Too tough for West Indies in England?

While a lot of people in the Caribbean are encouraged by the way the team played against Australia, there’s no escaping the fact that Michael Clarke‘s side is a very ordinary team and they still won the series 2-0. If that side had been playing England for the Ashes this summer, they would not come close to drawing a game.

West Indies have produced some quality cricket over the ages. When the seniors were there, West Indies have been relentless and were able to outclass any side on any given day. But I don’t believe this Windies squad possesses enough skill in beating England at home. So, I expect a convincing England victory.

It is difficult to get accustomed to English conditions and offer resistance to a bowling attack – that has lifted England to the top of the rankings. But West Indies might suffer a possible blow as their in-form Chanderpaul sustained a minor blow to the hand, but is fit to play at Lords, but might not be up to the mark when he bats. So, the youngsters have to be on top of their game at Lords.

Injury woes continue to linger for the West Indies as Fidel Edwards is yet to recover from a back injury. It would be a big loss for the Windies as they would miss one of their premium fast bowlers, who has the ability to swing the ball both ways. Two victories in 19 Tests is bad by anyone’s standards – it certainly isn’t a record to be proud of. However, things would be different if everyone is eligible to play for the West Indies was considered for selection. The issues surrounding the absence of some of the team’s best players are well documented; with the likes of Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Dwayne Bravo in the team, the West Indies would be a match for anyone. These players are match-winners as well as game-changers. Especially Sarwan known for his composure, anchors the innings to a certain extent. He has a tremendous record against England. So absence of Sarwan would be a huge drawback for the Windies.

On the other hand, there are people like Jerome Taylor who have pretty much been banished by the West Indies Cricket board; the last Test series the West Indies won was against England in 2009 and England won’t need reminding of the part that Taylor played at Sabina Park and he took 4 wickets in the 2nd innings and was awarded the man-of-the-match.In many ways Ottis Gibson only has himself to blame because one of the things he did initially when he was appointed in 2010 and cleared out the senior players. He probably wanted to start with a brand new team – it came across like he wasn’t satisfied with the attitude and commitment of some of the senior players; he wanted to start over. But that hasn’t helped the West Indies as a series of defeats followed.

So what will give them hope is the emergence of a promising pace-attack under Darren Sammy. Despite this vital ingredient to victory being in place, the key to Windies’ winning in England will be the performance of the batsmen. If the more inexperienced players were shielded a bit, if they were being brought into the team one at a time and helped along by the more senior players, it would stand them in far greater stead for the long-term. Instead, they haven’t been given the opportunity to learn the game. If the West Indian batsmen can stand and deliver, I think we would be in for some great contests in England.