lara is at his best , everybody knows WI will win this world cup.Mukul Mind your words.

Hmm.. Agreed... Apparently Mr. Kesavan made some mistake (blunder) in his statistical analysis.. Mistakes do happen.. although we cannot expect this from some body like Mr. Kesavan.. I am a fan of WI team (next to Indian though).. Let's see what goes on over the next few weeks.. By the way.. to those racists (Nick and co. ) please do stop ur sledging in this blog..

nick,
you are the one who needs to read my post.I completely endorse your view that every country has its share of regrettable incidents.But you do agree that any field,be it science,technology,arts sports or mafia invariably has a leader and australia is by far the leader in this regard. Please refer to the last few paragraphs on my post if you still didnt get it. if you STILL don't get it,then I request to stop posting your prejudices here.

Nick Schneider,
My friend , i'm not entirely sure you're a genuine cricket fan, but just an Australian fan. Your otherwise commendable devotion to your team has blinded you to any comments against them. could you not suss out from my blog that (apart from being West Indian) I am an Australian SUPPORTER ?!( as well as West Indian, English Kiwi,etc).

I think you need to reread my previous post a little more carefully, and with a clear head this time , devoid of any emotional bias. perhaps then you can understand that you and I are on the same side, just with different outlooks.

You prefer to shout and scream vitriol, whereas I am trying to fix things.

Anyway, the Final will not be as easy or simple to predict as so many people are willing to believe. I think WI, Aus, SA, India will get to the semis and from there ANY team can win it.

looking at these comments....i am suprised! i never knew that so many supporters of west indies live in india or are indian! wow!!! Indeed, over the years west indies and india have played the game with much respect for each other. they are like south africa vs. australia. we can definitely look forward to a very competitive world cup 2007!

In response to untouchable convict:
Panesar was called a "bloody Indian". Being Aussie that probably doesnt sound much to you but the term has its roots in India's colonial past when being Indian meant your standing was the same as a dog's. Now I'm not implying that this was what the guy who abused him was getting at but it does reveal ignorance. The fact that he's born and brought up in Britain isnt enough to make him British in the eyes of the abuser just because he wears a patka.

this entry probably belongs in race relations blog and not here so let me just end it at that.

I think the real problem with cricket is that it is has a narrow field that is there are only a few nations playing cricket.Therefore when a cricketing nation goes on the decline like zimbabwe and now west indies it has a huge impact on the cricketing world . Therefore we hope ,we wish for the nation to recover its past glory so that cricket is preserved. I think Mr. Kesavan piece is the result of this nostalgia, this hope that cricket will not lose another great nation to other factors(baseball,football0. This i think is a fitting reason to include minnows since it ensures the spread of the game in a age where other sports like football,basketball are gaining in popularity. Even the fortress of cricket-india os seeing increasing popularity of sports like football(through EPL) which is slowly eroding the popularity of cricket among teenagers. Also in this fast globalised world a 7 hour gain will definitely diminish in popularity . Therefore icommend ICC 's effort to include minnows .

Remember what i said about Marlon Samuels praising himself for making a double century in a practice match and then failing afterwards. Guess what he made duck today. The whole WestIndies performance was a mess. Too bad men like Rampaul, Sammy, Emrit, Hinds, Kelly, Browne have to wait cause the selectors choose not based on performance but on who they like. We will bounce back we always do and against the best teams too. But this should be a wake up call. Samuels have a little more humilty one hundred doesnt justify a place not when your average is 25 . Dwayne Smith yours is 15 .Eventually after so much failures u all must make some score, its the law of averages. Lara wont be around forever to guarantee your place but you all still have Cozier to mislead the public in thinking you are the best that West Indies do have.

Apart from that we are gonna make the semis then we are gonna win !!!!!! :) . I am West Indian must support my team.

Mr Keesavan I respect the fact that you are open to us debating your point of view. No West Indian reporter would do the same cause they put island before the entire team. If they do something like this their arguments would never stand up. Like the famous one Dwayne Smith is a fielding allrounder, lol. First one ever.

Well ppl good luck hope we get some entertaining last over , heart wrenching one day cricket.

Goodbye, Nick Schneider.

How can you say that about the west indies? they have some good one day players. Take gayle for example for a long time the top rated one day batter and he can bowl to. Then you can say the same about New Zealand! Rubbish journalism

To All:

It is very unfortunate that DT has misconstrued my casual, if not, innocent wish for "one of the Asian nations to win the World Cup" as
"racist" - to the extent that my very existence in this blog (or in this world) is a concern for him/her. Please refer to his outraged response at the bottom.

Please read this long but important response since I feel such sensitive topics need to be properly understood to avoid further misunderstandings.

First of all, I very much apologize if I have unintentionally offended any non South Asian by giving the impression that I supported teams along racial lines. It is certainly not the case with me and I can assure you that it is certainly not the case with many South Asians. Racism has no place in cricket, on or off the field. Since DT has touched on this rather sensitive and explosive topic, I feel compelled to clarify some of the misunderstandings that may be common among many Aussies such as DT, who may feel that South Asians' grudge against Aussie domination (vis-a-vis Windies domination in 80s) is racially motivated.

If I may draw a parallel from a much more popular and global sport, soccer... whenever a European team and a South American team play in the Soccer World Cup Final, almost all the South Americans support the South American team and all the Europeans support the European team. Regardless of the rivalry between Brazil and Argentina or between England and Italy or England and Germany...fans almost always support the team from their region. It is also a matter of the first world vs the third world since I find many africans and asians supporting the latin amercian teams against the european teams. In the latest WC final, I saw many french and english supporting Germany and many Brazilians and Mexicans supporting Argentina.

Similarly, in American Basketball (NBA), there is a strong rivalry between Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks but when Knicks are pitted against a west coast team such as LA Lakers in an NBA final, most Bostonians would support the Knicks. There is no racism involved here either.

Who do you think the Aussies supported in the WC semi final between the Kiwis and the Pakistanis in 1992. They obviously supported their Co-hosts regardless of their own trans-tasman rivalry. No one called that racism. Similarly, Sri Lanka had home court advantage in Lahore since Pakistanis enmasse wanted Sri Lanka to win against Australia. Did it seem like racism to you?

Neighbours have their own rivalries but when they go to broader stage, they tend to get a sense of regional patriotism and support each other, which is completely normal and absolutely benign. Unless of course you are a country that tends to be insular and doesn't associate, identify or interact too much with the broader region that you are part of!

As surprising as it may sound to you, back in the late 70s and 80s when SL was not a test playing nation, I used to support Australia against England in the 70s and 80s. Why? Because I looked at England as the Crown and SL and Australia as the colonies. My connection with Australia was stronger than the one I had with England. Did I care that the White Australia (immigration) policy was still around in the early 1970s while England was already becoming a mult-racial country with open immigration policy? No, because in my mind I just supported the team that I thought was the underdog. As a kid, I felt that I should support a good team such as Australia or Windies against England because England was the founder of the support and the rest of us were all adopters of this wonderful game. I admired Greg Chappel's leg glance as much as I admired Viv Richards' cover drive. Of course, there weren't too many SL batsmen to admire at that point! and Gavaskar in neighbouring India was too boring to watch!

DT, you need to understand the difference between cultural/regional pride (which can certainly grow into cultural chauvinism) vs. racism. I find that the English, the French, the Italians, the Spanyards are all more proud of their culture than of their (white) race and they readily acknowledge that their cultures have been influenced and tempered by many outside cultures, languages and religions over the ages.

Similarly, you would find the South Asians as a lot to be very proud of their ancient civilizations, cultures, languages - which all bind them together across national borders that are only half a century old. Pakistanis and (North) Indians, for all their rivalries and wars, speak the same language (Hindi/Urdu) and almost look the same if they are of Punjabi origin.

However, prejudices take a more primal/racial tone only in the colonies such as Australia (which had a White Australia Policy until 1973), South Africa (Apartheid till the 1990s) and the US (Slavery and segregation in the south till the 1960s) - all still happening while Sir Don Bradman was visitng the Windies and the subcontinent to play cricket and being admired by many locals! This is because the immigrant populations of these newly discovered colonies (white or black or brown) didn't necessarily pride or preserve their cultural heritage. Or even have much of it to begin with. Hence the more "racist" connotation to any sort of allegiance to a certain community or group of people.

So, please don't see the regional allegiance as "Black & White". There is more to it than the color of the skin. Aussies and Kiwis share a similar lifestyle, illustrious history (or lack thereof), economic health, values and even the accent! As a result, no one would find it racist if a Kiwi fan supports the Aussies against India in a WC final. Similarly, Indians, Sri Lankans, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis...we all come from the same stock, share the same values, illustrious ancient history, customs, economic health (or lack thereof), etc. and it is only natural that there would be some sort of a regional allegiance/solidarity towards each other despite our own intra-regional rivalries and wars.

If I was a racist, I should say that Sachin Tendulkar is the best batsman in the world today. But I say Lara is the best at present and Bradman is the best ever.

Cheers
Suku

"To quote 'Non-Vegetarian Third Party':

"As a Sri Lankan, I want SL to win it a again. Nevertheless, As an Asian, I'd be still very be thrilled to see any one of the other three Asian teams (Ind, Pak, Ban) to win the cup. Failing that, a Windies victory will be the next most satisfying result for me."

What sort of drivel is this? Can you imagine a caucasian Englishman writing "I'm white, so while I want England to win, failing that I'd be happy to see Australia, New Zealand, or South Africa win it...as long as Pollock takes more wickets than Ntini." Anyone writing such a thing would be ridiculed from the forum, there would be calls for prosecution, and there would be a flood of posts lambasting the evils of institutionalised white racism. And rightly so. The fact that people like this still exist (whatever their origin) bothers me. I'm Australian, and while I'd like Australia to win, if they don't I'll be just as happy to see India win as New Zealand, or the Windies, or the Netherlands -- as long as whoever wins has played GOOD CRICKET.

I am West Indian. I think the decline is West Indian pacemen is due to a higher consumption of modern fast foods rather than the historic diet of local and organic foods. Sadly this is the pattern throughout the West Indies and is reflected in general health statistics.

The West Indies actually have a good one-day outfit. Its just that they havent been consistent enough. Dont forget that of the last two major tournaments, they have won one and were the runner-up in the other. And I certainly dont agree with the terms "schoolboy's dream" and "poor advertisement for contemporary cricket". It would take just two good knocks from the Lara to defeat any opposition, not to mention that he definitely has good quality support. Calling them as dwarfs is simply unacceptable. Well, if Paul Collingwood could produce two back-to-back innings to knock the stuffing out of the Aussies, then just imagine if the "Prince" had a day out in the semifinal and final!! (no offence meant to Colly, but Lara is just Lara....the Prince!!)

Interesteing article. However, please remember ICC Throphy 2004 winners & 2007 finalist. So noyhing is impossible.

Hello Mr.Kesavan get ur mind right first.You are asking questions and then answerign them yourself.Just be sure that u think West Indies can win or they cant.

The silence is deafening...We all need to confess that Mukul's statistics backed analysis has come out on top on today's warm-up match. One can dismiss it as only a warm-up match and the windies are quite capable of turning it around in the next match with flying colors. And I for one is certainly in that camp. However, the dramatic nature of the Widies collapse must be making one Mukul Kesavan laughing it out with a glass of beer, wherever he is.

Mukul, we have not even started the cup yet and I still maintain that no one can write-off anyone yet. However, I should be man enough to admit that as of now you stand much taller than most of us dwarfs!

cheers

Vivek you used Monty as an example of the how racist Aussies are.

He wasn't abused as you implied in your first post far from it, he was a crowd favourite. Spread your misinformation elsewhere.

Mukul's evaluation of the West Indian team seems incorrect and skewed. Apart from Lara, there is a certain Chris Gayle who can tear into the opposition attack any day. Yes they lack good bowlers, but in this WC most top teams cannot boast of a world class bowling attack.The likes of Dwayne Bravo and Sarwan can surely win back the cup for the caribbean people.

Mukul Sahab, West Indies and Pakistan are one of the most unpredictable teams in the current arena.
They lack consistency.

The way West Indies exploded yesterday proves how they don't deserve to win-- atleast for now.

The WI Team of the 70s/80s had the rare advantage of having the best of batsmen/bowlers ( in fact most of them are easily amongst the worlds all time greats)at the same time. So the results were stunning. Especially, if the WI batsmen scored x runs the bowlers will get the opposition out for x-1,x-2 etc. How many teams have or had this opportunity. Even for the recent success stories of Australia, the peak forms of the players of real repute and merit like Ponting,Gilchrist,Waughs coupled with the arguably the best 'speed-spin'combo of the entire cricket history i.e. Mcgrath-Warne coincided. As long as the game changes towards the 'hard willowing syndrome' marginalising the bowlers in the star status, quality bowlers will hardly emerge. There will only be 'fill ups' which will suit conveniently the systems of 'limited over matches' the facnied 'Twenty-20' etc. If U feel the popularity of the game lies in cover drives and lofted shots to the stands but not in the good leg cutters, wily outswingers, lethal inswinging yorkers, magical spins then how can we expect the 'happy go lucky' kind of people to pass through the hard grind to become a really fast bowler.Surely, this trend has to be checked.

I completely agree with the Mukul on assessment of current west indian team. You need to compare this team with the fiery one from past to realize how bad there are comparatively. No genuine fast bowler from a country that has produced bowlers who spewed venom with the ball is sad state of affairs for Cricketing world.

Sure the current team is not all that bad and has a decent chance of reaching semis, but one cant deny its a second rate team in comparison to its own teams of the past and less competitive in the current world.

For the good of cricket, i hope west indies find their way into semis and finals, helping resurgence of cricket in the caribbean.

Well, I must say that the blog is written in great style. Congratualtion. It shows how much the author worries about the downfall of West Indian cricket. There can be hundreds of reasons behind this downfall may proabably no body knowa all of them. The important point is that missing the old style of West Indian cricket is taking away the charm of cricket in a big way. Its always better to have two dominating teams at a time rather than one. With Australia too showing the cracks in the otherwise a rock wall, its time that some other nations get ready to sit on that chair. Cricket will remain exicting till we have more than one team crushing the rest. It will be great pleasure, flight and thrill.

I think todays match proved Mukul was right, funny to see all those people condoning his article have vanished from the Blog, the way west Indian team bundled out today even Mukul would not have imagined it.I said earlier on this Blog they are highly inconsistent even more than Paklistan,
Its still to early this was only a practice match
but the way they performed it seemed either the west Indian team is practicing on different types of pitches their timing of the ball was completely off now if this means that we will see some hard and fast pitches in the future matches that is yet too be seen.
But bundling out for 86 against a pretty ordinary Indian bowling is beyond comprehension.

What Mukul said may be harsh to some extent but some truth lies within it.

The reason West Indies cricket has taken a down turn is because the current crop aspires a pseudo hollywood lifestyle and they have no clue about their history during british rule, which was the reason the team bonded and played as one from the 60s to the 80s.

Just a thought.
India didnt really get much match practice in this warmup match. could this have been deliberate? It certainly hasnt settled the batting issue, has it? (or for that matter, the bowling either, since the wickets were gifts)Hee,Hee!!

ok...
introduction....i love cricket?!?! i am australian...australia does have culture as i believe every country has culture...australia is a spread out country we have back yards beaches parks school yards etc this is where we start most australins are bought up with a cricket bat and set of wickets then spend all summer long playing cricket or watching cricket

...sledgiing may be a part of the modernised game i apoligise if we are to blame for that but as nick schneider says there is other issues that stem to other teams every person that plays cricket for a country is always in the spotlight... whether it be sledging throwing matches or being a genuine ambasidor of the game maybe this world of ours that we live in seems not to notice the good things that the australians may do but just recignise the bad things sledging,throwing matches etc hansie cronje was investigated after he excepted money for something to do with a book maker... he was from south africa... marlon samuels was recently investigated for throwiing matches or recieving info off a book maker...i may not have my info correct but what everyone needs to get back to is what??

the reason we all come here for "CRICKET"...
cricket is a unique game that thankfully someone invented that is different its fun to watch maybe the issues you bring up we are addressing... there is much bitterness about this world cup to much negativness,
i'd like to think that australia can fight to the end and atleast lose there only cup match in the final i do not read the future so i can only follow my team on there world cup journey as supporters of your own countries should be doing the same to bad there will always be controversy on the way someone might ball tamper argue with an umpire, sledge at an oppisite team etc...

but what about talking about what a great player that sachin tendulker is... or what might be for the kenyan team or bangladesh side... or how much of a challenge the bowlers have in this world cup in these changing conditions...,

lets bring the game back to its respects as our teams critics we need to be positive in order for positive things to happen or else knowone will ever stop pointing the finger...

what i hope to see in the future of cricket is the positive growth... i hope that one day the zimbabwe cricket team can grow with strength and be up there with every other cricketing nation thAT IS growing in strength look where sri lanka were 20 0r 30 years ago.... they have grown strong and have a good future as for everyone else that regroups after a loss and doesn't reflect on the negative side of the loss they look at how they can get better...

sometimes you've gotta get hit in life but its how far forward you get after getting hit

Mukul, you're a bloody clown mate. First of all, it wouldn't be an embarrassment if the WI made the finals - of their top order bats they have Gayle, Hinds, Lara, Sarwan and Chanderpaul who have all scored double tons in Tests. Secondly they have a great fast bowler in Jerome Taylor. Thirdly, not everything has to be about India, geez!

Non Veggie Third Party said "However, prejudices take a more primal/racial tone only in the colonies such as Australia (which had a White Australia Policy until 1973), South Africa (Apartheid till the 1990s) and the US (Slavery and segregation in the south till the 1960s)".

Oh dear didn't we miss India (caste system 1950)?

Mate keep it up and we will send Brett Lee to make another hit music video.

one more critisism of this blog.

isnt lara just about the shortest player going around in the windies team. isnt he the dwarf.

im sure the results from the warm up match dont mean too much. ireland got close to sa and banglas beat nz.

As someone who grew up the 70s and 80s, it has been extremely painful to watch the inconsistent performance our West Indies team over the last several years. There is no single reason for the decline of Windies cricket and I am not sure that I subscribe to the argument that the youth have been seduced by North American sports.
I do recall a discussion with a relative, in the mid-80s, while watching a match on TV. At that time, the computer-generated analyses were pretty new. One of the comments my relative made was that the Windies would ultimately be undone by technology. I did not make much of this at the time, but in retrospect,he was right. For years, the WI made use of raw natural talent but did not move on with the science or psychology of the game. On the other hand, teams like Australia and England did. For example, the WI came late into the business of viewing videotapes of other teams. This could be put down to complacency or lack of foresight.

Another problem has been the failure to develop the game at the regional level. Up to this time, there is no comprehensive programme for school cricket and only recently did the WICB begin to award retainer contracts. All of this must be considered against the backdrop of the virtual disappearance of Windies players from the County cricket circuit. For many years, players refined their craft in England and there are many in the Caribbean who believe that there was a plan to keep Windies players out. The recent remarks by John Emburey would seem to vindicate the conspiracy theorists. Actually, it is amazing that Shiv Chanderpaul, for example, has been able to maintain his standard while not playing professionally overseas.

I am in full agreement with the view that the future of the Windies depends on its bowling attack. For some reason, many players who appear to have real promise just fizzle out within a year or two. I have even been tempted to think that these guys need to be placed in a camp for a year and made to do nothing but play cricket. Seriously, however, our fast bowlers today do not seem to possess all the key attributes that will make them competent in their craft. For example, those who seem to be genuinely quick often lack line and length.
Still in the area of bowling, while the tendency has been to associate the Windies with pace, few outside the region recognize the demise of the West Indian spinner. Australia, Sri Lanka and India are examples of teams that have been able to use spin to great effect. However, in the Caribbean, there has been no outstanding spinner since Lance Gibbs and, since his retirement in the mid-70s, there has been a conveyor-belt of spinners, most of whom have failed to make a mark. In fact, the most successful spinners since then have been part-timers like Carl Hooper. If,then, the region has been poor in generating spinners, is it any surprise that so many Windies batsmen are poor players of spin? Also, one can ask what has happened to the spin pitches in the Caribbean.
On the batting side, there is some hope. There is definitely talent but no consistency. It is interesting that over the last couple of years, Lara has had some company (at last) in the world batting rankings in the likes of Gayle and Chanderpaul. Perhaps the answer lies in building mental resilience. Currently, the team is like a sports car of old. When it gets started, it can really go. The trouble lies in getting it started.
More needs to be done to get the tail to wag. Fitness is also an issue. Also, there is need for consistency in selection. When the Windies were at the top, the team hardly changed and it was teams like England that kept chopping and changing. Now, it is the other way round.

All of this said, I am not too impressed by the reference to Lara and the 11 dwarves. I believe that in a run chase the Windies are as potent as any. The match against India should not be interpreted as the final nail in the coffin. Indeed, anyone who takes the Windies for granted in this tournament may be making a potentially costly mistake.

Haha. WI bowled out for less than a 100. Come one boys, where are all the soothsayers predicting a resurgent WI. They are down in the dumps. Mukul must be having a laugh now at your expenses. LOL!

Just as you Mukul, I grew up following the great WI side and it saddens me to see the current team being labelled as the WI team (But one should forget the comparisions)
I think, more than the mercurical Lara the fourtunes of this WI team depend more on the workhorses like Chandrapaul and Bravo. I hope the moody Gayle also strikes form at the right time to make this WI side a more formidable one.

But Mukul I thought Brett Lee is the only fast bowler of his team who represents the old world virtues of letting the ball do the talkng (mostly when the colour is white)! He smiles readily, swears after a bad ball or a good shot mostly at himself, and greets at least one batsman (Sachin) on reaching 200 even after conceding as many in the innings. Ditto for Shane Bond, perhaps.

This is, mildly put, an unprofessional column. Everyone worships the West Indian teams of the 70s and 80s -- but that is no excuse for the eleven dwarves comment; that is simply in bad taste.

What makes sport interesting is its uncertainty. On any given day, anyone can win despite how good the opposition looks on paper. So the West Indies are mere shadows of the past greats but 'no chance of winning the world cup' is a bit far fetched. Even if they did win the world cup you would still not give them the credit they deserve! Pity your bias is evident but we'll forgive you when we lift the cup in 6 weeks.

Have you booked your flight for the biggest caribbean carnival celebration on the 28th April?

For what it's worth, West Indies just beat Pakistan convincingly today. And, surprisingly, the extras did not even make up an extra over. Perhaps they needed the embarassing defeat handed to them by India to wake up and smell the coffee. It should be interesting to see how they perform during the competition.

No team in the history of cricket has ever enjoyed perpetual dominance. Be it England,Aussies or WestIndies. Australia may be a brute force today but the end is near. You can have all the infrastructure you want but still you cannot produce another Shane Warne or for that matter Mcgrath or Gilchrist. WestIndian were lucky to have Richards,Marshalls,Garnerners,Holdings ,Gordons all in the same time ,so are Australia in having Warnes ,Mcgraths ,Gilchrists ,Pontings but fairly tale has to end somwhere.

There is no gainsaying to that the Current (or Recent) Aussie Team is really damn good and is definitely comparable with the WI of 70/80s, though comparison of things of different ages defies the very spirit of the game. But, performance apart, comparisons can be made. The moot point is while many sincere lovers and followers of the game have enjoyed the victories of their national teams over the Carribeans, there is a genuine respect and love left for the West Indies the team and the Criceketers. In fact, may wish a resurgence in their Cricket. Hence, the blog. But, the same is not so with Aussie. All their true cricketing merits are taken with a scorn and their defeats are rejoiced universally. Need one to tell that it is mostly because of their on-field behaviour?Ponting & Co can see those matches again in replays and understand who is talking sense and who has to be chastised. It is a pity that a very mild general observation on an obnoxious practice in the guise of gamesmanship has taken personal dimensions.

YES!! WI is a wonderful team.

There is a very good chance that the Caribbean heads of government will declare April 29th a public holiday. Have you booked your flight yet Muk?

Mate, don't underestimate the West Indians. They have players who can play! Lara, Gayle, Chanderpaul, Samuels, Sarwan, Taylor. I think their weakness is in their bowling and they can be inconsistent but don't write them off!!! Obviously Australia is the favourite and the benchmark but don't write the windies off

Like all this there must be an end and like all great teams there will be a time when the supremacy will be haulted. The WI will be back on top again and this World Cup might just be where they start.

Nobody seems to have mentioned that the West Indies, at the height of their pomp, bowled only about 70 overs a day and restricted opponents scoring by bowling 3-4 bouncers an over.

They were a great side, but I think that people are viewing their achievements through nostalgic rose-tinted glasses.

Trav, I think either you haven't followed cricket for very long or you are a poor analyst.
Those were not the reasons West Indies were considered great. Btw, WI was not the only team to sometimes bowl slowly or bouncers. go look it up and you will be surprised to find out who Clive Lloyd emulated when he chose a four pronged pace (bouncing) attack. I would tell you but i think you need to do some reading of your own.

Joel, I'm well aware of the reasons the West Indies were considered great. You may have noticed that I called them great in my post, and I wasn't using the word lightly. The Windies at their height were the equal of any side in history.

They also did whatever it took to win.

I admired the ruthless nature of their play, it was part of what made them a great side. But many of the commenters here seem to have forgotten that ruthless streak.

I saw them play, and I can assure you that there was a hard-bitten edge to their play that many of the commenters here seem to have forgotten. For a side so brimming with talent it must be said that they did not play without cynicism.

So I stand by my previous post.

hi....i agree with mukul in his opinion abt the present state of Windies cricket....they may have been quite successful of late in one day games (even then they have failed in the finals), their performances in tests have left lot to be desired. they are losing to not so good travellers like india and NZ at home....their bowling is hardly test level and just cannot pick 20 wkts in a match on a regular basis....
abt the windies teams of 70's and 80's, there was nothing wrong in bowling bouncers. it was upto the batsmen to have the proper technique to deal with them......short balls are just another kind of deliver like a half volley or a full toss( though no batsmen complains about them)....it is upto the batsmen to play the ball.....there is a shot for every kind of delivery...

What is worse? Losing convincingly three games on the trot and virtually wasting any chances of progressing to a semi final spot or accepting the fact that; the reality is, West Indies is ranked number 8 in the world, just above the "minnows", and these are the kinds of thrashings which are to be expected from a team ranked as such?
As seen so far in this world cup, from warm up game until now, West Indies have failed to score over 250 runs in an innings, regardless of the opposition, and worse yet, they don't look capable of achieving it.
Here are some of the problems I've picked up on, and a few solutions:
1. There needs to be some form of absolution in the batting line up. If it is Chanderpaul's role to hold up one end while the likes of Gayle, Sarwan and Samuels are allowed to free their hands and play their shots, then they must be able to do just that. It makes no sense that Chanderpaul plays out maiden after maiden while Gayle and Sarwan scratch around at the other end looking desperately out of sorts. The end result will be West Indies 50 or 60 for 2 or 3 wickets down after 20 overs on route to the usual score of 210 - 225. A steady head like a Ganga is necessary at the top with Gayle, with Chanderpaul dropping back down the order at 5 where he is almost forced to work the ball around and keep teh scoreboard ticking along. There is no room in the team for both Bravo and Smith. The time has long gone for offering extended oportunity to bits and pieces players without returns. Bravo gets the nod as the second change bowler and number 7 batsman. Lets face facts, he's a number seven batsman at best. Ramdin, whose keeping is coming along reasonably nice, has a long way to go with his batting and needs extra special attention and guidance in this area if he is to be the long standing wicketkeeper/batsman in the team. Our 3 bowlers need to be Collymore, Powell and Taylor. Powell's bowling has come on leaps and bounds and will only get better with hard work. taylor has shown signs of brilliance but far to irregular and has a long way to go, but is possible our best hope of a real wicket taking fast bowler. Both Collymore and Bradshaw are pedestrian in pace but Collymore's impecable line and length usually forces respect from the opposition more often than not.
Most importantly, West Indies need a brain out on the field and off of it. Lara's captaincy lacks initiative, imagination and I am now convinced that he is unable to motivate the team. He must now settle for leading them with his batting. New ideas are needed. How can we be making the same mistakes over and over and expect new results. My choice is Ganga. No, I am not a Ganga fan but he has led an dok Trinidad outfit to back to back regional titles and whenever they take the field he leads from the front with his bat, his field placings are logical and his team always seem inspired despite of the situation they find themselves in.
One question I need to know the answer to is who is talking to these guys in the pavillion? They go about chasing 304 like its 204. They set targets of 200 like if they have the feared 4-prong pace attack of the 70's and 80's. They give away runs in the field by being overly casual at times and worst of all they seem incapable of working the gaps and getting singles and twos when batting.
Gayle, Ganga, Sarwan, Lara, Chanderpaul, Samuels, Bravo, Ramdin, Powell, Taylor and Collymore. Thats my eleven. I hope they know how disappointed we in the caribbean are at their dismal performances to date (except Powell) and realise that it takes 100% effort 100% of the time and nothing else is good enough. I wish them good luck for the remainder of the tournament, they definitely need it.

There will always be two sides to every game - the physical aspect and the psychological part.

Let the results speak for themselves...
The Aussies have proven themselves strong in both aspects of this game in comparison to the other teams. So unless the rest of the world can get their game up, I suggest we stop the criticisms and let the game begin!

You may be correct in some ways. I am a strong supporter of West Indies cricket but I think we can do better. What if we drop all those recent extra cricket gears and play like Gavaskar did?

I predict Australia's win in ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 on the basis of ancient art of numerology. Earlier, I predicted Italy's win in FIFA Cup 2006 just 7 days before the final.

Good to see Mustafa prediction about cricket world cup. He has a good track record of national & international predictions in pakistan. He is known for a good accuracy in predictions. The News (leading daily in pakistan) use to cover his predictions and has calculted 90% predictions accuracy rate. I can bet on Australia win after reading Mustafa prediction.

S Kazmi - Lahore, Pakistan.

i need cell or e-contact of numerologist khalid mustafa. please either make it available at cricinfo or write to me. i wish personal consultation.

Here is me E-mail for Cricinfo 2007 Blog readers: khalid.mustafa@lycos.co.uk

My postal contact is: K Mustafa, GPO Box # 3131, Islamabad - Pakistan and web site: kmustafa.gq.nu

Please keep in mind that I do not check my mails regularly due to workload. I always try to reply back all mails.