West Indian T-20 team

It is indeed a formidableT 20 team. Will the West Indian T-20 team highlighted in The Hindu be the world’s best team like the Carribean test team? From the look of it one has to say yes. The names inspire awe: Greenidge, Haynes, Lara, Richards, Lloyd, Dujon, Marshall, Holding, Garner, Ambrose, Roberts and Walsh.

The big question is who to leave out. It has to be a bowler. Even then it would be five fast bowlers. No team has come up with such a lineup. There are no genuine spinners or all rounders. Richards is a part time spin bowler; Lloyd bowls medium pace; Marshall can bat a bit. That is it

Another point to ponder is that will the bowlers be able to stick to the strict rules on wides and no-balls restricting the height of the bounce of the ball. Most of them, except perhaps Marshall, will be well over six feet. I remember once English batsman Alan Lamb said jokingly that when Garner jumps before the delivery of the ball, his hand goes above the sight screen and hence the batsman will not be able to see the ball. It will be difficult for them to contain the bounce unless it is quite a placid pitch. The bowlers also have long run-ups and hence take longer time to finish the overs.

So the opposition may have a chance if the pitch is grassy. The team can amass a good total from extras if the bowlers try to bowl fast. But if they stick to line and length then there is not respite from the great fast bowlers. The ball doesn’t get old in T-20 for the spinners or medium pacers to operate. So no luck for the batsman there either. The batsmen will have to play like Sehwag and hope that the luck will favour them