A Rout in Mirpur

In my preview I made reference to the fragility of the West Indian batting, but I certainly wasn’t expecting an implosion quite that spectacular.  From the moment that Chris Gayle hammered the ball to a grateful Shahid Afridi at extra cover they batted cluelessly, unsure whether to defend or attack against the spinners and ultimately doing neither successfully. Nothing should detract from the quality of Pakistan’s bowling, but this was truly spineless batting, thrown into perspective by the partnership of forty for the ninth wicket between Chanderpaul and Roach.  

It will be interesting to see where the West Indies go from here. They have some decent young players but their top order is brittle, and will become more so once Shivnarine Chanderpaul finally calls it a day, and they lack leadership. Darren Sammy isn’t doing a bad job as captain but there seems to be a lack of responsibility among senior players and a lack of application from some seriously talented individuals. Kieron Pollard is a case in point: he is blessed with an astonishing natural talent but has become so obsessed with hitting sixes that he seems to have neglected the fundamentals of batsmanship. When he comes off it is spectacular to watch, but his lack of reliability makes him a luxury player rather than a key part of the line-up.

As for Pakistan, anything is possible. The conditions suited them, for there is a suspicion that they would struggle to score enough runs on a good surface, but they have had an impressive World Cup, the aberration against New Zealand aside. For all the billboards of a surprisingly youthful looking Shoaib that are being putting up in Pakistan they look a better, more controlled side without him, in spite of Wahab Riaz’s travails. A semi-final against either India or Australia awaits, which is a truly mouth watering prospect.